 An American Warmblood | |
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Traits | |
| Distinguishing features | Sport horse type, can be any size or color, but are primarily 15-17 hands and solid colored |
| Breed standards | |
The American Warmblood is a horse of warmblood type, intended primarily for the traditional sport horse disciplines of dressage, show jumping, eventing and combined driving.
Characteristics
The American Warmblood is usually between 15 and 17 hands (60 and 68 inches, 152 and 173 cm) high and may come in any color, though the solid colors are the most common. Horses of nearly all bloodlines are eligible for registration as American Warmbloods, as long as they are of a sport horse or warmblood type, and are able to meet the appropriate studbook selection or performance criteria.
The emphasis is on the quality of each individual horse, for both registration and breeding approval. While the ideal horse for registration is already a warmblood type, there are no breed restrictions for American Warmbloods. Horses which are 100% hot or cold blooded are not typical, but can be registered if they are able to meet the registry's performance standards (this would include draft horses, Arabians, and Thoroughbreds). Gaited horse breeds (like the Tennessee Walker, Missouri Fox Trotter, or Icelandic horses) are also non-typical, though if they are able to perform walk-trot-canter in the appropriate levels of the accepted disciplines, they too can be eligible for registration.
Horses which fail to meet or have yet to meet these performance criteria may still be issued recording papers, but are not considered registered American Warmbloods until they satisfy performance or inspection standards.
Breeding stock must be approved for breeding through studbook inspection, which requires mares and stallions to meet even more stringent inspection and/or performance criteria.
Breed history
The American Warmblood Registry was created in 1981, and the American Warmblood Society (AWS) was founded in 1983, to promote the new idea of an "American Warmblood" sport horse, resurrecting the original goal of the U.S. Cavalry to create an American-bred sport horse type. There are two registries in the United States which recognize American Warmbloods - the American Warmblood Society & Sporthorse Registry (AWS) and the American Warmblood Registry (AWR), both of which are recognized by the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH).
The American Warmblood is more of a "type" than a "breed". Like most of the European warmbloods, the American Warmblood has an "open" book. There is more emphasis on producing quality sport horses, rather than the preservation of any particular bloodlines, which allows for much diversity in the bloodlines of American Warmbloods.
The American Warmblood has been influenced by the European warmbloods, the Thoroughbred, the Arabian, and the Anglo-Arabian, as well as some draft horse breeds, such as the American Belgian Draft, Clydesdale, Percheron, and Shire. Of these breeds, the Belgian and the Percheron are most popular for warmblood crosses.
Both registries have also begun sport pony books, creating similar performance registries for North American ponies.
References
- ^ "Eligibility". American Warmblood Society & Sporthorse Registry. May 31, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- "AWR Rulebook" (PDF). American Warmblood Registry.
- "About AWSSR". American Warmblood Society & Sporthorse Registry. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- Fitzpatrick, Andrea (2016). The Ultimate Guide to Horse Breeds. Chartwell Books. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-7858-3467-0.
- "About American Warmbloods". American Warmblood Society & Sporthorse Registry. May 31, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- Benner, Dana. "Types of Draft Horses on the Homestead". Grit: Rural American Know-How. Retrieved August 23, 2023.