Breeders of any breed need to be aware of type and what it is. Within every breed some individuals are going to be born that are "off type". The fate of these individuals has an important impact on the fate of the breed. If these animals are heralded and used widely as breeding stock, the breed's type will slowly erode until the original breed is unrecognizable. If, on the other hand, "off type" individuals are culled from breeding, then the original type can be preserved.

(from the pages of HOA message board)

Here is more from Dr. Sponenberg :"Type" is a difficult concept to define, but is an absolutely vital one when talking about breeds of livestock. One definition of type is the conformational peculiarities that separate one breed from another. It is safe to add that "type" almost represents the ideal mental picture of a breed. Type is therefore central to a breed's character and identity, and it is what sets the different breeds apart one from another. Quarter Horses have a "type"; Spanish Mustangs a different "type". Even closely related breeds, such as the Peruvian Paso and the Spanish Mustang, have subtle differences in type that help distinguish one from the other.

Within the extremes in the breed there are some consistent conformational traits that set Spanish Mustangs off from other horses, and these conformational traits are essential to the typiness of the Spanish Mustang. Horses that exhibit all of the conformational peculiarities of the breed are said to be "typier" than those that have fewer.

A note from Judy. This is my personal opinion.  Off Type horses should be spayed or neutered. They should not be allowed to breed. When we were looking for the Spanish Horse. One person showed a horse that had this "wonderful gait".  The seller ran this poor horse around and around it's pen, it's sides were heaving.  So I said, please stop, the horse is tired and looks like he needs to rest! The seller asked us what we thought about the "gait".  I told that I had a Qt. horse at home that could run that good.  We chatted with the seller until we were sure the running horse had calmed down and had a nice drink.  We saw so many off-type horses that the owners were touting as "special".  One seller even planned on breeding a horse that had an curved spine (spinal bifida)  - yes it was gorgeous in its coloring, but the little horse could barely walk, yet alone breed.....

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