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The Warmbloods - Page 2

© Patricia Celley

So where did the Holsteiner blood lines come from that were incorporated in the Hanoverian breed? The Holsteiner evolved from horses that lived in the marshlands of the Elbe River in Holstein Germany. The breed is the result of 700 years of breeding which began in the 1300s. The Dukes and Kings of the Middle Ages encouraged the monasteries of the Schleswig-Holstein region of North Germany to breed warhorses and horses for tournaments. After the Reformation, state and private farms took over the breeding. During that time the Holsteiner was a hardy, reliable coach horse with showy movement (high stepping). The introduction of the Yorkshire Coach horse gave the Holsteiner the even temperament it has today and longer strides. After World War II the demand for Olympic quality mounts allowed the introduction of some Anglo-Arab, English Thoroughbred and Selle Francais stallions into the bloodlines. The modern Holsteiner is lighter than the original breed, but still travels with more knee action than other Warmbloods. It has greater scope (the ability to arch over a jump) and galloping ability than many of the other German Warmbloods. Holsteiners of note: Landlady, short listed for the USET three-day event team at the 1999 Pan American Games and CalvaroV, individual silver medal in show jumping at the Atlanta Olympics and voted Best Horse of the World Equestrian Games in 1998.

Where did the Trakehner lines come from that were also incorporated in the Hanoverian breed? The Trakehner breed is listed under the German sport horses now; geographically it originated 1732 in Prussia, which was later divided up between Poland and the USSR. But the breed was developed by the German people who were forced out of Trakehnen, Prussia during World War II when the Russians took control of the region. Less than 10% of the horses survived the evacuation across a 600 mile retreat in mid-winter across the Krische Haff, a frozen bay of the Baltic Sea. The German people have nevertheless preserved the breed. The Trakehner is closer in type to the Thoroughbred than the other Warmbloods. They are intelligent and obedient when properly trained and bonded with their riders. The most notable Trakehner is Abdullah, winner of the team gold and individual silver medal for show jumping at the 1984 Olympics. In the 2000 Olympics Peron helped secure a team bronze for the United States dressage team.

The other Warmblood breed from Germany is the Oldenburg. In the 17th century Count Anton Gunther von Oldenburg bred local Friesian (carriage horses) mares from the River Weser in Germany and the Netherlands with stallions from Italy and Spain to create coach horses for the European nobles. The biggest difference between the original breed and today's modern Oldenburg is the straight shoulder and snapping knee action of the original carriage horses. Through cross breeding with Thoroughbred, Cleveland Bay, Anglo-Arab, Hanoverian, Trakehner, Holsteiner and Dutch stallions the breed has developed into an outstanding athletic sport horse. Typically Odenburgs have a very calm and willing temperament. Their build provides for more power than speed, and they still retain a slightly straighter shoulder than the other Warmbloods. The Oldenburg dressage horse, Gestion Bonfire, won five World Cup titles and Olympic Gold and Silver in 2000 and was 1994 World Champion and 1999 European Champion.

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