Horse
Pronunciation:
vurt'-tem-berg-ger
Breed Description:
The Württemberger breed of horse is a warmblood sport horse breed from Germany, bred mainly for dressage and show jumping. They come in solid colors including bay, brown, black and chestnut.
Temperament:
The Württemberger breed of horse is intelligent and trainable, and is known to be one of the quieter warmblood breeds.
Height:
The Württemberger breed of horse is tall, standing 16 to 17 hands.
Weight:
The Württemberger breed of horse weighs 1200 to 1500 pounds.
Health Problems:
The Württemberger breed of horse, like some warmblood breeds, can experience some degenerative bone diseases of the legs, although carefully managed breeding means instances of these conditions are rare.
Living Conditions:
The Württemberger breed of horse is failry hardy, but show and competition horses may benefit from stabling or shelter in harsh weather. Most Württemberger are economical to feed and are 'easy keepers'.
Exercise:
The Württemberger breed of horse is bred to compete, and enjoys regular training and exercise.
Life Expectancy:
The Württemberger breed of horse normally lives into the late twenties.
Grooming:
The Württemberger breed of horse should be groomed for its competive discipline, with a well groomed coat and pulled mane and tail.
Origin:
The Württemberger breed of horse originated at the German state owned Marbach stud in Wurttemberg during the 17th century. The Marbach stud was, and is today, widely respected as a center for horse breeding of a very high quality, and during the 17th century was primarily concerned with breeding versatile horses suitable for riding and driving. The original Wurttemberg horse was quite different from those that we see today. The breed was produced as a result of crossing local warmblood mares with Arabian stallions, and later Trakehner, Anglo-Norman, Friesian, Spanish , Barb, and Suffolk Punch blood was introduced.
One of the most significant early influences on the Wurttemberg was and Anglo-Norman stallion named Faust. He was a cobby type, and appears to be largely responsible for establishing the early shape of the breed. They were originally more cob-like in conformation and statue and were suitable for light draft and farm work, as well as for some ridden work. The Wurttemberg was officially recognized as a breed in the year 1895, when their studbook was formed. However, there has been a steady change in the breeding of the Wurttemberg, tending towards the lighter sports horse we see in the breed today. The infusion of Trakehner blood was highly influential in this change, most notably from a stallion called Julmond (who died in 1965), which has greatly improved the breed.
