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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 term warmblood was coined to represent a mixing of cold blooded and hot blooded breeds. [1] : 523 [2] : 231
Although the term warmblood is occasionally used to indicate a horse which is a first generation cross between one hot- and one cold-blooded horse, the contemporary meaning refers to horses that have been bred over multiple generations to produce horses that perform well in various equestrian sports—predominantly show jumping, dressage, eventing, and combined driving. [1] : 523
Sport horse is a newer term for this type of horse. Older established breed registries retain the word "warmblood", and newer registries tend to use the word "sport horse" (also spelled "sporthorse"). [2] : 200
Open studbook policies are different from "true breed" studbooks—such as those for Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Percherons, and Morgans—which have closed stud books and require two purebred parents to register an offspring. Instead, most warmblood registries accept breeding stock from other similar populations to continuously improve their own, and do not consider their own horses to be a discrete "breed". The Trakehner is an exception, as although some other breeds are used within the breeding population, this horse is considered a true breed. The Hanoverian, Holsteiner, and Selle Français studbooks are also considered slightly less open than others. Most warmblood registries recognize breeding stock from any other registry that is a member of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses which is affiliated with the Olympics-recognized International Federation for Equestrian Sports.
A defining characteristic of a warmblood registry is studbook selection, though even some purebred breeds in Europe use this practice. Studbook selection is the use of external evaluation to critique conformation and movement of potential breeding stock to cull unsuitable breeding horses and direct the evolution towards a particular goal. Today, studbook selection usually entails a performance proof in addition to external evaluation, particularly for stallions.
Standards of conformation and movement are not designed to perpetuate a particular ancestral type, but rather to meet a particular need. This concept is illustrated by the history of the Oldenburg horse through the past 150 years: in the late 19th century, the standard called for a heavy but elegant, high-stepping carriage horse, in the early 20th century for a heavier, stronger, economical farm and artillery horse, and since 1950 for a modern sport horse.
The most critical characteristic of a warmblood registry is that its breeding goal (or "breeding aim") is to breed sport horses. Each registry has a slightly different focus, but most breed primarily for show jumping and dressage. Many include combined driving and eventing as well. The breeding aim is reflective of the needs of the market. In eras and regions which called for cavalry mounts, warmbloods were bred to fit that need; when and where horses for light to moderate agricultural work were needed, warmbloods have also filled those roles. The purposeful evolution of the standard breeding aim is another characteristic of the warmbloods.
Warmbloods have become popular since the end of World War II when mechanization made agricultural horses obsolete, and recreational riding became more widespread in the western world. The ancestral warmblood types are referred to as the heavy warmbloods and are preserved through special organizations. The heavy warmbloods have found their niche as family horses and in combined driving.
Most warmbloods were developed in continental Europe, especially Germany. It was once thought that the warmblood type, which originated in continental Europe, descended from wild, native proto-warmblood ancestors, [3] called the Forest Horse, though modern DNA studies of early horses have disproven this hypothesis.
The best-known German warmbloods are the Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg and the purebred Trakehner. Others include the Württemberger, Rhinelander, Westphalian, Zweibrücker, Brandenburger, Mecklenburger, and Bavarian Warmblood. Several of these breeds are also represented by ancestral types such as the Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger, Alt-Württemberger, and Rottaler.
Central European warmbloods include the French Selle Français, Belgian Warmblood, Dutch Warmblood, Swiss Warmblood, Austrian Warmblood, Danish Warmblood, and Czech Warmblood. Scandinavian countries also produce high-quality warmbloods such as the Finnish Warmblood and Swedish Warmblood.
Warmblood registries which are not based in continental Europe include those that regulate the breeding of American Warmbloods and Irish Sport Horses.
Not all breeds within the warmblood category are named "warmblood" as such in their studbooks, many have names based upon the geographical region where they were first developed. In some cases, where there is debate over whether a particular warmblood bloodline is a breed or a type, but the existence of either a studbook selection process in an open registry and/or a breed registry that is restricted or closed is utilized here.
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 Hanoverian or Hannoveraner is a German breed or stud-book of warmblood sport horse. As with other German warmblood breeds, eligibility for registration depends on performance rather than ancestry.
The Oldenburg or Oldenburger is a warmblood horse from the north-western corner of Lower Saxony, what was formerly the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. The breed was built on a mare base of all-purpose farm and carriage horses, today called the Alt-Oldenburger. The modern Oldenburg is managed by the Association of Breeders of the Oldenburger Horse, which enacts strict selection of breeding stock to ensure that each generation is better than the last. Oldenburgers are tall sport horses with excellent gaits and jumping ability. The breeding of Oldenburg horses is characterized by very liberal pedigree requirements and the exclusive use of privately owned stallions rather than restriction to a state-owned stud farm.
The Selle Français (SF) is a breed of sport horse from France. An athletic horse with good gaits, it is usually bay or chestnut in color. The Selle Français was created in 1958 when several French riding horse breeds were merged into one stud book. The new breed was meant to serve as a unified sport horse during a period when horses were being replaced by mechanization and were transforming into an animal used mainly for sport and leisure.
The Württemberger, Baden-Württemberger or Württemberg is a Warmblood horse breed originating in Germany. They are primarily riding horses, and are selectively bred for dressage and show jumping.
The Brandenburger is a German breed of warmblood sport horse from the state of Brandenburg in north-eastern Germany. From the 1960s – when Brandenburg was in East Germany – it was included in the stud-book of the Edles Warmblut or 'light warmblood'. Following the re-unification of Germany it again had its own stud-book. In 2003 it was included in the stud-book of the Deutsches Reitpferd, which also included the Sachsen-Anhaltiner Warmblut, the Sächsisches Warmblut and the Thüringer Warmblut; the Bavarian Warmblood, the Württemberger and the Zweibrücker were added to it in 2014.
Abdullah was a Trakehner stallion ridden by Conrad Homfeld. He won many international titles in the sport of show jumping, and is considered by some to be the best Trakehner ever to compete in the show-jumping ring. Abdullah was inducted into the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 2009.
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 Westphalian or Westfalen is a warmblood horse bred in the Westphalia region of western Germany. The Westphalian is closely affiliated with the state-owned stud farm of Warendorf, which it shares with the Rhinelander. Since World War II, the Westphalian horse has been bred to the same standard as the other German warmbloods, and they are particularly famous as Olympic-level show jumpers and dressage horses. Next to the Hanoverian, the Westphalian studbook has the largest breeding population of any warmblood in Germany.
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 heavy warmbloods are a group of horse breeds primarily from continental Europe. The title includes the Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger ("Old-Oldenburger"), Groningen, and similar horses from Silesia, Saxony-Thuringia, and Bavaria. Breeds like the Hungarian Nonius, Kladruber, and Cleveland Bay are also often classed as "heavy warmbloods." They are the ancestors of the modern warmbloods, and are typically bred by preservation groups to fit the pre-World War I model of the all-purpose utility horse. Unlike the registries of the sport horses that followed them, many heavy warmblood registries maintain closed or partly closed studbooks. However, external evaluation and performance testing of the breeding stock is still a key element in these registries. Many of the heavy warmbloods are selected primarily for family-friendly temperaments.
The Marbach Stud, German: Haupt- und Landgestüt Marbach, is Germany's oldest state stud farm for horse breeding, has a history that dates back over 500 years. It is located in southwest Germany near Gomadingen in the Reutlingen district of Baden-Württemberg. The annual stallion parade is an internationally known attraction, and the stud hosts over 500,000 visitors per year. The stud also offers courses for those wishing to learn to ride or drive, as well as an instructor training program. Marbach is known for producing athletic horses with good temperaments, and has careful management practices, including that of allowing young, untrained horses the opportunity to grow in a natural setting conducive to their mental as well as their physical development.
The Alt-Oldenburger and Ostfriesen are representatives of a group of horse breeds primarily from continental Europe called heavy warmbloods. The breed has two names because the same horse was bred in two regions in the most north-western part of Germany: East Frisia and the former grand duchy of Oldenburg. The name "Alt-Oldenburger" – alt meaning "old" – simply distinguishes this horse from its descendant, the modern Oldenburg, which is bred for sport.
The Rhenish Warmblood, German: Rheinisches Warmblut or Rheinisches Reitpferd, is a German warmblood breed of sport horse. It is traditionally bred at the Warendorf State Stud, which it shares with the Westphalian, and is bred to the same standard as the Westphalian and other German warmbloods, such as the Bavarian Warmblood, Mecklenburger, Brandenburger, and Württemberger.
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.
German warmblood may refer generally to any of the various warmblood horses of Germany, or more specifically to a warmblood registered with the nationwide German Horse Breeding Society. Beneath the umbrella term German warmblood are several regional variations on a singular standard; individual German warmblood types are not necessarily considered "breeds", because they have an open stud book and freely exchange genetic material between each other, with other warmblood types, with Anglo-Arabians, and with breeds like the Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Trakehner. All horses that are warmbloods and bred in Germany are named after the region in which they are born in. There is an exception to this and that is the Trakehner breed.
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.
The Baroque Pinto is a Dutch horse breed of Baroque type founded in the 1950s and 1960s, using the Friesian horse, Dutch Warmblood (KWPN), German Warmblood, and other European warmblood breeds for its foundation stock. Some consider it to be a type of Friesian cross or Friesian Sporthorse, while others consider it to be its own breed.
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