Dutch Warmblood

The Dutch Warmblood is a very successful sport horse.

This breed is a deliberate cross between carriage horses, draft horses, and racehorses. Its traits reflect the horses of its ancestry: both lighter-weight horses and heavy, powerful draft horses.

Height: 16-17 hh (horse hands)

Color: Bay, Chestnut, Black, Gray

Body Type: Light

This breed comes from...
The Netherlands

world map with marker on the Netherlands in Europe

Explore the traits of this breed!

SIDE VIEW

side view of lean chestnut horse
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See its long and sloping shoulders? This trait allows the forelegs to extend further, creating a long and level gait.

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Look at its long neck. This horse trait improves the horse's balance and agility.

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Dutch Warmbloods are tall. This horse is 16.3 hands (5 f 7 in, 170 cm) high.

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It has a long back.

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FRONT and BACK VIEW

Dutch Warmblood horse from front and back views
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This breed comes in every color. This horse is chestnut with white markings.

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It has large eyes and big nostrils. These traits resemble those of the Thoroughbred racehorse.

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The Dutch Warmblood is bred to jump extremely well. This breed weighs relatively less in front, which helps it get airborne.

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It has extremely muscular hindquarters. This trait helps make the Dutch Warmblood a champion jumper!

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It has strong legs. And its hoofs are well-rounded and thick-walled.

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The Dutch Warmblood Story

simple map of northwest Europe with the Netherlands labeled as well as Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and France

In the 1960s, Dutch horse breeders decided to alter two local breeds: a heavy farm horse called the Groningen and a carriage horse called the Geiderlander. They crossbreed them with each other and also with various breeds of racehorses such as the Thoroughbred. Their goal was to create a championship sporting breed.

The result was the Dutch Warmblood, a large-framed athletic horse. It excels in competitions, such as show jumping, dressage, and driving. 

Dutch Warmbloods have an "open studbook." That means horses from outside the breed can be crossed with Dutch Warmbloods. The offspring's temperament, performance, and anatomy are inspected. If the offspring are judged to be of good quality, they can be admitted into the studbook and officially be declared a Dutch Warmblood.

Credits:

All images, © AMNH