Belgian Sport Horse

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Belgian Sport Horse
Reveur de Hurtebise ridden by Kevin Staut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (cropped).jpeg
Rêveur de Hurtebise  [ fr ] ridden by Kevin Staut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
Uchin van de centaur cannes 2 (cropped).jpg
Uchin van de Centaur  [ fr ] in 2012
Conservation status
Other names
  • sBs
  • Belgian Halfblood
  • Belgian Halfbred
  • Belgisch Sportpaard
  • Cheval de Sport Belge [2]
  • Demi-Sang Belge
Country of originBelgium
Distributionsouthern Belgium, Wallonia
Traits
Height
    • 162 cm [3] : 444 
    • 158–180 cm [4] : 164 

The Belgian Sport Horse, Dutch : Belgisch Sportpaard, French : Cheval de Sport Belge, is a Belgian breed of warmblood sport horse. It is one of three Belgian warmblood breeds or stud-books, the others being the Belgian Warmblood and the Zangersheide. It is bred for dressage, for show-jumping and for three-day eventing. [4] : 164 

Contents

History

The Belgian Sport Horse has its origins in the early twentieth century, when warmblood horses were bred by cross-breeding imported Selle Français and Thoroughbred stallions with local animals of the Belgian Draught breed, with the intention of producing cavalry horses. [3] : 444  Later influences were from Selle Français, Dutch Warmblood and Hanoverian. A breed society, La Société d'Encouragement pour l'Elevage du Cheval d'Armes, was established in 1920; [5] from about 1930 the principal aim was to breed horses for leisure use [3] : 444  and the name Société du Cheval de Demi-sang Belge was adopted. [5] In 1967 it became a royal society, with the name Société Royale du Cheval de Demi-sang Belge. [3] : 444  In 1991 the society adopted the name Studbook SBS or SBS Studbook. [5]

In 2007 the conservation status of the breed was listed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as "not at risk". [1] : 9  No population data has been reported to DAD-IS since 2013, when the total number for the breed was estimated at 12000–19000; its conservation status in 2025 was "unknown". [2]

Characteristics

The horses stand on average some 162 cm at the withers. The coat is solid-coloured. [3] : 443 

Use

Like most warmblood sport horses, the Belgian Sport Horse is bred for performance in the three classic competitive disciplines, dressage, show-jumping and the three-day event. [4] : 164 

References

  1. 1 2 Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Breed data sheet: Cheval de Sport Belge / Belgium (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN   9781780647944.
  4. 1 2 3 Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). Horses of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691167206.
  5. 1 2 3 Historique: Du Cheval d'Armes aux réseaux sociaux (in French). SBS Studbook. Archived 19 April 2025.
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