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The Trakehner
Trakehner is a horse breed. It is the most pure of the warmblood breeds. Warmbloods are a group of sport horse breeds and the term simply distinguishes this type of horse from the "cold bloods" (draft horses) and the "hot bloods" (Thoroughbreds and Arabians). Sport horse refers to the intended use of the breed -- as a competitive and recreational horse for the major international equestrian disciplines of dressage, jumping, three-day event and driving. The Trakehner stands between 15.2-17 hands high and can be any solid color, with bay, gray, chestnut and black being the most common. It is considered to be the lightest and most refined of the warmbloods, due to its closed studbook which allows entry of only Trakehner, Thoroughbred, and Arab lines. FYI- The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed in 18th century England when English mares were bred with imported Arabian stallions to create a distance racer. As "thoroughbred" is an adjective that describes being fully-blooded descendants of a particular breed, some consider the proper name of this particular breed to be English Running Horse, as horses of different breeds can be said to be "thoroughbred" members of those breeds. Owing to its Thoroughbred ancestry, the Trakehner is of rectangular build, with a long sloping shoulder, good hindquarters, short cannons, and a medium-long, crested and well-set neck. The head is often finely chiseled, narrow at the muzzle, with a broad forehead. Its gaits lack the high knee action often found in other warmbloods, and it is known for its "floating trot" - full of impulsion and suspension. The Trakehner possesses a strong, medium-length back and powerful hindquarters. The Trakehner is athletic and trainable, with good endurance, but is more spirited than most warmblood breeds. It breeds true to type, due to the purity of the bloodlines, making it valuable for upgrading other warmbloods. The breed's origins trace back to the native East Prussian Schwaike (now extinct), a small primitive horse first discovered by the Knights Templar in the 13th Century. Descendants of the Schwaike were used by East Prussian farmers for light utility work. FYI-Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, originally named The Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple which is in Jerusalem is widely known as the Knights Templar. It was founded in 1118, in the aftermath of the First Crusade of 1096, to help the new Kingdom of Jerusalem maintain itself against its hostile Muslim neighbors, and to ensure the safety of the large numbers of European pilgrims who flowed towards Jerusalem after its conquest. In 1732 Friedrich Wilhelm I Monarchs with this title were: Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia of Brandenburg-Prussia established the Main Stud Trakehnen. In the years between 1817 and 1837, the stud added Arabian, Thoroughbred, and Turkish blood to their horses. One especially influential Thoroughbred was Perfectionist, by Persimmon, who won the Epsom Derby and the St. Leger in 1896. He was to be the sire of the great Trakehner stallion Tempelhuter, and most modern Trakheners can be traced to these two stallions. The Arabian blood was added to offset can possible flaws of the Thoroughbred. East Prussian farmers were encouraged to bring their mares, by then known for their hardness and quality, to Trakehnen's stallions, which allowed for the rapid transformation of the breed into much sought after army remounts; sure-footed, intelligent, and athletic. By 1918, 60,000 mares were bred to East Prussian stallions each year. FYI-The Arabian horse first appeared in the Arabian Peninsula at least 2,500 years B.C.E. They were carefully bred to maintain desirable features (e.g. stamina, soundness, strength, and beauty), and are therefore one of the oldest, if not the oldest breeds in the world (this has been contested with the Barb and the Akhal Teke.) FYI-The Akhal-Teke horse breed (pronounced Ah-cull Tek-y) is a breed from Turkmenistan, where they are the national emblem. It is named after the nomadic tribe that bred them. They are racehorses, noted for their endurance on long marches and are thought to be the predecessors of the Arabian and English thoroughbred breeds. In 1919 the Treaty of Versailles limited Germany's army to 100,000 troops and so the breed's focus was again turned to producing horses suitable to farm duties. For this purpose, heavier reinforcement sires were used, the most successful being Ararad, Dampfross, Hyperion, Pythagoras and Tempelhueter. These stallions, while refined, possessed much substance and bone. Their influence is still seen on the modern Trakehner. FYI- The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 is the peace treaty created as a result of six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, which put an official end to World War I between the Allies and Central Powers. The treaty was a follow-up to an armistice signed months before in the forest of Compiègne which put an end to the fighting. It was during the 1920s and 1930s that the breed was seen for the true performance horse it was. Trakehners won gold and silver medals in two Olympics, and won Czechoslovakia's notoriously challenging Velka Pardubicka steeplechase nine times. In the 1930s, there were more than 10,000 breeders and 18,000 registered mares. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is generally considered the most costly and intense war in human history nearly destroyed the breed. The conflict began on September 1 1939 and lasted until 1945, involving many of the world's countries. As the war neared its end and the Russian troops advanced from the East, the Main Stud and local residents were given permission to evacuate. Their journey West, known as "The Flight", sent the horses on a dangerous journey in frigid conditions, across frozen seas, without proper rations or shelter. The horses left behind became important in the breeding of Russian breeds as well as the Polish Mazury (also known as the Masuren) and Pozan, or Poznan, which developed into the Wielkopolski. When the war was over, the breed which once numbered in the tens of thousands was reduced to approximately 600 broodmares and 50 stallions. FYI-The Wielkopolski is a breed of horse that was originated in Cental and Western Poland in 1964, so it is still relatively young. It was developed by crossing two now extinct Polish breeds, the Pozan (bred at the Posadowo, Racot and Gogolewo studs) and the Masuren (bred at the Liski stud), so it is also referred to as the Mazursko-Poznanski. These two breeds formed a base, on which Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Anglo-Arabian blood was further added. FYI-The Pozan, or Poznan, horse was developed in Poland. Now extinct, the breed was once quite noteworthy. It was bred at the studs at Posadowo, Racot, and Gogolewo. The Pozan was a mixture of Arabian, Thoroughbred, Trakehner, and Hanoverian blood. It was a middleweight farm worker, very versatile, used for riding and agricultural work. The surviving horses were accounted for and on October 23, 1947 the East Prussian Studbook Society was dissolved and the Association of Breeders and Friends of the Warmblood Horse of Trakehner Origin, known today as the Trakehner Verband, was created. Among the greatest obstacles the organization faced was that unlike other German breeds, the Trakehner had no mother state and could not depend on government funding. The re-establishment of the breed originally depended on the determination of its members and the largesse of others. The Modern TrakehnerToday the breed is considered a Federal responsibility, with its governance falling under both the Trakehner Verband and the Trakehner Gesellschaft mbH; the latter handling all business operations. Stallion inspections are held each October and approved stallions are required to complete extended performance tests, which rate the horses' gaits, temperament, jumping ability, and suitability over a cross country course, before being given full breeding licenses. The Trakehner is used as a "refiner" of other breeds, allowing an infusion of Thoroughbred and Arabian blood without the risks often involved in first generation outcrosses. Influential stallions include Abglanz for the Hanoverian, Herbstrurm who influenced the Oldenburg, Marco Polo for the Dutch Warmblood, the stallions Ibicus and Donauwind for the Danish Warmblood, and Polarstern for the Swedish Warmblood. FYI-Oldenburg is an Independent City in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands at the Hunte river. It has a population of 157,868 (as of 2004) which makes it the fourth biggest in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Brunswick and Osnabrück. While Trakehners compete in nearly all equestrian disciplines, they are particularly prized as Dressage mounts, due to their sensitivity, intelligence and way of going. Abdullah, by Donauwind, is particularly famous for his show jumping team gold and individual silver medals at the 1984 Olympics and 1985 World Cup win. Heuringer was the 1994 show jumping team silver medallist at the 1994 World Equestrian Games. FYI-Show jumping is a form of competition in which horses are jumped over a course of fences, low walls, and other obstacles (e.g., water-filled ditches or troughs). This competitive sport consists of many elements. The course is pre-arranged; the event may be timed or untimed event. It is scored by a judge or panel of judges. FYI-The fundamental purpose of Dressage (a French term meaning "training") is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. Although the discipline has its roots in classical Greek horsemanship, dressage was first recognized as an important equestrian pursuit during the Renaissance in western Europe. The great European riding masters of that period developed a sequential training system that has changed little since then and is still considered the basis of modern dressage. Due to their very light build, Trakehners tend to do better in the sport of eventing than most other warmblood breeds. One such example is USA 2004 Olympic team bronze medallist Windfall. FYI- Eventing, is an equestrian event which comprises dressage, cross-country and show-jumping. This event has its roots as a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding. It has two main formats, the one day event (1DE) and the three day event (3DE). It has previously been known as The Military and Horse Trials. http://www.trakehner-verband.de/ http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/TRAKEHNR/index.htm http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/trak.html http://www.americantrakehner.com |
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