A list of competition horses

COMPETITION HORSES

You can find more Competition horses on any of the following pages:

Eventing
Dressage
Jumping
Show
Children

Bavarian Warmblood

Recognised by the letter "B" within a crowned shield on their left thigh, the Bavarian Warmblood is descended from the Rottaler, an all-purpose, calm, substantial horse used for plowing, carriage driving, non-competitive riding and as an excellent warhorse.

To create a lighter horse more suitable for riding and competition, Rottaler stallions were replaced by Hanoverians, Westphalians, Hosteiners, Trakehners and Thoroughbreds. Today, Bavarian Warmblood pedigrees are made up of blood from other German warmbloods and a number of approved Dutch Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, Trakehners, and even Budyonny stallions.

Bavarian Warmbloods are similar to other German warmbloods in type, conformation, movement, jumping ability and interior qualities. They are not fast, but perform at international sport horse competition level and excel at eventing, show jumping and dressage. They are also popular in combined driving and in the US there are several prominent show hunters with the Bavarian brand.

Belgian Warmblood

One of the newest warmbloods, the Belgian Warmblood was specifically developed as an all round competition horse in Belgium and excels at both dressage and show jumping.

The Belgian Warmblood is a powerful and reliable horse, with a calm temperment, rectangular frame, big outlines and good basic paces. The studbook is carefully montored to ensure that its required qualities are maintained, with each horse going through an approval system before it is accepted.

Bred to be ridden both as a pleasure horse and as a performance horse, on national and international levels, it's becoming increasingly popular in Europe and the US.

Budyonny

After the Russian Revolution and WW1, the Soviet Union began to breed a new cavalry horse to replace those lost in war, which they later named after the Bolshevik cavalry hero Marshal Budyonny.

Budyonnys were bred from a cross of local Don and Chernomor mares and English Thoroughbred stallions, and at first they were known as the Anglo-Don. The resulting horses were used in Russian cavalry divisions during World War II and after.

The Budyonny, which is usually chestnut with a wonderful metallic sheen, has a calm and quiet temperament, but can be energetic, lively and tough. It is an excellent all-round sporting and competition horse, fast, agile, with formidable endurance, a good gallop and an athletic jump. It's used in endurance competitions, steeplechasing, show jumping and dressage. They are also used as light carriage horses.

Cleveland Bay - to be added

Furioso - to be added

Hanoverian

The Hanoverian, a warmblood horse originating in Germany, is one of the oldest, most numerous and successful of the warmbloods. Believed to be descended from Middle Age warhorses, it was developed using local mares and Holstein stallions into a horse suitable for carriage work, riding and agricultural work. It was subsequently improved with variety of blood, including from Holsteins, Cleveland Bays and Thoroughbreds, creating an agile, athletic, beautiful and graceful horse with good temperament, until by the late 18th century, the Hanoverian had become a high-class coach horse.

With the inevitable decline in demand for coach horses, the Hanovarian was adapted for agricultural work. With the growth of demand for riding and sports horses after WW2, it was adapted once again, using Thoroughbreds, Anglo-Arabians and Trakehners to refine the breed.

With well kept records allowing them to trace bloodlines over many generations, breeders have been able to create an athletic, noble, and versatile warmblood that excels at showjumping, eventing and dressage. With a strong back, powerful and athletic movement and strong limbs, they are robust, elegant, willing and trainable.

Nonius - to be added

Shagya Arabian

Shagya Arabians

Developed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire over 200 years ago by crossing Hungarian mares with Desert Arabian stallions, the Shagya Arabian fulfilled the need for a horse with endurance, intelligence and character, but with a larger size and carrying capacity required by the Imperial Hussars.

Over time, Shagyas were utilized as carriage, cavalry and light riding horses. They were prized as parade horses by European royalty. Their toughness, courage, endurance and rideability was legendary amongst European horsemen and ensured that the Imperial Guard of the Habsburgs was always mounted on Shagyas.

Shagya stallions appear in the bloodlines of many warmbloods and they have often been used to improve other breeds. Like Arabians, Shagyas have an elegant type, high carried tail, sound bone, excellent hardiness, endurance. They are also easy keeping, with an inborn friendliness towards humans. They tend to be taller, less refined, and bigger-boned than purebred Arabians, equipping them with the requirements of the modern riding horse, including height, frame, rideability and great movement and jumping ability.

Shagya Arabians are recognized as riding horses and are also driven in harness. Having made hardy cavalry horses, they are now popular in sport horse disciplines such as dressage, eventing and endurance riding.

Swedish Warmblood

The Swedish Warmblood descends from active and strong horses imported from a variety of different countries in the 17th Century. Stallions were bred with small and rough local mares, creating horses suitable for local farmers and the military. The military in turn started their own breeding programme, using Fresian, Thoroughbred, Hanoverian and Trakehner blood to create a versatile, large and powerful riding horse.

The Swedish Warmblood is a handsome, sensible, well-balanced, sound, calm, tractable and versatile horse. Excelling at dressage, jumping and eventing, it also makes a very good driving horse.

Trakehner

A particularly fine and elegant horse, the Trakehner is athletic and trainable, with good endurance, while some are more spirited than horses of other warmblood breeds.

Originally descended from the Tarpen, King Friedrich Wilhelm I founded a stud at Trakehner in 1732 to develop a fast, sound, tough, elegant and attractive coach horse and later a cavalry horse for his army. Arab, Turkoman and Thoroughbred blood was initially used, but for over 130 years outside blood has only been permitted under strict control. Due to the resultant purity of its bloodlines, the Trakehners breed true to type, making them valuable for upgrading other warmbloods.

During WW2 many of the best Trakehners fell into Russian hands and only a small number survived the dangerous and frozen trek west to escape. The horses left behind in East Prussia were instrumental in creating several new Russian and Polish breeds, including the Wielkopolski, while the surviving Trakehners brought to the West formed the nucleus to rebuild the breed.

The modern Trakehners, with their very light build, tend to do better in the sport of eventing than most other warmblood breeds. Excelling in show jumping and cross country, their sensitivity, intelligence and way of going makes them particularly prized in dressage.

The Trakehner is most famous for being the horse featured in the long running series of TV commercials for Lloyds TSB bank, whose black horse logo is a familiar feature in towns in the UK.

Westphalian - to be added