Warmblood Horses
The Warmblood is a classification made up of several individual breeds. It is a type of horse developed from crossing a light, "hot-blooded" horse such as an Arab or Thoroughbred, with a "cold-blooded" heavier draft horse. Though any combination of breeds can make up a warmblood, the Thoroughbred remains the essential element. They tend to be tall horses with smooth, elastic gaits. They can be any color but the majority tends to be dark bay.
The breeds are a product of an "open" studbook. A "closed" studbook only includes horses whose parents are already registered in that book. An open book allows for crosses of horse of pedigreed parents who are registered in their own books. The horse must be approved by the breed society after a rigorous mandatory performance testing with emphasis on temperament and ridability.
The principal Warmblood breeds are Hanoverian, Dutch Warmblood, Swedish Warmblood, Selle Francais, Holstein, Oldenburger and Trakehner. Their gaits make them excellent at dressage, but since the 1960's an emphasis on a lighter weight horse has given rise to a greater popularity as jumpers and eventers as well.
