Difference Between Warmblood, Coldblood, Hot Blood

There are hundreds of different breeds of horses, but they are grouped into three broad categories: coldblood, warmblood and hot blood.

The cold blood breeds originated in Europe. They were bred for heavy work and long hours, pulling farm equipment, carts, barges and other heavy items. They had to have both power and endurance but there was little need for speed. Consequently, they were bred to have well developed muscles, on heavy bones and large joints. They also need to have a calm, even docile nature, so that they would obey commands and would not frighten and run off with farm equipment or other loads. In response to the need to work in cold European winters, their tails, manes and coats had long, thick hair. The Shire horse and the Clydesdale are typical cold blood breeds.

The hot bloods are from warmer climates, in particular the middle-east, where they were bred for racing and riding. They have much lighter bodies, legs and joints than the cold bloods, as they are build for speed and distance rather than for raw power. Having been developed in warm regions, they have relatively short coats, manes and tail hair so that they can shed heat better. For the same reason, they have lots of blood vessels near the surface of the skin, to improve heat dissipation. All of these factors support their speed and racing success. Likewise, they are spirited horses with a desire to run, the very opposite of the calm and docile temperament of cold bloods. The Arabian and the Thoroughbred are classic hot blood breeds.

The warmbloods (or warm bloods) have characteristics between the cold bloods and hot bloods, both physically and temperamentally. Some, but not all, of the warmblood breeds were created by crossing hot blood breeds and cold blood breeds to produce a new breed, followed by selective breeding to retain the best characteristics of the warm and cold ancestry. They have an athletic build and speed, combined with intelligence and calm (but not docile) disposition. As such, they excel in sports such as show jumping which require not only physical speed but also intelligence, a settled disposition and trainability. Examples are the Friesian and Hanoverian breeds.

The categories cold, warm and hot has nothing to do with the temperature of the horses (all horses have a normal temperature of about 38C) or their blood. Instead, it refers to the origin of the breeds (cold or hot climates), their build (heavy or athletic) and their character (calm or spirited).

Over time, the requirements for horses changes. As farm work has been taken over by tractors and transport by cars, the breeding objectives have been more towards sports and pleasure riding. In this environment, the warmbloods (and perhaps to a lesser extent the hot bloods) have been somewhat more successful that the cold bloods. Fortunately, a number of cart pulling and other heavy sports have been created to support these breeds. In addition, the calm and stable nature of the cold bloods has made them particularly popular with many children and less confident horse riders.

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