Trakehner/Talk

What does warmblood mean in reference to horses? --rmhermen

I'm not sure about the etymology, but warmbloods include almost all of the breeds normally used for dressage and often eventing -- Holsteiners, Trakehners, Hanoverians, Oldenburgs, Dutch Warmbloods, etc. They tend to be a real handful, but are great for a disciplined rider. They also have the temperament for doing finicky stuff. Most have some amount of Thouroghbred and Arab, and some, I think the Dutch Warmbloods and Hanoverians, have a bit of draft horse as well to strengthen the legs and give a more powerful head and neck (important because in dressage, looks count). Trakehners are interesting in that I believe that some of the original stock were stubby mountain ponies. When I ride, it's an awesome Trakehner-Arab cross --although I think his breeding comes from the Russian stud, rather than the German one. Anyway, I digress. Warmbloods are different from racehorses and draft horses. Some are used as working horses, but for carriages, not big carts or wagons. Now, I'm at the end of my knowledge -- can't tell you more without soing some research. Hope that helps! JHK