These horses from the 19th century are really beautiful and attracted a lot of attention because of their long hair, flowing in the wind. There are many stories about their origin. The legend goes that the Oregon long-haired horse is a descendant of a wild herd that lived like cavemen, roaming the hills and eating whatever they came across. Historians maintain that the breed is closely related to some of today’s breeds, including the Clydesdale. Check out the majesty of this breed in these images!
This photo explains why the Oregon horse was so famous: a beautiful chestnut color as well as a never-ending tail and mane.
Known as the “Most Beautiful Horse Alive” at the time, a horse known as White Wings had a 14-foot mane and a 17-foot tail.
The braids weren’t done for style, but to keep the hair from getting tangled while the horses slept at night.
These horses seem almost alien, but experts say their origin is completely natural.
Another Oregon horse of the time, Linus, fetched an amazing sum of 30,000 dollars when sold to the Eaton brothers. The horse and its mane were stars of the Eatons’ traveling circus.
The first known Oregon horse worked on a small farm in Oregon. He then went east, working as a show horse, dying a short time later at Coney Island in 1887.
The son of that first horse was none other than Linus, the only colt that had the same long hair. Linus’ son, Linus II, was the only known offspring to inherit the characteristic long hair.
As expected, being such an eye-catching horse, the Oregon Wonder horses were regularly seen in circus shows, where promoters would sell them as a kind of genetic mutation.
These beautiful creatures no longer exist, leaving us with photos as the only reminder we have of them.
