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Days in Horse Country – The Oldenburg
The Oldenburg may sound like an old-timey automobile, but
in reality it’s a German sport horse whose bloodlines date to the seventeenth
century. It comes from Germany’s Lower
Saxony region near the city of Oldenburg, from which it takes its name. The breed descends from the Friesian with
contributions as well from Spanish, Neapolitan, Thoroughbred, Hanoverian, and
Barb horses.
The great horseman Count Anton Gunther von Oldenburg first brought the breed to prominence in the 1600s. Many small breeding farms in the Oldenburg area produced war horses, and Count Anton traveled the world to acquire fine stallions for his own stud, and for the use of his tenants and other local farmers. His goal was to create a lighter, more refined, but still powerful horse. The Oldenburg horses were well known for their quality, and they were frequently given as gifts to members of royal and noble families, and as donations to generals during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). One of the earliest depictions of the breed is a painting of Count Anton riding his splendid dapple-gray stallion Kranich, whose long mane and tail swept the ground.
The early Oldenburgs, with their magnificent looks, coal-black colour, great power, and willingness to work, were popular carriage horses. As the use of carriages declined, more Thoroughbred and Norman blood was introduced to develop them as all-purpose saddle horses. Today, Oldenburgs are found competing in dressage, show-jumping, and three-day eventing. Some people take them back to their origins and use them as driving horses.
As Oldenburg is a large but compact horse with a long, strong neck, a deep chest, powerful hindquarters, and relatively short legs. Large hooves support its weight, which are essential for this heaviest of the German warmbloods. The Oldenburg comes in a variety of colours, but it is most often seen in black, brown, or gray. The Oldenburg has a kind character as well as natural athletic ability. It is an elegant, refined, all-purpose saddle horse.
Michael