Horse Breeds Beginning With Y

It’s horse breed Thursday again and time to meet one of the last two letters of the breed alphabet. Make sure you visit the breeds section where I’ve written pages about every breed I can find.

If you haven’t met the rest of the alphabet, be sure to do so A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X. Today it’s about breeds that start with Y, (no, I didn’t forget X – there is only one the Xilingol). So on to the Y’s from the Yabou which shares lineage with the great Turkoman animals to the Yururi Island Horses who live on an uninhabited island in Japan.

Almost at the end of the alphabet, there is more to the Y’s than meets the eye. Be sure to meet all of them.

Big Daddy Y’s

The Y’s aren’t a terribly big category, but one that is diverse enough to be worth checking out. Some of the oldest are the hardy Yanqi Horse was developed in China from Mongolian ponies in the 13th century; the Japanese Yonaguni which mysteriously came to southwestern islands around 2000 years ago; and the Yunnan whose bloodlines date back to 285 BC.

Personal Favorite Y’s

So close to the end of the alphabet, but not quite at the end, the Y’s often get overlooked. My favorites in this letter are the Yabou because their name used to refer to a nag or a poor man’s horse; the incredibly tough Yakut which is found further north than any other equine breed; and the Yorkshire Coach Horse (or Cleveland Bay) which is such a handsome coach animal.

The Whole List

Here it is, the full list of breeds that begin with Y. If I’m missing something, let me know and I’ll add it to my list (don’t want to forget anybody).

Yabou | Yaboo
Yamud
Yakut Horse
Yanqi Horse
Yemeni Horse
Yili Horse
Yonaguni Horse
Yugoslav Mountain Pony
Yorkshire Coach Horse
Yunnan
Yururi Island horse

What’s Your Favorite Y?

I like a lot of the Y breeds, but my favorite was the Yakut from the beginning. They survive in conditions that would kill most other breeds (like temperatures of 90 below). Be sure to leave your favorite Y in the comments below then go visit more of the alphabet. A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X.