July 10, 2015 
We’ve all seen the scary adorable Chinese Crested dog and the weird unique looking Sphinx cat, but where are all the hairless horses on the Internet?
Equine hairlessness, it turns out, is far less common and much less well-documented than in other species. But, nevertheless, hairless horses are out there and man are they cool. (Well, let’s assume they’re cold actually, what with their lack of hair).
Some of the first accounts of hairless horses surface around the 1860s, when a merchant named Lashmar observed what appeared to be a hairless horse in South Africa. An account of Lashmar’s discovery was published in Land and Water magazine in 1868, where the mysterious beast was described as having smooth skin that felt like India-rubber, and a complete lack of hair follicles.
via messybeast.com
What would that be like to ride? Accounts differ.
In 1871, a report published in New South Wales stated that a hairless horse’s skin was so much like rubber that “the saddle—even when well secured by breastplate, crupper and girths—slips round after a very short time.”
However, in 1872 a famous hairless horse named Caoutchouc was described in The South Australian Advertiser as “a smart cobby-looking horse, is good in saddle, and carries a lady.” The ad stated that Caoutchouc competed in a steeplechase competition and “jumped well” at the event. Apparently, having no mane to grab on to didn’t hold him or his rider back.
via messybeast.com
No one is entirely sure what causes hairless-ness in horses, or why so few exist. Some think it might be a recessive gene passed down by the parents, while others believe it results from a genetic mutation that normally kills the foals affected by it.
One thing for sure, there would be a few perks to owning a hairless horse. For instance, you would never have to do deal with clipping. Ever. Again.
And tangled tails? Other people’s problem.
Well this shouldn’t take too long… (via Helpful Horse Hints).
But, you would need a little something extra to keep them warm.
Just don’t make it a purple onesy (via wonderwordz.com).
For more information on hairless horses, check out this article at messybeast.com.
