A Stock horse is a horse of a type that is well suited for working with livestock, particularly cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

. Such horses are riding horses
characterized by agility, quickness, and powerful hindquarters. They are usually noted for intelligence and "cow sense," having an instinctive understanding of how to respond to the movement of cattle so as to move livestock in a desired manner with minimal or no guidance from their rider. Such horses are used both as working animal

Working animal

A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks. They may be close members of the family, such as guide or service dogs, or they may be animals trained strictly to perform a job, such as logging elephants. They may also be used for milk, a...

s on livestock ranches or stations, and are also seen in competition where horses are evaluated on their ability to work cattle.

The term is used refer to any of the following:

• A horse used for competition based on the movements of a working ranch horse, including:
  • campdrafting
    Campdrafting
    Campdrafting is a unique and very popular Australian sport involving a horse and rider working cattle. The riding style is like that of Western riding and the event is somewhat related to the American events such as cutting, working cow horse, team penning, and ranch sorting.In the competition, a...
    
    
  • cutting (sport)
    Cutting (sport)
    Cutting is an equestrian event in the western riding style where a horse and rider are judged on their ability to separate a single animal away from a cattle herd and keep it away for a short period of time.-Description:...
    
    
  • reining
    Reining
    Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits...
    
    
  • team penning
    Team penning
    Team penning is a western equestrian sport that evolved from the common ranch work of separating cattle into pens for branding, doctoring, or transport....
    
    
  • working cow horse
    Working cow horse
    Working cow horse is a type of competition, known also as reined cow horse, where horses are asked to work a single live cow in an arena, performing specific maneuvers that include circling the cow, turning it in a specified manner, and performing a reining pattern...
    
    
  • An outdated term for reining
    Reining
    Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits...
    
     or working cow horse
    Working cow horse
    Working cow horse is a type of competition, known also as reined cow horse, where horses are asked to work a single live cow in an arena, performing specific maneuvers that include circling the cow, turning it in a specified manner, and performing a reining pattern...
    
     competition.

• Any of the western riding
  Western riding
  Western riding is a style of horseback riding which evolved from the ranching and warfare traditions brought to the Americas by the Spanish Conquistadors, and both equipment and riding style evolved to meet the working needs of the cowboy in the American West...
  
   or "stock horse" breeds developed for ranch
  Ranch
  A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
  
   work in the United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
  , or work on cattle station
  Cattle station
  Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
  
  s in Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  , including, but not limited to:
• The Australian Stock Horse
  Australian Stock Horse
  The Australian Stock Horse , has been especially bred for Australian conditions. It is a hardy breed of horse noted for endurance, agility and a good temperament. Its ancestry dates to the arrival of the first horses in Australia, brought from Europe, Africa and Asia...
  
   breed.
  • American Quarter Horse
    American Quarter Horse
    The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
    
    
  • American Paint Horse
    American Paint Horse
    The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western stock horse with a pinto spotting pattern of white and dark coat colors. Developed from a base of spotted horses with Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines, the American Paint Horse...
    
    
  • Appaloosa
    Appaloosa
    The Appaloosa is a horse breed best known for its colorful leopard-spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's color pattern is genetically the result of various spotting...
    
    
• Any other breed of horse used for ranch work or for stock horse types of competition.
• Any breed or type of light riding horse of a phenotype
  Phenotype
  A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
  
   that includes a powerful build with heavily-muscled hindquarters that appears suitable for work as a stock horse. This includes some representatives of a variety of breeds and crossbreeds. Among breeds with stock horse-type representatives include:
  • Arabian horse
    Arabian horse
    The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
    
    
  • Morab
    Morab
    The Morab is a breed of horse originally developed through the cross-breeding of Arabian and Morgan horses. The breeding of Morab horses began in the late 1880s with the intent of creating a fine carriage horse that was still substantial enough for moderate farm labor...
    
    
  • Morgan horse
    Morgan horse
    The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
    
    
  • Mustang
    Mustang (horse)
    A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
    
    
  • Pony of the Americas
    Pony of the Americas
    The Pony of the Americas, or the POA, was developed to be a children’s pony. The breed’s origins are in America, where an Iowa breeder accidentally crossed a Shetland stallion with an Arabian/Appaloosa mare to produce a pony-sized mount with leopard complex spotting.-Breed Characteristics:The POA...
    
    
  • Quarab
    Quarab
    The Quarab is a horse breed from the United States, developed from a cross of Arabian horses, American Quarter Horses and Paint horses. Members of the breed are found that resemble all three of the foundation breeds, leading to three recognized types: Straight or Foundation , Stock and...