Swedish and Danish Warmblood Horses

Both the Swedish and Danish warmblood horses can trace their history in northern Europe back over 400 years though it is only recently with the ever-increasing popularity of horse sports that there has been breeding efforts in earnest to create a national Sporting horse for Sweden and Denmark.

The paths the two breeds followed for their development were very differernt – the results however are two horses quite similar in appearance and ability.

Danish Warmblood Horse
The Danish warmblood is a modern day sporting horse developed from a base stock of horses first developed in Denmark sometime around the 14th century. The breeding program at that time was following a path of breeding heavy mares in northern Germany with Spanish daily and is to produce a heavy riding horse capable of being used as a cavalry horse. The end product of these programs would breeds such as the Frederiksborg and the Holsteiner.

Sturdiness, willingness and strength with the desired attributes of the breeds created with no requirement to perfect conformation or action. Their actions were efficient and effective without flair. At the start of the 20th century this all changed as Danish riders were performing well on the world stage in writing competitions in Denmark lacked its own sporting horse or sporting horse breeding program. This oversight was corrected in the 1960s with the creation of what is now known as the Danish warmblood horse.

Traditional old-style Danish horses such as the Frederiksborg were crossed with thoroughbreds to improve the conformation, to add speed, and general athleticism. Whilst the thoroughbred influence is clear that clearly larger boned and more heavily built the thoroughbred. Other breeds such as the Trakehner and Selle Francais were successfully introduced to the breeding program making the horses were more agreeable in nature, of higher stamina and yet more athletic.

Today in the are rare but popular international competition horse successful in both showjumping and dressage. They sound of limb and handsome, clearly with a heavy thoroughbred influence but with limbs and body of substance and strength. They are a tall and well built horse averaging 6.2 hands high the examples over 17 hands are sometimes seen.

Rare internationally at the time of writing this article there is presently no Danish warmblood horse breeding program in Australia.

The Swedish Warmblood Horse
Similar to the Danish warmblood horse the Swedish warmblood can trace its history back several hundreds of years to the 1600s the use only in recent years that the current type bred specifically for horse competition has been developed.

In reverse twist to the development and of the Danish warmblood, the Swedish mares were smaller tough mares with higher stamina but a smaller structure to the mares from Denmark. These tough mares were crossed with thoroughbreds and Arabians but also with Hanoverians and Trakehners to add size. The end result by the 1930s was a powerful, beautiful and impressive sporting horse.

Though having a very different passage in the Danish warmblood in his creation the two breeds today are not dissimilar with the Swedish warmblood excelling in dressage jumping and eventing. They are also uses courage or driving horses. The Swedish warmblood is a far more well-known and popular horse and is exported all over the world.

The breeding programs around the world of the Swedish warmblood horse a more mature than those of the Danish warmblood horse. In the US only Swedish warmblood horses that have been performance tested and rated can be bred.

Appearance
that may be any solid colour they most commonly that chestnut or Bay or seal brown. Extremely rarely become in black occasionally in grey or ride. Typically of a sporting horse they stand 16 to 17 hands high (163 to 173 cm) and a strong and athletic.
The breeding program in Australia is small but existing with breeding being carried out here http://www.eques.com.au/svenska_warmbloods/stallions.htm