GERMAN and EUROPEAN WARMBLOODS

Throughout Germany all Warmblood horses are named according to the region in which they are bred, with the exception of the Trakehner, and not according to the breed of their sire or dam.  This may seem confusing when, for example, a pure bred Holsteiner, born in Bavaria, is branded with the Bavarian brand and entered into the registration book as a Bavarian Warmblood, yet shares no ancestry with the true Bavarian warmblood the Rottal horse.

These brief breed histories below, are only a guide as to the general characteristics of the major Warmblood breeds.  Modern inter-breeding, has meant that traditional distinctions between breeds has become almost non-existent, with many successful warmbloods being a mixture of several Eurpopean breeds.  However, I hope you will find it interesting to read about the origins of the horses we have bred.

Hanoverian
The foremost German Warmblood, the Hanoverian, like many Warmbloods, is a hybrid, but one of great quality.  The Hanoverian breed was founded in 1735 at the stud in Celle, established by George II, King of England and Elector of Hanover.  The object was to create a nucleus of strong stallions, that when mated with local heavy mares, would produce all-purpose agricultural horses.  Initially, Celle relied on 14 black Holsteins, which at the time were powerful coach horses.  In the early period of the Hanoverian’s history, the horses was essentially a warhorse.  When Thoroughbreds were introduced after 1815, the result was a lighter, better quality horse, with courage and stamina, suitable for riding, driving and general farm work.  The continued use of Thoroughbreds was carefully monitored throughout the nineteenth century, for fear the Hanoverian would become too light.

By 1924 the stallion count at Celle was 500.  After the Second World War, the emphasis shifted from producing agricultural horses, to producing competition horses.  Trakehner refugees from East Prussia, now in limited numbers after the war, were used to reinforce the stallion band.  Some Trakehners and Thoroughbred stallions remain at Celle and exert a beneficial influence on the continuing development of the Hanoverian breed.  Hanoverian’s are usually between 16hh and 17hh, of all solid colours.  They possess the courage of the Thoroughbred but not its speed.

A cornerstone of the modern Hanoverian’s success is the rigourous selection and licensing of young stock.  Stallion selection is very demanding and law prohibits any stallion standing at stud until he has been fully licensed.  At Verden, stallions are first vet checked, then their jumping skills assessed in free-jumping.  Next day the colts are paraded before a panel of judges to be marked for confirmation, presence, masculinity and correct movement.  Results are announced on the second day once the judges have another look at the candidates.  The State stud at Celle, is given first option to stand top stallions.  For successful “licensed” stallions, the selection process is not yet over.  They are licensed on the condition they pass a 100 day test at Adelheidsdorf.  Final licensing takes place at a two-day test, where stallions are examined in Dressage, Movement, Showjumping and Cross Country performance.  The stallions must remain at the testing center for 100 days to undergo professional and controlled training, to ensure a true and fair assessment of all stallions.  Half the marks are accumulated over the 100 days and the other 50% come from the two-day test.  For a stallion to enter the Verband stud book, it must score over 90 in each discipline. A stallion can also qualify through outstanding competitive results.

Footnote to this 100 day testing schedule

Stallions no longer complete 100 days of testing.  They now undergo 30 days.

See the comments below regarding Sandro Hit made by Ulf Moller,

“Here was a stallion that had done a poor performance test, he was not bred for dressage, but you saw something there and ended up with a World Champion, and now it seems a champion sire?

Maybe that has something to do with the test.  Now they don’t have to do that 100 day test and I think that is a very good decision.  Some stallions are too weak to do a 100 day test, and do all those things like cross country jumping.  Now we have a 30 day test and then it goes on their competition record, that is much better for the future.”

The Horse Magazine, January 2005
 

Westphalian
Numerically, the Westphalian warmblood is important as the horse population of Westphalia is large.  Both the Olympic and National Riding Schools are located in the region.  At the state stud in Warendorf, there are Thoroughbred, Hanovarian and Westphalian stallions standing.  The neighbouring Hanoverian breed has played a great part in the development of the Westphalian horse.  Originally it was a heavy farm and army horse, but with increasing Hanoverian blood, it has become an outstanding sport horse.  The success of the breed is due to the strict methods of selection and testing.  Stallions are tested for traction (pulling) power at three and a half, and then for riding and jumping without a rider at four years of age.  At four and a half they undergo testing in dressage and jumping and undergo a vetinary inspection.

The Westphalian is heavier than the Hanoverian, but essentially very similar.  The croup is often flatter in the Wesphalian than in the Hanoverian.  An exclusive group of youngsters, selected at local breeding shows, are admitted to the Foals Auction at the Halle Munsterland.  This is the top market for future sires and elite mares.

The great Rubinstein was a fine example of the breed.

Holstein
The Holstein, an old breed dating to the thirteenth century, originated in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.  Somewhat heavier than the Hanoverian, the Holstein horse is a mixture of native German Marsh horses, Neapolitan, Spanish and oriental blood.  The Holstein horse was in great demand because of its ability as a tough and powerful, but not inelegant carriage or coach horse, and as a strong riding horse and army mount.

The greatest influences on the Holstein breed were the English Thoroughbred and the Yorkshire Coach Horse (now extinct as a specific breed, but was a 50% Cleveland Bay x 50% TB, now known as a CB sporthorse).  The Thoroughbred refined the Holstein’s Roman-nose and improved its galloping ability, while the Yorkshire Coach Horse gave the Holstein a typical high, wide action and an excellent temperament.  The progeny of the Yorkshire Coach Horse stallions earned a reputation as dual-purpose carriage and riding horses.  Since the Second World War, Thoroughbreds have been used to produce a lighter, competition horse with more speed and scope.  The modern Holstein resembles a quality hunter type and is successful as a jumper, dressage horse and eventer.

It is powerfully built, with strong quarters, good depth of girth and short legs with plenty of bone.  The usually colours are black, brown and bay and the average height is 16hh to 17hh.  It is a good-tempered horse, possessed of intelligence and willingness to work.

Like Hanoverians, Holsteiners are subject to performance testing.  Prospective stallions aged three are sent to Westercelle for testing.  For registration, three-year-old fillies must be 16hh and premium stallions of two-and-a-half years should be 16.1hh-16.2hh.

Oldenburg
The Oldenburg, the heaviest of the German warmbloods, was established in the 1600s, largely through the efforts of Count Anton Gunther von Oldenburg (1603-1667).   He used a half-bred stallion named Kranich, and a base of Fresian mares.  To this Fresian base he added Spanish horses, Barbs, Neapolitan and English half-breds.  Later in the nineteenth century the breeders introduced Thoroughbreds, Cleveland Bays, Hanoverians and French Norman strains.  The resultant coach horse was tall and heavily built, but despite its size, was noted for its early maturity.  With the decline in demand for coach horses, the breed developed as an all-purpose farm horse.  When demand changed again post World War Two, more Thoroughbred and Norman (French) blood was introduced to make the Oldenburg closer to a riding horse.  Today it is an all-purpose riding horse, still big and powerful, usually standing between 16.2hh and 17.2hh, with short legs, deep girth, strong back and good bone.  It tends to have some of the harness horses’s high knee action and is suited to dressage because of its kind temperament and regular paces.  Usual colours are black, brown and bay.
Hessen – The Hessen horse, from the Hesse region of Germany to the south of Hanover, is a big, strong, well made animal with good conformation and elastic, free-moving gaits.  This is an excellent dressage or show jumping horse.  Closely resembling the Hanoverian breed, the most common colours are bay, dark bay and chestnut.  Stallions used in the breeding of Hessen horses are mainly from the Hanoverian, Holstein, Thoroughbred and Trakehner breeds.

Trakehner
The Trakehner originated in East Prussia, now part of modern Poland.  In the early thirteenth century, the Order of the Teutonic knights, established the Trakehnen studs using the indigenous Schweiken as a base.  These ponies, although plain and common, were tough and hardy, being descendants of the Konik pony, itself a direct derivative of the primitive Tarpan.
In 1732, King Frederich Wilhelm I, founded the Stud of Trakehnen.  The stud quickly developed a reputation for elegant coach horses and became the main source of stallions in Prussia.  By the later part of the century, the emphasis changed to producing army charges and quality remounts.  Arab blood was introduced, and increasingly Thoroughbreds were used, until by 1913, 80 per cent of the stud’s mares were sired by Thoroughbreds.  The greatest influence was Perfectionist, who won the English St Leger in 1896.  The best of his sons, Tempelhuter, provided a powerful line that is still recognized as one of the foundations of the modern Trakehner.
Despite being an excellent cavalry mount and light farm horse capable of tremendous endurance, at the end of the second world war, only 1200 of the 25000 horses registered in the Trakehnen stud book remained alive.  Less then 100 horses survived the 3 month trek from Poland to West Germany, with retreating German forces.  Others left behind in Poland were taken to Russia, and formed the basis of the Weilkopolski breed.
Today the Trakehner is bred mostly privately in Germany, and is a top-class saddle horse of excellent confirmation.  Generally standing between 16hh –16.2hh, it may be of any solid colour.   It is a lively horse, with the depth of stamina for which its ancestors were noted, and often displays Arab-like tail set and concave head profile, making it “pretter” than other warmblood breeds.  Recent fine examples are Hohenstein I, His Highness and Caprimond.

Dutch
The Dutch Warmblood is the amalgamation of Holland’s two indigenous breeds, the Gelderlander and the heavier Groningen.  In Gelderland, in the central Netherlands, the soil is sandy and hence a lighter type of horse developed.  In Groningen, where the soil is heavier and denser a heavier horse was produced, dervived from the Fresian and Oldenburg.  The two breeds were used to refine and increase mass in each other, with faults in soundness and intelligence being culled, making the Dutch Warmblood such a quality animal today.  The combination of the Gelderlander and Groningen, was further refined by the Thoroughbred and French and German warmbloods.

The Dutch Stud book, called the Koninklijke Vereniging Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (KWPN), has strict selection criteria.  Over the years, the KWPN studbook has divided into two streams, 80 percent riding horses and 20 per cent carriage horses (Dutch Tuigpaard).  The feet of all stallions used for breeding have to be X-rayed to detect possible heritable defects.  Like the German breeds, stallions are tested for 100 days for character, dressage and jumping, and overall health.  Only the best are entered into the studbook.  After the first year, a selected group and a random sample of first foals are inspected, and the quality of the foals must indicate that the stallion exerts a positive influence on the breed.  After another two years the progeny are re-inspected, and when they are 6 or 7 years of age, their performance in competition is a factor in the continuing approval of a stallion.  The stallion himself must prove himself in dressage and /or jumping at the stallion selection show.

Stallions demonstrating a positive effect on the breeding of the KWPN horse, come under consideration for the classification keur (choice).  The highest classification, preferent, has been awarded to stallions such as Nimmerdor, Doruto, and Lucky Boy XX.  Mares are similarly selected at regional shows and the best are awarded a classification of star.  The higher, classification, keur, is awarded to mare that have produced a foal and that have demonstrated their ability in jumping and dressage in a performance test.  If a mare has produced three foals considered superior in confirmation and gaits, she may earn the preferent classification.  If three of a mare’s progeny are top performers, she may be awarded the prestatiemerrie (achievement mare).

Some well-known Dutch warmbloods include, Krack C, Ferro and Uniform

Selle-Francais
The term Selle Francais ( French Saddle Horse) is of relatively recent origin, dating from 1958, although the stud book of the Selle Francais is a continuation of the Anglo-Norman breed.  The name “Norman” horse was in use some one thousand years ago, and referred to a heavy draft type, which subsequently became a war horse.  In the seventeenth century the Norman horse received infusions of Barb,  Arab and German blood, resulting in a sturdy saddle horse.  In the nineteenth century, the skillful breeders of the Normandy region, imported English Thoroughbred, and the robust Norfolk trotter stallions, to cross with their all-purpose Norman stock.   The result of these crossings was the development of the fast harness horse, the French Trotter and the Anglo-Norman bred, which was sub-divided into the riding horse and the draught cob.  The riding type Anglo-Norman was the prototype of the Selle Francais.

Post world war two, more Thoroughbred blood was introduced to produce a good quality hunter type, excelling at show jumping and eventing.  In France it is also bred to race as AQPSA (autres que pur sang association), meaning “other than Thoroughbred”, in cross country racing and eventing.  Of the existing breed, 33 per cent are by Thoroughbred sires, 45 per cent by Selle Francais stallions, 20 per cent by Anglo-Arabs and and 2 per cent by French Trotters.

The breed stands between 15.1 to 17hh, and is classified in five sections of the stud book according to size and ability to carry a medium or heavyweight rider.  Any colour is permissible, but Chestnut is predominant.  One of the most successful sires of the post war periods was the Thoroughbred Furioso, bought in England.  He topped the sire ratings for ten consecutive years and sired many international show jumpers.  Another legend of the breed (when it was known as Anglo-Norman) is Cor de la Bryere, influential in founding the “C” line of Holsteiners.

Irish Draft and Irish Sporthorse
Like the Cleveland Bay, the Irish Draft, as its name suggests is, an all-purpose, light draft and farm horse, capable of great jumping ability.  When crossed with the Thoroughbred, the off-spring are known as Irish Sporthorses, making top class hunters and show-jumpers.

Of uncertain origin, the Irish draft is thought to descend from Connemaras, interbred with Spanish barb types.  The good character and increased size came from later imports of French and Flemish imports around the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1172.

Subsequently, Spanish and Andalucian blood was added to the genetic mix, at which time progeny were being used for many purposes, from farm work, in harness, and as military mounts.  An Irish Draft stud book was first opened in 1917.

Cleveland Bay
The oldest of the established British breeds, the Cleveland Bay is a wonderful utility horse, meeting a variety of needs.  When the Cleveland Bay Society was formed in 1884, the Clevelands, known at the time in their native Yorkshire as Chapmans (after the traveling salesmen, or Chapmen, who used them as pack horses), already had a history dating back 150 years.  Even then they were very fixed in type.  At that time Clevelands were used extensively in hilly areas on farms and as pack animals, and were reputed to have been capable of carrying 600 pounds of iron ore out of the mines in the North Yorkshire moors.  This clean-legged horse was able to work in heavy clay lands and haul considerable loads, then be used on the weekends as a heavyweight hunter, being a notable jumper.  It is thought the early Clevelands carried some of the blood of the now extinct racing Galloway, and Andalusion and Barb infusions occurred in the seventeenth century, hence the wavy mane and tail hair reminiscent of the Andalucian.

By the 1850s the Cleveland’s ability as an unsurpassed carriage horse, when crossed with the English Thoroughbred, nearly led to the pure breed’s extinction.  The Cleveland Bay Society was formed in 1884, to protect the pure breed.  The Yorkshire Coach horse (as the CB/TB was known), was an extremely classy carriage horse, and this excellent cross, represented the main threat to the pure breed.  With the advent of motorization and the end of the carriage era, the Yorkshire coach horse itself, became extinct in 1936, when the Yorkshire Stud book was closed.

The Cleveland Bay, as a pure breed, was rescued from extinction by Queen Elizabeth II.  In 1962 there were only four Cleveland stallions in Britain, and the Queen herself, bought two stallions that were destined for stud duties in the United States.  One of these stallions, Mulgrave Supreme, was made available for stud, and by 1977, fifteen Cleveland stallions had been bred.  Prince Phillip successfully competed at carriage driving, with a team of horses bred from Cleveland Bay stallions to Oldenburg mares.  Cleveland Bay/Thoroughbred horses have drawn many of the Royal coaches, as the dominance of the Cleveland bay colour genes, makes producing matching teams an easy task.

The Cleveland Bay horse is always bay, with no white markings allowed, except for a small star and white hairs in the main and tail.  The breed makes excellent hunters, being powerful and eager, but with a calm, steady nature.  When crossed with the Thoroughbred they excel as carriage horses, jumpers, hunters and dressage horses.  Clevelands are known for their hardy constitution, are economical feeders, are among the longest –lived breeds, and are particularly fertile.

The pure Cleveland Bay, although powerful, is a remarkably active horse.  Typically standing between 16hh and 16.2hh, the bone measurement below the knee should measure 9 inches (22cm) or more.  When mature, at 6 or 7 years, the measurement from the wither to elbow, should equal or exceed that from the elbow to the ground.  Because of their depth of girth, Clevelands may appear short-legged, with pony type proportions, and are often perceived as small when viewed in a paddock, until the horse is approached and it’s size becomes apparent.  The head is bold and relatively large, carried on a long powerful neck.  Often the profile is slightly convex, as a result of the early Andalucian blood.  The eyes are large, well set and kindly, and the ears large compared to other breeds.  The dark, strong, “blue” hoof is a characteristic passed on to part-bred Clevelands, and negates the need for shoeing.  The Cleveland Bay has a true, straight and free action, moves freely from the shoulder and covers the ground well.

One of the main advantages of the breed is that it has been bred pure since the mid eighteenth century.  Because of the concentration of the bloodlines, the Cleveland Bay is enormously prepotent, and when crossed with other breeds passes on size, bone, constitutional hardiness, sensible temperament and jumping ability.  For this reason, Cleveland Bays have been used to improve many other breeds, such as the Holstein, Hanoverian and the Oldenburg.  The Studs at Celle, in Hannover and in Oldenburg, made extensive use of the Cleveland in the latter half of the eighteenth century.

The Cleveland Bay can legitimately be called the purest of all warmbloods.

CLEVELAND BAY STALLION SELECTION

Each year the King George V Cup is awarded to the best stallion in the UK.  A reserve champion is also awarded, and ten stallions are named as Premium stallions for that year.  Stallions such as Bantry Bere, available via imported frozen semen, (twice King George V Cup winner, seven times reserve champion and premium stallion from 1986 to present) and Moelion Arthur (four times King George V Cup winner, reserve champion as a three year old, and premium stallion from 1996 to 2000, before export to Australia) are modern day legends.

In Western Australia, Levenmouth Impeccable (Imp UK, purebred) stands in Narrogin, and Sandgate Reznor ( 50% CB/Holsteiner) stands at stud, near Albany.

Some extracts taken from “The International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds” by Bonnie Hendricks, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman and London (1995)