Tiger Horse
 

“Comparing the better horses in order to appreciate the greatest perfection, I must place the Spanish at the top and give it my vote for being the most noble, the best conformed, the bravest, and the most worthy of being mounted by a great king.”
- Horse master of Henry IV.
 

 Tiger Horse of Ancient Iberia was a member of the Jennet family, boasting smooth four-beat intermediate gaits and a beautiful spotted coat pattern common among the Appaloosa and Knabstrupper. While it certainly is not striped like a tiger, the history of its name lies in the Spanish language. In Spanish, there are no words for “leopard.” Therefore, all patterned cats were described by the word “tiger” which means “wildly colored.”

After the discovery of the New World, the Spanish began setting up breeding centers in South and Central America. By the mid-sixteenth century, the Tiger horse was rapidly gaining popularity with the Native American tribes. The most famous tribe to adopt these horses was the Ni Mee Poo, who not only adopted them but also carefully bred them for their patterned coats. When they were visited by the Lewis and Clark expedition, Lewis wrote, “some of these horses are [colored] with large spots of white irregularly scattered and intermixed with black, brown, bay, or some other dark color…”

In the eighteenth century, the Tiger horse lost popularity with the Spanish, and many were shipped to Canada and the United States. The four-beat gait became the basis for breeding, and the Americans called it the “Indian Shuffle.” In 1877 the Ni Mee Poo and the US army engaged in a war that was largely influenced by the Tiger Horse.  Ideally, each Tiger horse should be colorful, gaited, and light, well balanced and sturdy but with no extreme muscling. Ears are of a medium length and are generally curved and notched. The head is lean, and the eyes large and prominent. The Tiger horse exhibits a moderate to long, well-arched neck that blends smoothly with the withers. The shoulder should slope at a 45-degree angle. The hooves are very dense and are usually striped, with the front being round and the rear being slightly more oval shape. While they range in height from 14 to 16 hands, the most common height is 14.2 to 15.2 hands with a weight ranging from 700 to 1300 pounds.

 Common colors include leopard, appaloosa, a snowflake roan pattern, and any solid color with a mottled skin pattern. While any color is acceptable, striped hooves and a white sclera around the iris of the eye are most desirable. Horses with the graying gene or pintado markings are not acceptable for registration. Tiger horses that do not exhibit any of the typical characteristics are disqualified from the Model Class. 

These horses are extremely gentle and intelligent, with an excellent learning capacity. The Spanish refer to the Tiger Horse as having “Brio”, which is a controlled spirit and great sense of pride.  Tiger Horses are a working saddle horse primarily noted for a natural, intermediate four-beat gait. Evenness and ability to hold the gait are crucial to the breed, particularly in Model Classes set for them. In addition to the walk, trot, and canter, they also use a diagonal gait (the fox trot and fox walk); a square gait (the running walk and the rack) and the lateral gait (stepping pace and flying pace).  The Tiger Horse Association comments, "The Tiger Horse Association is the original registering body to use the name "Tiger" for horses of Colonial Spanish/American type, loud leopard (appaloosa) coloration, and easy to ride four-beat gait. The THA ... exists to find whatever individual horses there are of the Tiger type. The goal of the THA is to register, preserve, promote and provide exhibition venues for these horses." In saying this, THA is very strict on its requirements for registering Tiger horses, and insists that they have striped hooves, white sclera, are not heavily muscled, and preferably have a mottled coat pattern. In order for a stallion to be registered, it must first produce five foals, which can be registered under the THA guidelines.

Today the Tiger horse in enjoyed across America as a gentle, reliable saddle horse and companion. Many shows have introduced a class that highlights the beautiful gaits exhibited by these high spirited animals.

By Kelly Denine
 

Photo Credit: Rosalie Marley at TigerhorseFarms.com

Back to Gaited Breeds Page

Back to Articles Home Page