 An American Warmblood | |
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Traits | |
| Distinguishing features | Sport horse type, can be any size or color, but are primarily 15-17 hands and solid colored |
| Breed standards | |
The American Warmblood is a horse of warmblood type, intended primarily for the traditional sport horse disciplines of dressage, show jumping, eventing and combined driving.
The American Warmblood is usually between 15 and 17 hands (60 and 68 inches, 152 and 173 cm) high and may come in any color, though the solid colors are the most common. Horses of nearly all bloodlines are eligible for registration as American Warmbloods, as long as they are of a sport horse or warmblood type, and are able to meet the appropriate studbook selection or performance criteria.
The emphasis is on the quality of each individual horse, for both registration and breeding approval. While the ideal horse for registration is already a warmblood type, there are no breed restrictions for American Warmbloods. Horses which are 100% hot or cold blooded are not typical, but can be registered if they are able to meet the registry's performance standards (this would include draft horses, Arabians, and Thoroughbreds). [1] Gaited horse breeds (like the Tennessee Walker, Missouri Fox Trotter, or Icelandic horses) are also non-typical, though if they are able to perform walk-trot-canter in the appropriate levels of the accepted disciplines, they too can be eligible for registration.
Horses which fail to meet or have yet to meet these performance criteria may still be issued recording papers, but are not considered registered American Warmbloods until they satisfy performance or inspection standards. [1]
Breeding stock must be approved for breeding through studbook inspection, which requires mares and stallions to meet even more stringent inspection and/or performance criteria. [2]
The origins of the American Warmblood date back to when the English Thoroughbred - Bulle Rock - was first imported to the American Colonies in 1730, and covered 39 mares of various breeds and backgrounds. Later on, two important English Thoroughbred racing stallions were imported shortly after the American Revolutionary War: Messenger in 1788, and Diomed in 1798. [3] Messenger left little impact as a sire on the American Thoroughbred, but is considered a foundation sire of the Standardbred breed. Diomed, who won the Epsom Derby in 1780, had a significant impact on American Thoroughbred breeding through his son, Sir Archy. [4] [5] John F. Wall, a racing historian, said that Sir Archy was the "first outstanding stallion we can claim as native American". [6] He was retired from the racetrack because of lack of opponents. [6]
From the late 1700s through the 1800s, the Thoroughbred would not only become the most popular horse breed in the United States, but also be used to improve or refine various other American and imported horse breeds, including the Narragansett Pacer, Morgan horse, Spanish horse, and various draft horse breeds. This led to the foundation of many modern-day American horse breeds, including the American Quarter Horse, the American Saddlebred, the Standardbred, the Tennessee Walking Horse, and others. During the U.S. Civil War, thoroughbreds were also the breed of choice for the U.S. Cavalry, with "half-bred horses" also being in high demand. Robert E. Lee, the famous Confederate general, rode a "half-bred horse" by the name of Traveller, who was by a Thoroughbred stallion out of a Saddlebred mare.
As early as 1911, "half-bred horses" - known as warmblood horses today - were stated to be ideal cavalry mounts by some in the United States Army Remount Service. There was also a determined attempt to engage professional horse breeders in the Remount Service, beginning in 1918 with the approval of a breeding plan for cavalry horses that combined the efforts of the Remount Service with the Bureau of Animal Industry. [7] A 1921 issue of the Cavalry Journal contained an update from the "American Remount Association" calling for owners of "high-class registered horoughbreds" to add their stallions to the program. The author also mentioned a reduced-cost registry for "half-breed" Thoroughbreds. [8]
The number of horses involved in the program remained high even into the final years of the Remount Service. As late as 1945, between 450 and 500 stallions owned by the government and over 11,000 civilian-owned mares produced 7,293 foals. [9] Thoroughbreds predominated in the stallion rolls, although a few Morgans, Arabians, and Standardbreds were also used. The number of Arabian stallions increased greatly in 1943 with the addition of the Kellogg Arabian Ranch (renamed the Pomona Remount Depot) to the program. [10]
In 1942, the Remount Service (then called the Remount Division) printed a breakdown of its breeding program in the Cavalry Journal. According to the article, the primary breeding horse was the Thoroughbred (17,983 mares and 688 stallions), followed by Arabians (375 mares and 16 stallions), followed by Morgans, Saddlebreds, Anglo-Arabians, and the Cleveland Bay (trailing with 8 mares and 1 stallion). Of the foals born in 1941, 11,028 of the 11,409 reported were Thoroughbreds. [11]
By the end of World War II, the need for war horses had declined, but the need for mules had risen. By 1948, when the Remount Service was disbanded, it was raising and training mules almost exclusively. [12] Mechanization, the cessation of using horses in war, and the disbanding of horse cavalries saw a shift from breeding warmblood horses for combat towards breeding them to compete in equestrian sports instead.
In France, this led to the creation of the Selle Français breed in 1958, and Germany also saw a rise in popularity with German warmblood breeds in horse shows and competitions. In the 1960s, Oldenburg breeders in Germany began producing a modern version of the breed, with the goal of creating a marketable sport horse. thoroughbredt stallions were bred to Oldenburg mares, and the resulting mares were then bred to Trakehner, Anglo-Arabian, Hanoverian, Holsteiner, and other warmblood horses. [13]
The American Warmblood Registry was created in 1981, and the American Warmblood Society (AWS) was founded in 1983, to promote the new idea of an "American Warmblood" sport horse, [14] resurrecting the original goal of the U.S. Cavalry to create an American-bred sport horse type. [15] There are two registries in the United States which recognize American Warmbloods - the American Warmblood Society & Sporthorse Registry (AWS) and the American Warmblood Registry (AWR), both of which are recognized by the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH).
The American Warmblood is more of a "type" than a "breed". Like most of the European warmbloods, the American Warmblood has an "open" book. There is more emphasis on producing quality sport horses, rather than the preservation of any particular bloodlines, which allows for much diversity in the bloodlines of American Warmbloods. [1] [16]
The American Warmblood has been influenced by the European warmbloods, the Thoroughbred, the Arabian, and the Anglo-Arabian, as well as some draft horse breeds, such as the Belgian Draught, Clydesdale, Percheron, and Shire. Of these breeds, the Belgian and the Percheron are most popular for warmblood crosses. [17]
Both registries have also begun sport pony books, creating similar performance registries for North American ponies.
A horse breed is a selectively bred population of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a limited geographic region, or even feral "breeds" that are naturally selected. Depending on definition, hundreds of "breeds" exist today, developed for many different uses. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods," such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods," developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe.
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses. Furthermore, modern breeding management and technologies can increase the rate of conception, a healthy pregnancy, and successful foaling.
Trakehner is a light warmblood breed of horse, originally developed at the East Prussian state stud farm in the town of Trakehnen from which the breed takes its name. The state stud was established in 1731 and operated until 1944, when the fighting of World War II led to the annexing of East Prussia by Russia, and the town containing the stud renamed as Yasnaya Polyana.
Warmbloods are a group of middle-weight horse types and breeds primarily originating in Europe and registered with organizations that are characterized by open studbook policy, studbook selection, and the aim of breeding for equestrian sport.
The Byerley Turk, also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock.
The Groninger or Groningen is a Dutch horse breed developed for light draft and agricultural work. It is closely related to heavy warmblood breeds like the East Friesian and Alt-Oldenburger. The breed was nearly lost in the mid-20th century because a significant number of mares were used for crossbreeding to create the Dutch Warmblood, leaving few purebreds.
The Holsteiner is a breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a dominant force of international show jumping, and are found at the top levels of dressage, combined driving, show hunters, and eventing.
The Narragansett Pacer was one of the first recorded horse breeds developed in the United States. It emerged in the 18th century (1700s), and was theorized to have been bred from a mix of English and Spanish breeds, although the exact cross is unknown. The Pacer was associated with, and bred in, the state of Rhode Island and the area of New England; as horse breeding shifted to Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1700s, it became extinct by the 20th century.
Messenger was an English Thoroughbred stallion imported into the newly formed United States of America just after the American Revolution. He is most famous for being the great-grandsire of Hambletonian 10, the father of all American Standardbred horses. Though he did not have a long racing career himself, he was a common ancestor in many successful racing horses into the 20th century.
Gunrock is the official mascot of the UC Davis Aggies, the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Davis, and was based on Gunrock (1914–1932), an American Thoroughbred stallion, and the son of English Triple Crown winner Rock Sand. He was related to the American Thoroughbred racehorse Man O' War (1917–1947), who was out of Mahubah (1910–1931), bay Thoroughbred mare by Rock Sand out of Merry Token. Gunrock was bred by Clarence Mackay, and likely born in Kentucky in 1914. He had an unsuccessful racing career as a 2-year-old, and was retired to stud by age 6 in 1920.
The Bavarian Warmblood is a horse breed of southern Germany that developed from an older Bavarian heavy warmblood breed called the Rottaler. Since mechanization in the mid-20th century, the Bavarian Regional Horse Breeders' Society has concentrated on producing a riding horse for the Olympic disciplines and recreational riding based on other European warmblood bloodlines.
The Friesian Sporthorse is a Friesian crossbred of sport horse type. The ideal Friesian Sporthorse is specifically bred to excel in FEI-recognized sport horse disciplines. Thus, "sporthorse" refers to the phenotype, breeding, and intended use of these horses. The term "Friesian Sport Horse" is a generic term to describe any Friesian-cross horse.
The Deutsche Reitpony or German Riding Pony is a very popular pony breed in Germany. It is described as a "miniature warmblood" with refined, horse-like characteristics that make it suitable as both a children's pony and as a mount for sport horse competition in Europe. Originally bred in Germany and later throughout Western Europe, the breed is relatively new to North America.
An Austrian Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Warmblutzucht in Österreich. Although the studbook is made up of jumping and dressage horses from many other countries, the mare base consists of native horses with a long history. The AWÖ keeps an open studbook, in which mares and stallions must pass rigorous inspections before becoming breeding stock.
The Zweibrücker is a type of German warmblood horse bred in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Traditionally, the breeding of Zweibrücken was centered on the onetime Principal Stud of Zweibrücken but since 1977 has been under the jurisdiction of the Horse Breeders' Association of Rhineland-Palatinate-Saar (PRPS). The modern Zweibrücker is an elegant, large-framed, correct sport horse with powerful, elastic gaits suitable for dressage, show jumping, eventing and combined driving.
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered "hot-blooded" horses that are known for agility, speed, and spirit.
A part of the Quartermaster Corps, the U.S. Army Remount Service provided horses as remounts to U.S. Army units. Evolving from both the Remount Service of the Quartermaster Corps and a general horse-breeding program under the control of the Department of Agriculture, the Remount Service began systematically breeding horses for the United States Cavalry in 1918. It remained in operation until 1948, when all animal-breeding programs returned to Department of Agriculture control.
A part-Arabian, partbred Arabian or, less precisely, half-Arabian, is a horse with documented amounts of Arabian horse breeding but not a purebred. Because the Arabian is deemed to be a breed of purebred horse dating back many centuries, the modern breed registries recognized by the World Arabian Horse Organization generally have tightly closed stud books which exclude a horse from registration if it is found to contain any outside blood. However, Arabian breeding has also been used for centuries to add useful traits to countless other horse breeds. In the modern era, crossbreeding has been popular to combine the best traits of two different breeds, such as color, size, or ability to specialize in a particular equestrian discipline.
Black Allan or Allan F-1 was the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse. He was out of a Morgan and Thoroughbred cross mare named Maggie Marshall, a descendant of Figure and the Thoroughbred racing stallion Messenger; and sired by Allandorf, a Standardbred stallion descended from Hambletonian 10, also of the Messenger line.
