HORSE AND PONY BREEDS

15. DUTCH WARMBLOOD

Breed name: Dutch Warmblood

Breed purpose: Competition

Size: 16 hands

Coat colour: Bay, brown, black, grey, chestnut with or without white markings. Tobiano colouring is also possible.

Place of origin: Holland

Ancestors: Gelderlander, Groningen, Thoroughbred, French and German Warmbloods

Dutch Warmbloods have been produced through a very strict breeding programme in the Netherlands. Their origins can be traced back to the Netherlands during World War II. The breed was formed as a result of crossing the Gelderlander, a medium-sized carriage horse with the Groningen, a larger, heavier horse used for farming. Over time breeds such as Thoroughbreds and Hackneys were added in to create one of the most successful competition horses in the world.

DID YOU KNOW?

Charlotte Dujardin’s Valegro is a Dutch Warmblood. He won individual gold at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, team gold in 2012, and was a double World Champion in dressage.

Moorlands Totilas was another Dutch Warmblood and was considered to be one of the best dressage horses in the world. He and his rider, Edward Gal, were the first ever to score above 90 in a dressage competition.

The Dutch Warmblood is known for being athletic and having good stamina. They are wellproportioned, with a refined head and a muscular arched neck. They have a smooth topline and their shoulders are long and sloping, which gives them beautiful, expressive movement.

They have a reputation for working well with their riders and having a good temperament and kind nature. They are easy to train and intelligent. They excel in both dressage and showjumping and have won gold medals at the Olympics.

DID YOU KNOW?

Dutch Warmbloods used to have a symbol of a lion in a shield (as found on the Netherlands’ royal coat of arms) on their hindquarters. Branding is now illegal in the Netherlands (yay!), so today Dutch Warmbloods are microchipped.