HorsesDaily: Breeding - The Oldenburger

The Oldenburger

Bonfire If the Oldenburg horse was popular practically only as a carriage horse in the old days, this picture has changed completely today. Oldenburg horses lead in all disciplines and are right at the top of international sports.

The breed of the 'old' Oldenburg horse achieved fame throughout Europe under Count Anton Günther von Oldenburg (1603 - 1667) who was renowned as a great horseman and a supporter of the breed.

The period following was shaped by three important events: the first stallion approval decreed by state lay in the year 1820, the introduction of a register of origins in 1861 and the foundation of two horse breeding societies by the Horse Breeding Act of April 9, 1897. These two societies merged in 1923 to form today's "The Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Society". The first measures to refine the breed were introduced in 1935 with the thoroughbred stallion Lupus xx and in 1950 with Condor. In 1959, the thoroughbred Adonis xx appeared on the scene who was quickly followed by other representatives of his breed. By the 60's, the turnaround in breeding towards the modern riding horse was well underway.

Since the experience breeders gained with Condor was encouraging, Oldenburg stallion owners once again turned to French stallions towards the end of the 60's. Practically no other breeding area was able to achieve the success Oldenburg reached with stallions of French origin. Furioso II was the first Anglo-Norman of modern breeding times. Horse breeders the world over still have the highest regard for this sire. French Anglo-Arabians such as Inschallah AA were used in Oldenburg in small doses with great success.

By combining the most various bloodlines on the base of Oldenburg mares, our breeders were able to breed a horse in a relatively short period of time that now belongs to the top group of modern sport horse breeds. In 1986 , a privately-owned Oldenburg stallion, Donnerhall, became DLG Champion for the first time. Donnerhall, born in 1981, is one of th most successful sires of his generation in Germany. As no other, he combines success in breeding and sport - in 1994 in Den Haag he was a member of e.g. the gold winning team at the World Championships in dressage and won the individual bronze medal. He is a member of the current European Championship team and won the individual bronze medal.

Franke Sloothaak and Weihaiwej were individual and team World Champions in Show Jumping. Bonfire, who starts for the Netherlands, was individual World Champion (dressage free-style) in 1994 and won the World Cup in dressage in 1995, 1996 and 1997, was individual and team silver medal winner not only at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta but also at the European Championships in dressage in Verden 1997. In 1999 the combination Bonfire- Van Grunsven won European Gold in Arnhem, The Netherlands; a triumph for the Dutch and the Oldenburger Verband. A shooting star on the jumper scene is the Landadel daughter Lady Weingard who won many large shows with Markus Beerbaum before winning team gold at the 1997 European Championships.