You may love horses so much you’d be happy with one of each breed. While that likely isn’t possible because of just how many different horse breeds exist in the world, you learning about them to be very interesting as well.
The middle east was known for breeding incredible horses that were beautiful, athletic, and spirited. Many of these breeds have been lost to time. Those that still exist are evidence of the skill and mastery of some of the Central Asian and middle easterners when it came to horsemanship.
We’ve brought to you a few of the most common Central-Asian and Middle-Eastern Warmblood Horse Breeds we could gather for you to read on.
Table of Contents (Horspedia)
The Tcheneran Warmblood Horse | A Magnificent Iranian Breed
Below is a table containing some of the most common characteristics of the Tcheneran Warmblood Horse
| Origin | Iran |
| Height | About 15hh. |
| Color | Any solid color. |
| Character | Spirited, willing, active, enduring, docile. |
| Physique | Alert, elegant, head with a large, liquid eye, carried gaily on an arched neck. Good, sloping shoulder, prominent withers; compact body. With good loins and strong hindquarters. Hard legs and feet. Action straight and airy. A tough little horse, possessing both courage and stamina. |
History and Origin of the Tcheneran Warmblood Horse
Tchenarans have been bred since at least the 18th century. They make excellent saddle horses, beautiful, adaptable, and bold, and were until recently much in demand by the cavalry.
Breeding a Tchenaran Warmblood Horse
The Tchenaran is the product of a Plateau Persian stallion and a Turkoman mare, as a mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey, or an Anglo-Arab is a cross between a Thoroughbred and an Arab.
It is not usual to breed a Tchenaran to a Tchenaran since the offspring deteriorate in quality. Curiously, crossing a Turkoman stallion onto a Plateau Persian mare does not produce a foal of such a high caliber, and for this reason, the opposite cross is always used.
Plateau Persian Small Riding Horse | Characteristics and Origin
They share the same heritage and conformation as the ancient Persian horses.
Based on the geographical History and Origin of the Plateau Persian Small Riding Horse
Iran has been producing exquisite small riding horses for more than 2,500 years.
The animals are akin to the desert Arabian and show much much the same elegance, fire, and air – hardly surprising, since the same ruthless natural selection produced them, nurtured in the same inhospitable climate, fed a diet that was often meager and conditioned in tough and harsh terrain.
On the central Persian plateau, a rough mountain country inhabited by nomadic tribes, several similar horse strains have come into being over the centuries. Among them are the Shirazi, Quashquai, Basseri, Bakhtiari, and some Persian Arab types.
The Royal Horse Society of Iran has grouped these horses under the single heading Plateau Persian. Two of the most popular Plateau Persian strains are the Darashouri and the Jaf, but before these are described, mention must be made of a horse that is not a Plateau Persian at all but a new breed created from it-the Pahlavan.
The Pahlavan, bred primarily by HIM the Shah, is a Thoroughbred Plateau Persian-Arab cross standing 15.2-16hh and possessing strength, elegance, and great beauty. Also, in the Imperial stables, gaining popularity in Iran – the Anglo-Persian, whose bloodlines need no explanation.
Darashouri Warmblood Horse | Breed from Iran with Chestnut Colours
The Dareshuri horse is a hidden jewel of the Zagros mountain range in modern-day Persia, with roots going back to the Nisean horse of the ancient Persian empires, a several centuries-old heritage of keeping the horse herds pure and untouched.
Below is a table containing some of the most common characteristics of the Darashouri Warmblood Horse
| Origin | Iran- Province of Fars. |
| Height | Average 15hh. |
| Color | Chestnut, bay, brown, gray; occasionally black. |
| Character | Intelligent, spirited, friendly, and docile. |
| Physique | Splendid, silky-coated, lightweight saddle horse of excellent conformation, similar to the Arab in appearance and action. At once elegant and tough. |
Jaf Warmblood Iranian Horse Breed | Origin Height and Character
The Jaf Horse Breed is among one of the two most popular horse breeds grouped under the plateau Persian horse breed by The Royal Horse Society of Iran.
Below is a table containing some of the most common characteristics of the Jaf Warmblood Iranian Horse Breed
| Origin | Iran Kurdistan |
| Height | Usually over 15hh, but it can vary. |
| Color | Chestnut, bay, brown, gray; occasionally black. |
| Character | Courageous, intelligent; both gentle and fiery. |
| Physique | Very attractive Oriental saddle horse of Arab type. A tough, wiry horse, typical of the sort bred in a harsh mountain/desert terrain. Hard feet. Like the Darashouri, it has great powers of endurance. |
Iomud Central-Asian Warmblood Horse | Gray Horse Breed
The Iomud is a breed of light horse from central Asia. Below is a table containing some of the most common characteristics of the Iomud Central-Asian Warmblood Horse
| Origin | Central Asia |
| Height | About 14.2-15hh. |
| Color | Any solid color. Gray is the most common, then chestnut and bay. |
| Character | Great courage and endurance; adaptable. |
| Physique | It has a slim head with a straight or concave face, large eyes, prick ears, well set on a longish neck. Good shoulder, prominent withers, and a strong, straight back. Sinewy hindquarters with a look of elastic power, legs long, hard and slender. Coat fine, Coat fine, with mane and tail thin and silky. Similar to its relative, the Akhal-Teké, though less greyhound-like, fractionally smaller, and more close-coupled. |
The description of the Iomud Central-Asian Warmblood Horse
The lomud is a strain of Turkoman, like the Akhal-Teké, though it is possessed of more stamina, is not as fleet-footed, and is more similar to the Arab in appearance.
It is extremely adaptable and makes a good cross-country horse on any terrain. It is untiring in distance races and has the courage and quality needed for a good cavalry animal.
Lokai Warmblood Horse Characteristics | Character Height and Origin
Also called the Lokaiskaya, the Lokai is a saddle breed, bred in central & southern Tadzhikistan. Below is a table containing some of the most common characteristics of the Lokai Warmblood Horse
| Origin | Uzbekistan |
| Height | 14-14.3hh. |
| Color | Usually bay, gray, chestnut; black and dun rare. Sometimes a golden sheen to coat. |
| Character | Tractable, willing, brave. |
| Physique | May vary. Head can be light or heavy, and the face straight or convex; intelligent eye, short ears, straight neck. Good shoulder. Body well ribbed-up, with straight back and quarters often sloping. Hard legs with good bone, but some tend to play in front and to sickle hocks behind. Hard feet. Mane and tail are sparse and sometimes wavy or curly. |
History and Origin of the Lokai Warmblood Horse
This is a tough mountain horse, widely used for pack and transport in the high areas of Tadzhikistan.
It was originally bred in the 16th century by the Lokai tribe of Uzbekistan and has since been made taller and more handsome by injections of lowered, Karabair, and other Russian and Eastern blood.
Description of the Lokai Warmblood Horse
Its courage and stamina suit it to sporting events. Although it’s not very fast, it is used for racing, endurance tests, and —hardStiffpastimes such as hawking and hunting.
Its most spectacular sporting achievements are in the national game of kop-kopi (goat-snatching), in which a mounted man carrying a goat is pursued by others who try to take it away from him.
New Kirgiz Warmblood Horse Breed | Origin Height and Physique
The Kyrgyz Horse or Kirgiz Horse is a traditional breed of small horse from the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan).
Below is a table containing some of the most common characteristics of the New Kirgiz Warmblood Horse Breed
| Origin | Kirgiz and Kazakhstan. |
| Height | 14.1-15.1hh |
| Color | Mostly bay, gray, chestnut. |
| Character | Docile, active, tough, adaptable. |
| Physique | Small, dry head with prick ears; long neck well-set on the strong but upright shoulder. Body muscular but rather long, with a straight back. Good withers and loins, and sloping croup. Legs short and hard, with large bone. A hardy, free-moving horse, sure-footed and with great stamina. |
History and Origin of the New Kirgiz Warmblood Horse Breed
Based on the ancient Kirgiz horse, this new development has been specially bred as an all-purpose saddle and harness horse.
Complex outcrossing for specific qualities, followed by a selective crossing of the offspring thus obtained, began about 1930 and has led to the breed called New Kirgiz.
The end product is only about 25% Kirgiz, the remaining three-quarters being Don and Thoroughbred in the ratio of roughly two parts to one.
Most Common Uses of the New Kirgiz Warmblood Horse Breed
The New Kirgiz is a splendid mountain horse, able to fulfill all kinds of functions in harness, under the saddle, and in sport, and in addition, it is fertile, frugal, and a provider of good milk for kumiss.
Kustanair Warmblood Horse Breed | Character Specifics and Physique
The Kustanair (Kazakh: Qostanaı) is a breed of horse developed in Kazakhstan in the former U.S.S.R. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
They are used mainly for under-saddle and light draft work. Below is a table containing some of the most common characteristics of the Kustanair Warmblood Horse Breed
| Origin | Kazakhstan |
| Height | 15-15.2 hh. |
| Color | Solid colors, usually bay or chestnut. |
| Character | Intelligent, adaptable |
| Physique | There are three types: The Steppe, which is massive; the Saddle, light and airy; and the Basic, which is somewhere between the two. It is a Hard, handsome, handsome horse, with short legs and plenty of bone. Medium-sized head on long neck; prominent withers, strong but upright shoulder, well-coupled body with sloping, muscular hindquarters. Has good action, great stamina, is hardy and adaptable. |
History and Origin of the Kustanair Warmblood Horse Breed
Interest on the part of the cavalry in the latter part of the 19th century stimulated the improvement of the small, hardy horses which ran in herds in the harsh climate of Kazakhstan.
Good food and care increased the height quite quickly from about 13hh to over 14hh, and later improvements were made by outcrossing with Thoroughbreds, Don, and other breeds.
The three types of Kustanair together offer a wide range of performance under saddle and in harness.
Karabair Warmblood Horse Breed Type | Characteristics and most common Specifics
The Karabair is a long-established horse breed particularly from Uzbekistan and northern Tajikistan.
Below is a table containing the most common characteristics of the Karabair Warmblood Horse Breed
| Origin | Uzbekistan |
| Height | 15-15.3hh. |
| Color | Solid colors-usually gray, bay, chestnut. |
| Character | Intelligent, responsive, sensible, and brave. |
| Physique | There are three types of Karabair. The Saddle: fast: Don, elegant, and strong; The Harness: which is massive and long-backed; and the Saddle/Harness: type, a compromise between the two. The horse has a rather dry head with an alert expression and a definite look of Oriental blood. Body strong, especially in the shoulders, back straight, hindquarters broad, and sloping. Legs strong and clean, though sometimes sickle-hocked. Mane and tail thin. The horse moves well and freely, is hardy and adaptable. Because of its variation in type, it can range from coarse to beautiful. |
Most Common Uses of the Karabair Warmblood Horse Breed
The Karabair is another ancient mountain breed, of great service to farming in Central Asia.
As a riding horse, it is keen and competitive, figuring prominently in the many mounted equestrian games beloved by the Russians of this area.
