Belgian Warmblood

Belgian Warmblood
a light bay horse with rider jumping a double fence
Electra Van't Roosakker [fr] ridden by Janika Sprunger, Concours hippique international de Genève [fr], 13 December 2013
a dark bay horse with rider taking off over a fence
Edwina Tops-Alexander on Fair Light van't Heike [fr] in Lausanne, 2013
Other names
  • BWP
  • Belgisch Warmbloedpaard
  • Belgian Saddlebred
Country of originBelgium
StandardBWP
Use
Traits
Height
  • 162–173 cm (16–17 h)

The Belgian Warmblood or Belgisch Warmbloedpaard is a Belgian breed of warmblood sport horse. It is bred principally for show-jumping, but is also suitable for dressage and for three-day eventing.[1]: 164 [2] It is one of three Belgian warmblood breeds or stud-books, the others being the Zangersheide and the Belgian Sport Horse – to which last it is quite similar.[3]: 12 

History

Breeding of the Belgian Warmblood was begun in 1937, from foundation stock that included Gelderlanders from Holland, Hanoverians from Germany and Norman stock from France.[4]: 444  It was initially bred as an agricultural riding horse, as in the northern or Flemish-speaking part of Belgium the breeding of saddle horses was restricted to protect breeding of the Belgian Draught or Brabant heavy horse.[2] After this restriction was lifted in 1954, a breed society, the Fokvereninging van het Landbourijpaard, was formed; a stud-book was opened in 1955.[4]: 444  In 1953 the first stallion show took place, illegally, with three stallions.[2]

The stud-book grew rapidly; in 2004 approximately 3500 mares were covered by approved Belgian Warmblood stallions.[5]

In 2010, the BWP was ranked fourth in the FEI/WBFSH International Show Jumping standings, behind the KWPN-Dutch Warmblood, the Holsteiner and the Selle Français stud-books.[6]

Characteristics

The horses vary in size and substance; heights are usually in the range 162–173 cm at the withers.[4]: 444 

As with other European warmbloods, stallion registration is subject to rigorous studbook selection. Stallions three or four years old may be entered for the Hengstenkeuring or stallion test, which lasts for several days and includes a veterinary inspection, a conformation inspection, and tests of jumping ability both with and without a rider.[5] To retain status in the stud book, stallions must compete in the Klassieke Cyclus (classic cycle) of show-jumping contests.[5] Optional tests are available for mares, of conformation and free jumping ability.[5]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belgian Warmblood.
  1. ^ Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). Horses of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691167206.
  2. ^ a b c Chris Hector ([n.d.]). Belgian Warmbloods. Pakenham, Victoria, Australia: The Horse Magazine. Archived 8 December 2003 .
  3. ^ Laura Miller (February 2006). L'Equipage Farm. Equine Journal, Zone II. Archived 10 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b c 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.
  5. ^ a b c d Belgisch Warmbloedpaard (BWP). Leuven: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen. Archived 20 March 2012.
  6. ^ FEI/WBFSH World Ranking List – Jumping Horses by Studbook 2010. Maarslet: World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses. Archived 21 November 2010.