The heavy warmbloods (German: Schwere Warmblüter) are a group of horse breeds primarily from continental Europe. The title includes the Ostfriesen ("East Friesian") 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.
Common foundation European horses in the Middle Ages could fall into several categories, though as a group they were likely common, small, and primitive by modern standards. There were small, hardy farm horses, smooth-stepping saddle horses, quicker "coursers", and a very few highly prized, powerful destriers. As the availability of firearms grew, heavily armored knights and their heavy mounts became impractical "relics of the past." The Spanish horses, ancestors of the Andalusian, the Danish Frederiksborg, and the Neapolitan horse were particularly popular among the German nobility during the 17th and 18th centuries. As they collected these stallions, the residents bred them to their native mares. From this base of thick, primarily dark-colored horses, the Groningen, Friesian, East Friesian, and Oldenburg would eventually be born.
Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger
The most famous of the heavy warmbloods was the Oldenburg. Today's Oldenburg is bred for sport, and so the old type is designated as such: Alt-Oldenburger. The history of the Oldenburg is almost indistinguishable from that of horses bred in nearby East Frisia. Though there are two names (Old-Oldenburg and East Friesian), the horse is quite the same, having always exchanged genetic material. The plow horses of the Frisian marshes had to be powerful to work through the heavy soil, and so were significantly heavier than farm horses in other parts of Europe. Organized horse breeding began in Oldenburg under Count Anton Günther (1603–1667), who brought popular stallions from Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Poland. Later on, Cleveland Bays were introduced as well, and the result was a solid, good-natured mare base from which came the Karossier. The Karossier were considered luxury items, noble carriage horses with high-stepping gaits, and so they were purchased by State Studs for use in other regions of Germany, but were also sent to Poland, Austria and Hungary, France, Denmark, and the Netherlands. War and the appearance of the horse-powered tractor in the 20th century increased the demand for heavier horses, which Oldenburg and East Frisia supplied. By the 1960s, such horses were obsolete, and their breeders had to adapt. From these horses was born the modern Oldenburg, and the old types were in danger of disappearing. In the 1980s a new preservation society was formed, and with the help of horses from Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Moritzburg State Stud, the breed was saved. Today there are 20 approved stallions and 160 broodmares, all primarily black or dark bay in color. They are powerful and sound, but very gentle horses.
Alt-Württemberger In 1866, the advisory board of the Principal and State Stud of Marbach presented a plan to breed an economical horse for Württemberg - a warmblood suitable for agriculture. While actively modeled after the popular Oldenburg, the original Württemberger, now known as the Alt-Württemberger (Old Württemberger), was influenced by Anglo-Norman and East Prussian stock, and occasional Arabian horse bloodlines were added as well. The goal was to produce a horse ideal for the "Master and Farmer", inexpensive to feed, diligent and powerful at the plow. One hundred years after the first warmbloods were bred at Marbach, the direction changed from practical farm horse to high-performance sport horse. This horse became today's modern Württemberger. The original breed was saved by the formation of the Association for the Preservation of the Old-Württemberger Horses in 1988. Today there are 8 stallions and 55 mares, though the breed is receiving federal support. The brand is the hart's horn with three prongs on the left hip. Like other heavy warmblood breeds, the Alt-Wurttemberger is good-natured and affable, hard to unnerve but easy to motivate. They stand somewhat smaller than their riding horse counterparts, between 155 and 165 cm at the withers. They are predominantly bay, brown, chestnut, and occasionally grey. The head should be medium-sized, dry and expressive; the body of cob-type substance with a long shoulder and slightly-sloping croup. The hooves should be strong and hard. The breed is especially valuable as a leisure and family horse, given its easygoing nature and long lifespan.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
