The Holsteiner Horse, like many other breeds of horse and pony, gained its name from the country of its origins. This one is no different and it was named after its home of Schleswig-Holstein in West Germany. That area is one of the most successful horse breeding areas in all of Germany. They evolved from a native North German stock and at the time were in high demand by the military and royalty all throughout Europe. At the same time, demand for a lighter horse was also growing, so they were infused with Yorkshire Coach Horses. Then later the introduction of Thoroughbred and other hot blooded horses were introduced to the Holsteiner after the end of the Second World War to begin shaping it for future years.
This horse was originally bred to be a multi-purpose utility horse, but it proved to be quite the all around performance horse as well. It excelled in show jumping, dressage, eventing, and combined driving. It made its mark as a show horse and was valued, so later it was infused with other warm bloods so that they would reap their benefits, such as the Dutch Warmblood. They are also another breed of horse that is preferred with little or no white markings of any kind.
There are actually two completely different classes of the Holsteiner horse, the heavier breeds whose ancestors were popular war horses and also tournament horses as well, in the Middle Ages. In the more recent years, the heavier types were used to pull artillery carriages and took part in agricultural work. The lighter types were used in carriage harness and under saddle. They are actually thought to be the oldest of all the warm bloods, dating clear back to the 1300s.
Laws were passed in the Holsteiner's homeland to ensure the quality of the breed; this is thought to be as early as 1686. As the years passed so the popularity of the Holsteiner grew, it is recorded that in the year 1797 well over 10,000 of these horses were being exported.
There is a quality check of the breeding stock done on an annual basis or as they are also referred to as the Keurings. The horses are evaluated and graded to confirm their quality and their potential to see what they have to add to the breeding pool. For the stallions, this inspection is done before they can even be considered a full fledged stallion in the stud book. The evaluation and inspection is done either through stallion proving itself through a 100-day test or through some sort of sport. Any offspring that the stallion may have is also put through similar testing; it is only after all the proper steps is the stallion granted a lifetime breeding license. Mares are also put through different inspections and evaluations to be entered into one of the three studbooks.
Today the Holsteiner Horse can be found in all sorts of different competition rings; they have even taken part in the Olympic Games and World Championships. They, through time, have come become one of the greatest German Sport Horses.
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