Thoroughbred sports horse from Germany – Trakenenskaya (part 1)

The Trakehna breed of horses owed its appearance to the work of East Prussian scholars – breeders, who carried out colossal work to create a strong and hardy horse, whose calling was to serve as the Prussian cavalry. It was necessary to bring such horses that could quickly adapt to any climatic and domestic conditions, were not afraid of long transitions and physical exertion, and were also bold and decisive. Photo of the horse of the Trakenens breed Thus, to please the needs of those years when the territory of the Prussian Empire knights came in – proud carriers of the Teutonic Order – specialists decided to create for their warriors a special kind of horses that would become loyal assistants in protecting the integrity of the state. To begin with, scientists conducted a number of studies, engaged in crossing Zhmudskie mares with stately eastern horses.

Also, to breed the Trakenen horse breed, the blood of brave knightly stallions who took an active part in difficult and life-threatening crusades was added. Closer to 1400, the Teutonic Order could already boast of the presence of three dozen factories, where specialists in their field continued to breed and improve horses, which should have been perfectly adapted to riding and horse-drawn riding.

When the newly-made ruler King Frederick the First appeared in the Prussian state, the development of this variety of noble horses came to a new stage. The new head of state decided to make his cavalry powerful and invincible, and for these purposes he needed horses of a special breed. So in the 18th century, another stud farm began its active work on the territory of the country. Photo of the Trakensky horse in winter

According to the documents of those years, the year of the origin of the Trakenen horse breed in the form in which it came to our time is considered to be 1732. The specialists of this stud farm worked in several directions at once – paid special attention to breeding special riding horses, which would be ideal for use in the conditions of harsh military reality, and sought to improve the best qualities of draft animals, which could be of great benefit when working in the field of agriculture.

To breed such a universal sample with the necessary set of qualities, Oriental, Danish and English breeds were used. Starting from the 19th century, the factory brand was applied to the right thigh of the stallions – the hallmark of this variety of horses was the image of a moose antler with seven tips. The Prussian aristocracy appreciated the best representatives of the Trakenens breed of stallions, who even had their own pedigree book.

Exterior
If we talk about the appearance of this riding horse, it should be noted that it has a fairly wide forehead, an elegant small head with expressive eyes, a slightly concave noble profile, a normal-length neck with an oval line, a muscular withers, powerful shoulder blades, slightly obliquely set, the correct top line, a strong lower back, which ends with a massive croup and a strong back. The legs of such an animal are correctly set, quite long and physically strong, the joints are strong, the hooves are beautiful and regular in shape, they are very massive and have an excellent hoofed horn. Photo of the Trakenen horse during the jump

The average growth of such a horse can be about 1, 68 m, and specialists call red, bay, black and gray the main suits of the Trakenen horse breed. Such animals are indispensable in cavalry and show excellent results in equestrian sports. And the high characteristics of the exterior, which are clearly visible in the photos provided, make these beautiful horses very desirable for all breeders.

Breeding of this breed of horses is carried out not only throughout Germany, but also in many other countries of the world – Denmark, France, Poland, Russia and so on. In order to get into the pedigree book, mares need to undergo a rigorous assessment by specialists for various parameters – a ten-point assessment of the body, limbs, type, lynx and other equally important indicators. As for the stallions, here the requirements are even more stringent – only three percent of all representatives of the breed that are currently bred by breeders can be producers.