Swiss Warmblood

The Swiss Warmblood or Schweizer Warmblut is a modern Swiss breed of warmblood sport horse.[4]: 506  It was created in the mid-twentieth century by merger of the the Einsiedler – which had been bred for centuries at the Benedictine Monastery of Einsiedeln – with Swiss Halfblood with traditional local breeds including the Ajoie, the Erlenbacher and the Entlebucher. It is sometimes known as the Neue Einsiedler.[5]: 300  The Swiss Warmblood is bred at the Haras National Suisse at Avenches, in the Canton of Vaud.

Swiss Warmblood
Pénélope Leprevost on Cayman Athletic, Geneva 2014
Conservation status
Other names
  • Swiss Saddle Horse
  • CH-Warmblut
  • Schweizer Warmblut
  • Neue Einsiedler
  • Demi-Sang CH
  • Demi-Sang Suisse
  • Cavallo della Svizzera
Country of originSwitzerland
Use
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    average 600 kg[2]
  • Female:
    average 500 kg[2]
Height
  • Male:
    average 168 cm[2]
  • Female:
    average 162 cm[2]
Colourusually chestnut, less often bay; black and other colours also occur[3]: 202 

Origins

This horse was founded in the 10th century, but then improved in the 19th century by Anglo-Norman mares and a Yorkshire Coach Horse stallion named Bracken. The breed's most important bloodlines are from Anglo-Norman horses. The three most important of them were Ivoire, Que d'Espair, and Orinate de Messil. The Swedish Warmblood Aladin also had a strong influence on the Swiss Warmblood, along with two Holsteiners, Astral and Chevalier.

After World War II Sweden disbanded its cavalry and all but 500 of its old Warmbloods (in Sweden called half-bloods) were slaughtered. Those 500 left were sold to the Swiss Government.

Breed characteristics

The Swiss Warmblood generally stands between 15.1 and 16.2 hands high, and their coat may be any color except pinto and appaloosa. The breed has a well-proportioned head with a straight or slightly convex profile. The chest is broad and deep and the shoulders sloping and long. They have prominent withers, a straight back, and a slightly sloping croup. The legs are strong, and have well-defined tendons and good joints.[6]

Uses

Swiss Warmblood horses are often used for riding. They are suitable for all sorts of riding. Also, the Swiss Warmblood is an ideal cavalry troop horse.

Breeding

To breed, these horses need to go through tests.

The stallions are tested at 3+1⁄2 years old and then again at 5 years old. In testing they have to go through jumping courses, dressage, cross-country, and driving. Stallions are only selected if their parents have proven performance ability.

Swiss Warmblood mares are tested at 3 years of age. They cannot be registered unless their parents are registered as half-breeds.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Schweizer Warmblut.
  1. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. Breed data sheet: CH-Warmblut / Switzerland (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2023.
  3. Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). Horses of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691167206.
  4. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  5. [Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe] (2003). Agricultural Genetic Resources in the Alps; Landwirtschaftliche Genressourcen der Alpen; Ressources génétiques agricoles des Alpes; Risorse genetiche agricole delle Alpi; Kmetijski genetski viri v Alpha. Zürich: Bristol-Stiftung; Bern, Stuttgart, Wien: Haupt. ISBN 3258066698. Archived 24 May 2022.
  6. Bongianni, Maurizio (1988). Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies. Simon & Schuster, Inc. pp. 22. ISBN 0-671-66068-3.


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