Knabstrupper
Denmark’s Splashy Warmblood
Written and compiled by Karri Henning and Melyni Worth
In the Quarter Horse world of trails, rodeos, team penning, western pleasure and hunt seat, Appaloosas are a common breed seen across America.Tey are typically our first introduction to a horse blanketed with spots. But don’t assume all horses with spots are Appaloosas. Take a closer look, as what you might be witnessing is a Knabstrupper, a lesser known but very special breed of Warmblood rooted in Denmark.
A Breed Almost Lost Te Knabstrupper (pronounced “k-nahb-stroop-er”) breed is
believed to have originated from the prehistoric spotted horses of the region of Europe now known as Spain. Today the Knab- strupper is a Danish sport horse and one of the oldest breed reg- istries in Europe. Established in 1812, the Knabstrupper started with a single chestnut blanketed mare purchased by a Danish butcher named Flaeb from a Spanish cavalry officer. Te mare, who became known as Flaebehoppen (translated means “Flaeb’s mare”), was purchased by Major Villars Lunn, who owned an estate called “Knabstrupgaard” in Holbaek, Nordsealand, Den- mark. Flaeb’s mare was bred to a Fredricksborg stallion and produced a wildly colored stallion son who was named Flaebe- hingsten. Te two of them, the mare Flaebehoppen and the stud Flaebehingsten, were bred to a large variety of good quality hors- es, producing loudly colored offspring and grand-offspring and establishing the Knabstrupper horses as some of the most sought after in Europe at that time. By the 1870s, the breed was severely threatened as the lim- ited number of Knabstrupper horses had led to unavoidable problems of inbreeding. Ten in 1891, a fire at the Lunn fam- ily stables destroyed 22 of its top breeding horses. By 1900, the breed’s numbers and quality had declined significantly. But sup- porters of the Knabstrupper horses continued to fight for their survival and in 1947 the Egemosegaard stud farm attempted to reestablish the breed. In 1971, breeder Frede Nielsen brought three Appaloosa stallions to Denmark to infuse new blood into the breed. Tis was a logical step, as the American Appaloosa developed directly from the Spanish spotted horses that were brought to the New World from Europe by Cortez and Coro- nado in the early 1500s. Today Knabstruppers are bred throughout Europe, North Amer-
ica and even Australia and New Zealand. Te original Knabstrupper tends to range in size from 15.2 to 16 hands, while the more mod- ern, sportier types grow to be well over 16 hands. Today these horses compete in dressage, jumping and eventing, as well as driving.
Different Types Knabstruppers are valued for their kind temperaments, high level
of trainability, strength, stamina and good health as well as for their wonderful color. Over the past two centuries, three rather distinct types of Knabstruppers have developed: the classic Baroque type, the Sport Horse type and the Pony type. Te Baroque type is a shorter, broader horse with substantial
bone reminiscent of a carriage or war horse and was even used as a circus horse. Te purebred Knabstrupper is generally of Baroque type yet still performs well in the Olympic disciplines, including dressage. Moreover, the Baroque type has been invaluable in cross- breeding for the typically larger Sport Horse type of Knabstrupper with modern Warmblood gaits. Bred specifically to excel in dressage, eventing and show jump-
ing, the Sport Type has been developed by crossing the Knabstrup- per with the traditional Warmblood sport horses of Europe, most notably the Danish Warmblood and the Trakehner. Te Pony type is smaller still and is a favorite of children all over Europe.
CCS Legolas was Reserve Champion in the 3-Year Old Materiale for stallions and geld- ings at this year’s Dressage at Devon. Rider is April Shultz. Top of page: Effet de Neige, a 2010 colt (Ecuador Skrodstrup x BeeBee by Briar), pictured at age two at Dressage at Devon in 2012, bred and owned by Nicole Davison.
SPECIAL Knabstrupper SECTION Warmbloods Today 43
Knabstruppers Karri Henning Karri Hanning
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