What is a Holsteiner?

Unless you are a horse expert, you may not have heard about the Holsteiner. This breed of horse is quite rare. It hails from northern Germany, in the Schleswig Holstein region of the country. It is a warm blooded horse and joins warm blooded relatives such as the Hanoverian. Warm bloods are primarily sport horses, while cold bloods are draft horses and hot bloods are racing horses like the Thoroughbred. Holsteiners are thought to be the oldest warm bloods and date back to the 13th century.

This breed of horse ranges between 16 and 17 hands. Their body structure is perfect for jumping and galloping, with well muscled hindquarters and sloped shoulders. Coat color varies, and can include bay or black. The head is small and the eyes are wide and intelligent. The carriage of these horses is exquisite which is one reason why they excel at equestrian shows. Although there are not many of these horses in the world, the few that are bred are found to excel at a variety of activities. These horses make up only about 6% of the horse population but are favored by many competitive equestrians.

If you want to start breeding these majestic horses, you should learn as much as you can about the breed and about the practice of horse breeding in general. You will first of course need to acquire a stallion and a mare. Some breeders take their mares to a stud horse and do not own their own stud horse. Others have both the sire and dam in their stables. You can make money with stud horses as well as with foals. There are plenty of horse enthusiasts looking for a good sport horse, and this breed fits the bill. Because of their rarity, they are often sold at an expensive price.

Whether you are a breeder or an owner, you will want to join the American Holsteiner Horse Association. This association is a treasure trove of information and resources for owners and breeders. On their website you will find a breeders directory, breeding guide, Holsteiners in the news, marketplace ads, rules and regulations, membership information and much more. If you want a book about this horse, you will find most of them are written in German. One English title is The Holsteiner Horse: History, Breeding, Performance by Romedio Thun Hohenstein.



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