Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Albanian is a small horse which belongs to the Balkan group. It is reputed to be hardy and very efficient. The Myzeqea type is larger and can grow up to 13.2 hands high, while the mountain type ranges from 12.2hh to 13.2hh. There are two types of native Albanian horse, referred to as Mountain and Myzeqea ('plains'). Due to recent interbreeding between the two types, the distinction is becoming less clear. The Myzeqea horse is exceptionally strong for its size and has an easily-ridden ambling gait, making it useful as a long distance horse. During the reign of the Ottoman Empire in Albania, a great deal of Arabian blood influenced the local horses. The indigenous stock were thought to be various combinations of Tarpan, Turkmene and Mongolian horse stock.