Of all the horses that were registered in 1987 with the German Equestrian Federation Authentic Frank Ragnow Jersey , approximately 8 percent were Oldenburg horses but that 8 percent represents one of the top lines in Germany. The percentage is small because the Oldenburg Warmblood is bred in a small area near the modern region of Lower Saxony surrounding the city of Oldenburg and few horses are available. This breeding area is historically confined to approximately 5,400 square kilometers in the center of the Hanoverian region. However, even though it represents the smallest breeding area in Germany, the Oldenburg horse is nevertheless one of the most important.
The early Oldenburg horses were developed as carriage horses and were well known for consistency in conformation, great power, and coal black color. They were also famed for their gentle character and extreme willingness to work under saddle, in front of a carriage or in the fields. But breeders wanted a bit more from this horse Authentic A'Shawn Robinson Jersey , and so they combined the best of the best bloodlines from many elegant breeds, with the result being the production of a magnificent all purpose saddle horse. Today, due to natural athletic abilities, the Oldenburg Warmblood is used for show jumping, dressage, and three day event as well as occasional driving.
Unlike many other Warmblood breeds, the modern Oldenburg horse is the result of utilizing the best of all European bloodstock; and starting with Graf Johann XVI von Oldenburg (1573 1603) Authentic Jalen Reeves-Maybin Jersey , nearly every successive ruler has added at least one additional breed of horse to the Oldenburg Horse pedigree which was originally based on the German Friesian Warmblood horse. Graf Johann XVI von Oldenburg started the breeding farms in the Oldenburg region for the purpose of producing war horses. They were given as gifts to important rulers and war heroes. He used Turkish, Neapolitan, Andalusian, and elegant Danish stallions to improve his stable of Friesian horses, which were described as being large and strong.
When Graf Anton Gunther von Oldenburg (1603 1667) came into power, he became even more famous than his predecessor and traveled extensively throughout Europe. He brought back many elegant stallions from Naples, Spain Authentic Teez Tabor Jersey , Poland, England, Tartary, and Barbary, but the breeds of these stallions are not on record. Unlike Graf Johann XVI, Graf Anton Gunther permitted commoners to use his stallions for breeding, and soon the 17th Century Oldenburg Warmbloods were in great demand throughout Europe. They served as elegant riding horses and tall Authentic Graham Glasgow Jersey , attractive carriage horses. King Leopold I, of the Holy Roman Empire, rode a black Oldenburg stallion through Vienna on his wedding day. His wife followed in a splendid carriage drawn by eight white Oldenburg horses. Graf Anton Gunther himself was famous for traditional dressage riding, most notably on his famous Oldenburg stallion, Kranich.
Along with the additions to the bloodlines from the Oldenburg rulers, the modern Oldenburg horses also owe some of their refinement to the introduction of the English Thoroughbred, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The German bred Hanoverian King Authentic Michael Roberts Jersey , George I of England (1714 1727), together with his German successors to the British throne, took an interest in the horses that were bred in their country of origin and sent a large number of Thoroughbreds to Oldenburg to improve the local stock.
During the year 1820, a law was enacted that stated that only government approved stallions could be used