British Warmblood
A bay horse jumping a large pirate chest
Felix Vogg on Maverick Mcnamara at the Concours hippique international de Genève in 2014
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Use
Traits
Height
  • 1.55–1.78 m
Colourusually bay, chestnut or black

The British Warmblood is British inspection-based stud-book of sport horse. Like other warmblood stud-books it is commonly considered to be a breed. It derives from European sport horses including the Hanoverian, the Dutch Warmblood and the Danish Warmblood.

It is bred mainly for dressage, but also performs well in show jumping. Some have been exported to other countries.

History

The British Warmblood Society was established in 1977 and opened a stud-book for sport horses; as with other warmblood stud-books, registration was based on inspection but not pedigree or performance testing.[1]: 447 [2]: 33  under the management of the British Warmblood Society, establishing a horse registry open to inspection.[1]: 447  The intention was to register horses suitable for competition in dressage, eventing and show-jumping and also for everyday riding.[3]: 88 [2]: 33 [4]: 54 

Early registrations included imported European warmbloods including some Hanoverian, Dutch Warmblood and Danish Warmblood stock, as well as Thoroughbred crosses with various British horses.[2]: 33 [5]: 66 [6]: 185  Separate sections of the stud-book were maintained for the Hanoverian and Trakehner.[1]: 447  Since 2008 it has used the name Warmblood Breeders Studbook UK.[7]

The creation of approval criteria for mares dates back to 1982.[8]

The society was registered as a private limited company in 1986,[9] and in 1994 was approved by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to issue horse passports.[10][5]: 185  Since 2008 it has used the name Warmblood Breeders Studbook UK.[7]

In the early 2000s, more and more British breeders turned to this type of horse,[11] with a record number of registrations in the stud-book in 2007.[7]

Description

The British Warmblood is a sport horse[1]: 447  difficult to characterise,[6]: 66  insofar as its pattern resembles that of other European Warmbloods,[3]: 88  constituting a type, not a true breed.[4]: 54 

Height at the withers is variously given as 1.55–1.70 m,[6]: 66  as 1.58–1.78 m,[4]: 54  and as 1.60–1.70 m.[12]

The legs are long, the neck medium-sized, the chest deep and the withers deep.[6]: 66  The coat is solid colour,[1]: 447  generally bay in all shades, chestnut or black.[6]: 66 

Selection and health

The stud-book association, Warmblood Breeders Studbook UK, is affiliated to the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH), and organises an annual show every summer.[13] Its aim is to breed the best possible sport horses.[14] Animals are branded, the brand representing a crown surmounted by a cross.[15] Stallions and mares are strictly inspected twice a year.[4]: 54  The association is entirely private, with no funding from the British government.[16]

Anecdotally, a 12-year-old mare belonging to this stud-book was examined for a giant superficial tumor present in her tissues.[17]

Uses

Intended for equestrian sports,[1]: 447  these horses are present in show jumping and dressage competitions,[6]: 66 [3]: 88  and are primarily devoted to dressage, thanks to their free, elevated movements.[4]: 54  They can also be used for pleasure riding.[4]: 54 

In September 2019, the British Warmblood stud-book ranked 30th in the world in this discipline, its best show jumper being Diamonte Darco, ranked 265th in the world with his rider Lucas Porter.[18]

On 5 October 2017, a British Warmblood horse won the British national hunter riding competition.[19]

Spread of breeding

This stud-book is unique to the UK,[6]: 66  but has spread widely outside its country of origin, notably through transactions involving horses destined for Olympic-level sporting competitions.[4]: 54  Conversely, warmblood horses from other European countries are also sent to the British Isles.[20]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Warmblood.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  2. 1 2 3 Susan McBane, Gillian McCarthy (1991). The Competition Horse: Breeding, Production, and Management, first American edition. New York: Howell Book House. ISBN 9780632023271.
  3. 1 2 3 Fitzpatrick, Andrea (2016). The Ultimate Guide to Horse Breeds. Kit Houghton. Book Sales. ISBN 978-0-7858-3467-0.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wright, Liz (2020). Beautiful Horses: Portraits of champion breeds. Ivy Press. ISBN 978-1-78240-779-9. OL 29418714M.
  5. 1 2 Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2020). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (sixth edition). Wallingford; Boston: CABI. ISBN 9781789241532.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rousseau, Élise (2016). Guide des chevaux d'Europe. Illustrator: Yann Le Bris. Paris: Delachaux et Niestlé. ISBN 978-2-603-02437-9.
  7. 1 2 3 "18/05/2008 UK Warmblood Breeders Studbook". wbfsh.org. World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Horses, British Warm-Blood. "Mare Grading | warmblood stud-book uk stallion horse breeders | British Warm-Blood Horses". bwbs.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  9. ↑ British Warm-Blood Horses Company Limited: Company number 02032201. Cardiff: Companies House. Accessed November 2023.
  10. ↑ Horse passport issuing organisations that manage studbooks in the UK and are based in Great Britain. London: Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs. Accessed November 2023.
  11. ↑ Costantino, Maria (2004). The handbook of horse breeds. Barnes & Noble Books. p. 245. ISBN 0-7607-5659-7. OCLC 56104811. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  12. ↑ Kidd, Jane (1986). International encyclopedia of horse breeds. HPBooks. p. 92. ISBN 0-89586-393-6. OCLC 13254040.
  13. ↑ Horses, British Warm-Blood. "About WBS UK | warmblood studbook uk stallion horse breeders | British Warm-Blood Horses". bwbs.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  14. ↑ Horses, British Warm-Blood. "warmblood breeders society studbook uk stallions | British Warm-Blood Horses". bwbs.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. ↑ Turner, Jacky (2010). Animal Breeding, Welfare and Society. Routledge. p. chap. Pedigrees and purity. ISBN 978-1-136-54187-2.
  16. ↑ Ensminger, M. Eugene (1991). Animal science digest. Interstate Publishers. p. 615. ISBN 0-8134-2893-9. OCLC 22875209. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  17. ↑ Cian, Francesco; Whiteoak, Sarah; Stewart, Jennifer (2016). "A case of giant cell tumor of soft parts in a horse". Veterinary Clinical Pathology. 45 (3): 501–504. doi:10.1111/vcp.12377. ISSN 1939-165X. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  18. ↑ "WBFSH world ranking list - Studbooks - Jumping" (PDF). WBFSH. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. ↑ Clark, Aimi (5 October 2017). "'The best working hunter in the country': warmblood does the double at HOYS - Horse & Hound". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  20. ↑ Clayton, Michael (2004). Endangered species : the story of modern foxhunting. Swan Hill. p. 132. ISBN 1-904057-49-7. OCLC 56650117. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
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