Bewildered By Brands?

Warmbloods carry a brand specific to their type, signifying lineage and quality. Here’s how to identify some of the most common and how they came to be.

Watch any national or international competition, and you’re sure to find countless warmbloods in attendance. Shaped by European history and named after monarchies and regions, the warmbloods
of today appeal to equestrians due to their athletic ability and attractive style.

As a horse that continues to evolve, warmbloods aren’t classified as a “breed” like a Thoroughbred or Arabian. The open studbooks and tradition of introducing foreign bloodlines have created a type of horse that excels in many disciplines, whether it’s a Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg or any other type of warmblood.





Hanoverian

One of the most popular is the Hanoverian, a breed that originated from northern Germany in the state of Lower Saxony, the former kingdom of Hannover.

For the past 400 years horse breeding has flourished in the area, and many top competition horses have been produced. The H-shaped brand, which can be found on the horse’s left flank, stems from the crossed horse heads at the gable of the breeding farms in Lower Saxony.

Hanoverians have been recorded in the State Studbook since 1735, although the Hanoverian Studbook officially began in 1888. They were originally bred to serve as carriage and military horses; today the
breeding goal is to produce multitalented performance horses.

While large in size, they’re refined, with long necks, sloped shoulders and pronounced withers. Thoroughbreds are still used today to improve the breed.

Outstanding Hanoverians include Deister (Diskant—Adlerklette, Adlerschild XX) who was a three-time European Show Jumping Champion with rider Paul Schockemöhle in 1981, 1983 and 1985.
Carol Lavell’s Gifted (Garibaldi II—Lola, Lombard) rose through the ranks andearned five U.S. Dressage Federation titles from second level through Grand Prix; they also went on to earn team bronze medals at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and 1994 World Equestrian Games in The Hague, the Netherlands.





Oldenburg

The Oldenburg was also first bred in Lower Saxony, Germany. Johan von Oldenburg started breeding Friesian mares with Danish, Turkish and Andalusian stallions in the 16th century to produce large warhorses. Spanish and Italian stallions added speed and strength.

The Oldenburg evolved to a carriage and riding horse in the 17th century and was further refined by the introduction of Thoroughbred blood in the 18th century. The Oldenburg studbook was established in 1861.

As machinery replaced horsepower, stud owners began breeding purely for an all-around riding horse.
Trakehners, Anglo-Normans, Selle Français and many other types have contributed to the current Oldenburg.

While they’re not noted for speed, they have been especially successful in dressage. One Oldenburg that stands out is Anky van Grunsven’s Bonfire, whom she rode to multiple FEI World Cup Dressage titles and an individual gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics (Australia).