GERMAN warmbloods
The Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg and Trakehner have different histories but similar world-class talent.
despite fighting a number of regional conflicts over the past millennium and ultimately losing two world wars, germany has managed to produce four of the finest warmbloods in the world. and while the conflicts took a toll on all horse breeds throughout europe, the skill and dedication of breeders in germany not only saved these breeds from near extinction, but actually improved them.
German Warmbloods are known throughout the world for their exceptional athleticism. Whether it’s the FEI World Equestrian Games, the Olympic Games or a USEF rated show, you’ll almost always see German Warmbloods among the top contenders.
Although the Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg and Trakehner all have firm German roots, each has its own unique history and tale of survival.
OLDEnBUrG
First bred in the Lower Saxony region of northern Germany in the former kingdom of Oldenburg, the Oldenburg breed was started in the 16th century from mares used as carriage horses and for farm work. Stallions of Andalusian, Turkish and ravenna, an Oldenburg mare
Woodard, is very successful under her owner at Intermediate I dressage.
Anabel Balkenhol and the Hanoverian Dablino won team bronze at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky.
Danish breeding were bred to these mares with the goal of creating a horse suitable for war. Over the next two centuries, they became favored by royalty, and were popular as carriage horses for nobility.
As with other European breeds, the Oldenburg began to be replaced by mechanized vehicles in the early 20th century. In the 1960s, German Oldenburg breeders began producing a modern version of the breed with the goal of creating a marketable sport horse. Thoroughbred stallions were bred to Oldenburg mares, and the resulting mares were then bred to Trakehners, Anglo-Arabians, Hanoverians, Holsteiners and other warmblood breeds.
The outcome is a breed known for its athletic abilities, particularly in the international world of show jumping. The breed is also making itself known in dressage at the upper levels.
Oldenburgs can vary in type depending on their breeding. They generally have long legs, a moderately sloped pelvis, and stand between 16 to 17 hands in height. They are most often seen in black, brown, chestnut, bay and gray.
HANOVERIAN
The Hanoverian was first developed in northern Germany in the medieval city of Hanover. The breed was created by King George II, the ruler of England and elector of Hanover, who used local mares and stallions of Spanish, Oriental and Neapolitan breeding. The Hanoverian was originally meant to be a carriage horse, a farm worker and, when needed, a warhorse.
The Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s took a toll on the European horse population, and the Stud at Celle, the state-sponsored Hanoverian breeding farm, was decimated during the conflict. Just before Napolean’s wars, 100 stallions lived at the Stud at Celle. When the fighting started, all had to be evacuated. After the wars were over, only 30 horses returned to the farm.
The breed slowly began making a comeback, but then suffered again during the two World Wars. The state breeding program miraculously survived both of the international struggles, and many of the horses that remained became the founding horses of the Hanoverian breed.
Standing 15.3 to 17 hands high, modern Hanoverians are strong, sturdy horses of large stature, and come in black, bay, chestnut, and gray. Today they are famous for their abilities as dressage horses and show jumpers, and they’ve made a name for themselves in the Olympics in both of these sports.
HOLSTEINER
Considered the oldest breed in Germany, the Holsteiner began in the north German region of Schleswig-Holstein more than 700 years ago. First bred by monks, the Holsteiner was designed to be an elegant riding and carriage horse that also had the ability to work in the fields and carry soldiers into war.
After the Reformation of the 1500s, official breeding of the Holsteiner became a state operation. Individual breeders also contributed to the breed’s bloodlines and continued this work for centuries. The Holsteiner was valued throughout Germany for centuries and was used in the 1700s to create the Hanoverian breed.
As the need for more elegant driving horses took hold in Europe during the 1800s, Cleveland Bays and Yorkshire Coach Horses were introduced to the bloodlines. After World War II ended, Thoroughbred, Arabian and Selle Français
Laura Kraut and the Holsteiner mare Zeremonie won team gold at the 2018
FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C.