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BREED PROFILE
THE EVEREVOLVING OLDENBURG
The non-typical breed of sport horse.
BY MONIQUE NOBLE
Almost all breeds have a standard conformation they are known for – physical ideals that breeders are encouraged to strive for and maintain. Arabs are known for stunning beauty and stamina, Thoroughbreds are known for their agility and speed. Oldenburgs, however, are not judged by fitting into a conformational standard, but rather a standard of quality and the ability to further improve the breed. This flexibility allows for several different physical traits, meaning one Oldenburg can vary greatly from another in appearance and ability. With this in mind, the German Oldenburg registry has moved away from a static conformational ideal, with their only real breed standard focusing on quality. They continue to strive for excellence by incorporating the best of sport horse breeds into Oldenburg bloodlines.
Bred to be the best sport horse possible, Oldenburgs typically stand between 16 and 17.2 hands high and feature broad foreheads and muzzles, keen eyes, and shapely ears. Bold and intelligent temperaments make them perfect for sport. Expressive, wellformed heads are set on long and wellmuscled necks, leading to prominent withers and deep chests. A rectangular frame standing over generous ground with a long, slightly inclined croup ensures the Oldenburg excels in their designated sport. Their hind ends are sloped, typically powerful, and are frequently lower than the wither, giving them an “uphill” build. Their long legs are strong with excellent bone, and their well-defined, elastic tendons are set upon large balanced hooves capable of easily carrying their impressive size. Depending on the type of Oldenburg breeding and the sport that line is bred for, the quality of gaits can vary greatly.
However, the entire breed is forwardmoving and animated with great extension. Oldenburgs have incredibly fluid and energetically rhythmic movement that is almost joyful in appearance.
An Oldenburg’s coat is smooth with luxurious manes and tails that are not overly thick or unmanageable. They come in all colours, the most common being black, gray, bay, chestnut, and brown, but are also one of the few warmblood breeds that may include pinto colouring. The Oldenburg’s presence is one of almost haughty intelligence that emanates stability, power, and prowess in whatever discipline they are enjoying. Oldenburgs are willing and enthusiastic mounts that seem to revel in their athleticism. Versatile horses, they possess the work ethic of a draft horse combined with the looks and finesse of the finest riding horses around the world, and that is exactly how the present-day Oldenburg came to be.
The lush, agriculturally based land of lower Saxony in Germany (still known as Oldenburg today) was home to heavy horses used primarily for field work and hauling heavy loads in the 17th century. There were lighter horses in the area; however, none had the flash and style that German nobility and gentry preferred in their mounts and carriage horses. Many nobles, most notably Graf Johann XVI von Oldenburg (1573 – 1603), imported Spanish stallions and allowed residents to breed them to their heavy farm stock. This created a lighter, higherstepping horse with a thickness of body. Resulting progeny had the strength to work and these horses became the foundation of “Baroque” horses and
Cedira by Casiro in competition, owned by Samantha Wishewan of Edmonton, AB, is a purebred Oldenburg mare. Photo Courtesy of Shauna Cook
the base of the Oldenburg breed.
Avid horseman, Count Anton Gunther (the Count of Oldenburg 1603-1667), further improved the Oldenburg’s reputation for quality. He returned from an expedition with horses from Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Poland and continued refining local breeding stock. The horses that his region’s stock produced were so admired he would give them as gifts to nobles, to prevent them from invading his territories.
Regal, tall, and strong, Oldenburg horses became known across Europe for their excellence and versatility, widely used as carriage, farm, and riding horses throughout the 1700 to 1900s. As there were no official studbooks in the 1700s, and studs were bred to local stock, the breed grew quickly and was heavily exported. To ensure that quality remained standard, rigorous stallion inspections, known as Körungs began in 1755 and became a state requirement in 1820. Being the luxury carriage horses of choice for centuries made Oldenburgs quite prolific, however, it also made them a target during wartime as artillery horses. The breed suffered major losses during World War I and five years after the war, the Oldenburg studbook and the Ostfriesen Studbook (Ostfriesens are the same breed as Oldenburgs but bred in a different region in Germany) merged to strengthen the bloodlines and form the Oldenburg Horse Breeders’ Society (GOV) as it is today. Sadly, that effort was hampered as even with the use of automotives and aircraft, the German army was still heavily reliant on horsepower. While breeding efforts were at an all-time high, the Oldenburg again suffered heavy losses as military remounts.
Following WWII, the need for carriage and work horses lessened, as vehicles and tractors became more common. Oldenburg breeders – struggling to find purebreds and
Originally developed as a good strong carriage horse, the breed contains Spanish, Neopolitan, and Barb blood, along with Thoroughbred and Hannoverian.
GOV official Anna-Marie Damm encouraged this young Oldenburg stallion prospect to proceed to the under-saddle testing phase of his quest to enter the studbook.
wanting to direct their breeding to more in-demand, sport-type horses – began including select Thoroughbred and Arabian stallions, among other breeds, in the studbook. As leisure and sport riding became popular, these breeders were determined to make Oldenburg sport horses that were as renowned for quality as their carriage horse forebears were. Other breeders were equally determined to honour the traditional heavier breeding and this is where the differences between Alt-Oldenburg and Oldenburg occur. Alt-Oldenburg literally translates to Old-Oldenburg and, while they are still in the same studbook, they have retained their heavier carriage-horse physicality while the modern Oldenburg has become, as hoped, a recreational horse of athletic prowess. Modern Oldenburgs, with the influence of breeds such as Trakehners, Westfalians, and others, have become fierce competitors in the sport horse world, frequently dominating the world stage in dressage, jumping, and eventing.
Throughout all this change, some things remain the same, and Oldenburgs are still required to pass performance tests before they are entered into the studbook.
The Oldenburg Studbook is as fluid, inclusive, and complicated as the history of the Oldenburg breed itself. The official studbook is comprised of four studbooks and four accompanying mare books. Which book a horse qualifies for depends upon its lineage, the depth of that lineage, and the horse’s individual physical quality.
Breed tests are held annually throughout the world by GOV and in 2022, breeders were allowed to resume onsite Canadian inspections for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. In August, I had the pleasure of attending an Oldenburg inspection hosted by Lorrie Jamieson at Klondike Victory Farms (KVF), just outside of Sylvan Lake, Alberta. The inspection included mare and foal pairs, as well as stallions. Each mare and foal pair were brought into the arena one set at a time with two handlers, one per horse. Pairs varied greatly in size and appearance and were a perfect example of Oldenburg variety. Mares and foals were inspected standing beside each other and performing a series of gaits, with the mare being led and the foal free to express itself. During an inspection, the mare (if not already rated and entered in the studbooks) is scored on a scale from one to 10, with one being the lowest. Ratings and corresponding linear descriptions are then used to suggest complementary studs for future consideration, preferably with a greater depth of lineage and a higher score than the mare herself holds.
Foals are rated in the same manner but only in three categories: 1) conformation and correctness; 2) swing (rhythm), elasticity, and athletic ability of movement; and 3) type and overall impression. Foals with a score of at least eight points in all three criteria and depth of parentage are awarded a premium rating; foals with high scores but less proven bloodlines will be given the title of foal of distinction.
The two young prospective stallions tested in August were athletic and bold. While GOV official Anna-Marie Damm encouraged one young stallion to wait for another year of maturity to retest, she was happy to invite the next impressive stallion to the under-saddle tests in the future. All horses at the KVF inspection will hopefully go on to become competitive jumper and/or dressage prospects, proving to have the athletic versatility and bold, keen temperament typical of this non-typical breed of sport horse. AB
ABOVE: Mare and foal are compared to each other to determine whether the pairing of the mare and stallion produced a foal of greater quality than the mare, thus improving the breed standard. BOTTOM LEFT: Of the five foals presented at the Klondike Victory Farms inspection in August 2022, there was one premium foal, Circe out of Cedira by Casiro by Balounito pictured left, and two foals of distinction. BOTTOM RIGHT: Horses approved as breeding stock through Oldenburg inspections are entered into the studbook and can receive a brand on their hip, a distinct “O” bearing a crown, although the Oldenburg registry has moved toward micro-chipping rather than traditional branding. The GOV has always made room for new traditions that come with changing times, a trait that has served the breed well over five centuries.
