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American Trakehner Association


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We are presenting three articles intended to introduce you to some of this remarkable breed’s history and special abilities. Unlike nearly all the regional Warmblood breeds that originated in Europe, Trakehners are not the result of hybridization of other Warmbloods, but are in fact the oldest of them, going back to 1732, when the East Prussian king established a very large stud farm breeding specifically for war horses. This well-defined breeding goal has remained in place for over two centuries using the best scientific animal-breeding techniques known. One could make the error of thinking that a breed that became the


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best cavalry mount in the world is now an obsolete anachronism, but that would mean that one overlooks the simple fact that nearly all competitive and recreational disciplines that comprise what we now think of as “sport horsing” are derivatives of cavalry horse training and testing procedures. Both dressage and eventing fit that bill especially well, the latter sport having been “invented” just a century ago by an international committee of military leaders as an all-around test of the ideal cavalry horse, just in time for its introduction at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm (where the U.S. won the bronze medal!). In many ways the modern Trakehner horse retains the mental and


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Versatility and


elcome to the new Warmbloods Today inaugural breed-specific section focused on the Trakehner! The American Trakehner Association is very proud to be leading the way in this idea and enjoying the opportunity to communicate with you and other Warmblood and sport horse enthusiasts.


athletic traits that made it the most sought after military horse in all of Europe, and this is demonstrated in the performance results they enjoy in modern sport. Hundreds of eventing competitors ride Trakehner horses every year and hundreds more in dressage, despite the relative scarcity of this breed that was rescued from near-oblivion after World War II. More Trakehner horses have won Young Event Horse national championships in the last five years than any other Warmblood breed, by far. There has always been an emphasis on beauty in the Trakehner breed; they are generally the most refined of all the


Trakehner horses used by the German Army in East Prussia ca. 1939. Photo courtesy the Engelhardt Collection


Warmblood breeds due to the continuous infusion of Thoroughbred and Arabian blood. Many of our members deeply appreciate their excellent conformation, beautiful type, and special movement abilities. These features are the mainstay of younger horse evaluations. Trakehners often dominate all-breed, in-hand competitions. However, the selective forces that drove the development of the breed for those centuries had much more to do with the


Trakehner horse’s special mental abilities as riding horses in adverse conditions—thousand mile marches, inadequate forage on campaigns, and terrifying situations on the battlefield, from which many did not return. This harsh form of selective forces played out generation after generation in European wars and produced highly accurate measurements of breeding goals resulting in a population of horses that consistently survived. The value of such a horse was that its survival was critical to its rider’s survival, making the Trakehner remount the most expensive military horse in Europe in the nineteenth century. These same special battlefield traits—mental toughness, bravery, willingness to remain on the aids in frightening conditions


known as “heart,” and other features—collectively comprise what they call a “noble” horse. That kind of animal is still needed today, particularly by those who wish to excel in sport horse competitions. Please spend some pleasant time reading about some of our most recent experiences, enjoying the fruits of so many years of work by careful breeders of this noble horse.


—Timothy Holekamp, M.D., of New Spring Farm President, American Trakehner Association


SPECIAL TRAKEHNER SECTION Warmbloods Today 37


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