HORSE AND PONY BREEDS

16. DANISH WARMBLOOD

Breed name: Danish Warmblood

Place of origin: Denmark

Breed purpose: Riding

Size: 15.2 – 17hh

Coat colour: Any solid colour. White markings are common.

Ancestors: Groningen, Gelderlander, Frederiksborg, Thoroughbred, Anglo-Normal horse, Trakehner

The Danish Warmblood was created in 1962 (just 60 years ago!) by crossing Danish horses with Thoroughbreds, Frederiksborgs, Hanoverians, Trakehner and AngloNorman breeds to produce a horse with strength, stamina and elegance. The new breed was Denmark’s first riding horse and quickly won many fans around the world.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Danish Warmblood is the ‘youngest’ Warmblood breed.

DID YOU KNOW?

Dutch rider Albert Voorn won a silver medal for showjumping at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 on a Danish Warmblood stallions called Lando.

About

The well-balanced structure of the Danish Warmblood makes it an exceptional competition horse. The breed has inherited a lot of its elegance from the Thoroughbred, and this is combined with a solid build, a well-shaped neck, prominent withers, a muscular back and strong legs. Danish Warmbloods generally have elegant, medium-sized heads with a straight nose line and thick tails with a high carriage.

The Danish Warmblood breed is well suited to dressage, showjumping and eventing. The breed was developed specifically as a sporthorse and is seen at competitive events worldwide. Despite its strength as a competition horse, the breed has also been used in farm work and as a carriage horse.

As the Danish Warmblood is still a relatively young breed, Danish breeders have had to work hard to promote the horse and have done so very successfully.

DID YOU KNOW?

In 1999, the Danish Warmblood gelding Marzog was named Dressage Horse of the Century.