Though extremely popular through the Boer Wars, very little is known about the status of the Cape Horse breed today. Originating in South Africa, the Cape Horse, though larger, greatly resembles its Basuto Horse cousin.

The head is large and the neck slender. The hindquarters are muscular and the legs are strong. The horse is both fast and powerful. The bloodline has clearly been injected with Thoroughbred blood.

Horses first arrived on South African soil when they were imported by the Dutch East India Trading Company in 1653. The first breeds were believed to be Barb and Arabian descendants shipped from the Island of Java, and they were the forefathers of both the Cape Horse and the Basuto.

Gradually, the Cape Horse was refined by introducing Thoroughbred and Arabian blood. Through these crosses, the breed became larger and sportier than its Basuto brethren. Despite its huge popularity as a battle horse, the breed declined rapidly after the Boer Wars. The breed was also decimated by the introduction of low-quality Thoroughbred and crossbreed horses into the bloodline. Today, there is a movement to revive the Cape Horse as a regimented breed.

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Cape - Horses for Sale