Horse
Pronunciation:
Vel-koe-pole'-skee
Breed Description:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse is an attractive, quality warmblood horse originating from Poland. They have fine heads with a straight profile and a long, elegant neck. They are compact and deep through the body, with very muscular hindquarters. They can be any solid color and tend to stand between 16 and 16.2 hh.
The Wielkopolski breed of horse are highly versatile and are generally bred along two lines. One is lighter for competitive riding horses, and the other is slightly heavier, which makes an excellent harness horse as well as a good middleweight riding horse.
Temperament:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse is very trainable, and excels in competition, especially dressage and show jumping.
Height:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse stands between 16 and 16.2 hands.
Weight:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse weighs about 1200 to 1350 pounds.
Health Problems:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse has no significant breed related conditions.
Living Conditions:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse is bred for competition and benefits from stabling in harsh weather.
Exercise:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse is a competition horse and enjoys daily training and exercise.
Life Expectancy:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse lives into its late twenties.
Grooming:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse should be groomed for its competitive discipline, with a well groomed coat and pulled mane and tail.
Origin:
The Wielkopolski breed of horse was developed in the Central and Western regions of Poland during the end of the 19th century, so it is still a relatively young breed. They were developed primarily by crossing between two Polish warmblood breeds which are now extinct, the Pozan and the Masuren. The Pozan, which was a mix of Arabian, Thoroughbred, Trakehner, and Hanoverian blood, was a versatile middleweight farm worker, useful for riding and agricultural chores. The Masuren was a quality riding horse, being chiefly Trakehner in origin. Once these two breeds had been crossed, and a base was formed, there were more infusions of Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Anglo-Arab blood, until the breed had some established fixed characteristics. 