Breed name: Trakehner
Other names: The East Prussian Warmblood Horse of Trakehner Descent
Purpose: Sports horses
Size: 15.2-17 hands
Coat colour: Any solid colour
Place of origin: Lithuania
Ancestors: Arab, Thoroughbred, Schweiken, Turkomen
With an intelligent, willing temperament and athletic build with great agility, the Trakehner is a popular sports horse with an impressive international record. Originally from East Prussia (modern-day Lithuania), the Trakehner shares bloodlines with Arabian, Thoroughbred and Turk breeds. These ancestors strengthened the Trakehner line, developing a horse with a robust constitution and hardy nature.
History
In the 13th century, East Prussia was colonised by the Order of Teutonic Knights. They set up a horse-breeding industry using the local Schweinken ponies as a base. The Schweinken, which may have had Konik roots, was a tough, hardy pony used mostly in farm work. This area and these breeding programmes led to the creation of the Trakehner.
In 1732, Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia founded the Royal Trakehner Stud Administration. This Administration became the principal source of stallions for Prussia, and the area soon became renowned for producing elegant coach horses that combined speed with stamina. Within 50 years, however, the emphasis switched from coach horses, to breeding high-quality mounts to serve as army chargers.
During the 19th century Thoroughbreds and Arabs were introduced to upgrade the breed further. Over the years the Thoroughbred became predominant. However, the Arab content always remained a powerful balancing element, to offset any deficiencies created by the addition of the Thoroughbred blood.
Considered the best cavalry horse of its time, the Trakehner was widely used in WW1. Although its population was halved during this war, it soon recovered. However, at the end of World War II the breed was again under serious threat when the Russians advanced on Poland and sent many horses back to Russia. Thousands of horses were taken by refugees fleeing in the opposite direction. Many of these horses including several hundred Trakehners were wounded or died on this perilous winter journey.
The Trakehners of today can all be traced back to the few hundred horses that survived after World War II. The animals were pushed to the limits of endurance and only the strongest and fittest were able to survive. Their offspring have since become renowned as hardy, brave horses with excellent movement that are well suited to a variety of equine sports.
Unsurprisingly then, the Trakehner has an impressive record in international sport. Trakehners dominated the 1936 German Olympic team, which won every medal at Berlin. In recent years they have succeeded in dressage, showjumping and cross-country. Today they are bred all over the world, but predominantly in Germany.
Showing
The Trakehner’s slim build, muscular form and graceful posture make it one of the most common show horses in Germany. The breed’s intelligence, alert nature, and stable gait make it a popular riding horse.
A top quality horse
The Trakehner is as near as any other breed to being the ideal, modern, all-round competitor. Perhaps because of the hardy base stock from which is derives, or the careful use of Arab blood at specified points in breeding programmes, it seems to have been better able than most warmbloods to absorb the best Thoroughbred qualities while still retaining its own distinct character.