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Wonderful Warmbloods, Warmbloods have taken the equestrian
world by storm in the past decade.
Ron Petracek
Warmblood horses have gained enormous popularity in the past few
years. More and more of these horses are being seen in
competition, especially in Grand Prix and Olympic quality
competition. This type of horse is often referred to under
the broad term of "warmblood," but there are actually
several breeds of Warmbloods and each offer their own bit
of edge in competition
The Hanoverian is one of the most prominent riding horses
in the world. The breed was originally the inspiration of
King George II of England, whom was also the ruler of
Hanover at this time. He directed the Celle Stud of Lower
Saxony in 1735 to produce a coach horse that could also be
used for agriculture. And thus, the Hanoverian was born.
In the 19th century, the breed was transformed into a
military mount as well and was used extensively in World
War I. After World War II, the breed was crossed with
Thoroughbreds to give it an edge in sport horse
competitions. The results of these crosses were powerful,
strong, and featured light and springy movements. Today,
the breed is commonly used in dressage, show jumping,
cross-country and eventing.
The Selle Francais is a breed with a lot of trotting
bloodlines, but is able to outperform most of the
competition in Grand Prix and Olympic level show jumping.
This horse was developed after World War II in Normandy
from the Trotter-Thoroughbred crosses and several light
French breeds. The breed was officially recognized in 1958
and resembles that of a big-bone Thoroughbred. The breed
has excelled at international level competitions and has
become a star in a number of other disciplines as well.
The breed has been defined as "the epitome of what a sport
horse should be." The breed is strong and bold. They
excel at all equestrian sports and disciplines with
exceptional talent in show jumping.
The Trakehner has two histories associated with the breed.
The breed began in 1732 when the finest horses at the stud
of Frederich Wilhelm I of Prussia were gathered to produce
a new breed of cavalry horses. Arabians, Prussian horses
and Thoroughbreds were bred and by 1940 there were
approximately 80,000 Trakehners in existence. The breed
has a string of Olympic gold medals from all over the world
associated with it and the breed is one of the premier
breeds for three-day eventing and dressage.
The second part of the breed's history involved the Red
Army in 1945. East Prussia was invaded and many of the
horses died. By the end of the war there were some 800
animals of the foundation stock left. The handlers of the
breed went to western Germany on foot. Only 100 of the
horses survived the trek across the frozen Baltic Sea. The
breed was scattered throughout other parts of Europe and
through several other evacuation attempts another 1000
horses were saved. Over the next ten years, the breed was
slowly rebuilt. Today, the breed is one of the purest of
all Warmbloods and stallions undergo rigorous testing and
evaluations before being entered into the studbook. The
breed is one of the toughest in the world and excels as
dressage horses and show jumpers.
If you are looking for a horse that will outperform the
rest then look towards the Warmbloods for the athletic
animal that you need to beat the competition.
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