Oldenburg Horse
The modern Oldenburg horse is lighter than its ancestors and moves with greater freedom, with rhythmical and very correct gaits. Of all the warmblood riding horses, this big impressive horse whose height is from 16 to 17 hands or more, is still the most powerfully built and still retains its ability as a powerful harness horse, successful in combined driving as well as jumping and all sport horse disciplines. Having been greatly refined and possessing quality of movement and temperament suited to sporting competitions, the higher knee action has been retained so success in driving and carriage is ongoing.
Count Johann the Younger, who ruled Oldenburg from 1573 to 1603 based his horse breeding on the East Friesian horse, which had both Andalusian and Oriental blood. His successor Count Anton Guther made the horse of northwestern Germany famous throughout Europe.
But the farmers of the area organized themselves into a society to improve the horses and in the late 1800 s Thoroughbred stallions and Cleveland Bays were imported from England. Also included was a Normand stallion descended from the Norfolk Roadster horse. Hanoverian and the old Senner blood was used too.
From sources in the late 1800 s the Oldenburg horse was described as the whole animal giving an impression of massiveness and power and at the same time nobility and refinement. They also matured early and wer easy to handle and light on feed. Word spread and as far away as North America, this horse was simply known as the German Coach horse.
Up until the first World War, breeders continued to breed the heavy type carriage horse and the horse proved its value in the cavalry both in harness and mounted units; of course there were heavy losses of horses during the war. Hardly any other outside blood was used once the Oldenburg horse "type "had been well established, but after the war and after mechanization, came the decline in demand for heavy coach horses or farm horses and more Thoroughbred and Norman blood was introduced after 1945 to create the all purpose riding horse of today, one of the best known of German warmbloods.
Today this horses s neck is long and very strong but still reflects a coaching background. The head might be called plain, but the eye has that hint of boldness. The profile is straight but a Roman nose in not unknown. To carry so big a frame, the limbs of the Oldenburg horse are strong and short with large joints and short cannon bones. The length of the humerus and its placement in respect to the scapula provides high knee action. The shoulder is not as long as that of the Thoroughbred and the chest is wide. The quarters are very strong and provide powerful jumping and good dressage movements.
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