Popular Olympic Dressage Horse Breeds
Some breeds are better suited to dressage competition than others, here I’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular breeds used in olympics equestrian dressage this year.
For more information about the equestrian games in Hong Kong see the 2008 cheatsheet.
Also called Pura Raza, the Andalusian breed dates back to the 15th century and was influenced by the Barb during Moorish invasions. Since then a dramatic effort has been made to keep their bloodlines 100% pure.
Also called Koninklijk Warmblood, the Danish Warmblood was developed as Denmark’s own competitive sport horse, using the influence of the Trakehner, Hanoverian, Holsteiner and Swedish Warmbloods.
Found on all five continents the Hanoverian has made a name for itself as a true athlete in every aspect of english discipline competitive riding.
Portugal’s version of the Andalusian, the elegant Lusitano was named after the Lusitanian riders who could climb cliffs on horseback that no other mounted army would dare to try.
Originally a carriage horse, the Oldenburg has developed into an effective sport horse. This breed matures early for such a large horse, which lends an inherent kindness to the bold tendencies of their youth.
Horses have been bred in the state of Westphalia since the Roman period, and the modern day Westphalian comes from those bloodlines with a heavy Hanoverian influence.
Note the similarities in their confirmation and which breeds are versatile enough to cross competition lines and work well in eventing and stadium jumping too.
Take a moment to meet the horses of the US olympic teams, jumpers, eventing, and dressage.
Interested in learning about more equine breeds? Be sure to checkout our horse breeds section.
are arabians good dressage horses????
i love dressage and arabs and i was wondering if there was any conection.
Hi
Ye there is no problem with a Arab doing dressage my best mate has a Arab and does dressage with it and gets on fine. hope you get on will and succeed with the dressage.
Yes they are great dressage horses but I hardly see them in the FEI level. Don’t give up on it though I am sure they will make there mark
I’d be curious to know which is the most popular Olympic dressage breed of all though? Like, through all of the years, which breed has won most Olympic dressage medals?
My bet’s on Hanos!
Thanks!
Any horse can make it into any competition, but some don’t have as much athleticism too, or just aren’t comfortable due to their build. I’ve seen ponies, Arabs and even quarter horses make it into pretty high levels of dressage. There is a horse named Super Guus who is a Norwegian Fjord and was in FEI level dressage. As for show jumping, mostly warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, and some other breeds such as Gelderlanders have made it successfully into Grand Prix levels. You just have to do your research and study a horse’s conformation and personality.
I bet hanovarians are the most popular olimpic dressage horse too because they are the most popular warmblood
You can get an idea of which breeds are the most popular, and check out which breeds the most successful on a year by year basis on the WSHBF website.
I was surprised to find this blog – the Andalusian pictured above is mine!