Warmblood Horses

Learn everything about warmblood horses, their special traits and character!

The Quarter Horse is one of the most popular warmblood horses. The German riding pony, the Holsteiner, Hanoverian, Oldenburg and the Friesian are right at the top of the ranking list, too. Rare American Warmbloods are becoming increasingly popular - for example the American Saddlebred, Paint horse, Mustang, Lusitano, Camargue and Norwegian Fjord horse

Warmblood Photo: acceptphoto/Shutterstock

What Are Warmblood Horses?

If a horse is a coldblood, warmblood or thoroughbred does not depend on the animal’s body temperature, which is about 38 degrees Celsius for all horses. The categorization mainly focuses on the animal’s temper and body structure.

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The Difference Between Coldblood, Warmblood and Thoroughbred

Coldbloods are draft horses, sturdy and big working horses. Thoroughbreds are noble and slim race horses. Thus, it is quite easy to differentiate between them. Warmbloods are a mixture of both – they are more temperamental than coldbloods, but not as nervous as thoroughbreds. The perfect compromise. Their body structure also merges the characteristics of coldblood horses with those of thoroughbreds. Therefore, the warmblood combines the benefits of both types of horses.

How to Easily Recognize a Warmblood

This might help your imagination: The coldblood is like a Japanese Sumo wrestler. Slow and strong. A warmblood is like a football player. Fast, persistent, agile and muscular. The thoroughbred is like a 100 m sprinter. Extremely fast, but only over short distances.

Suitable for Leisure and Show-Jumping

Warmbloods are the most popular horses for leisure riding worldwide. They are beautiful, reliable, bright, graceful, muscular and extremely hardworking. No surprise that they're always among the winners in show-jumping and dressage riding. During the Olympic Games, warmbloods always win countless medals.

Warmblood Photo: Vera Zinkova/Shutterstock

History and Origin

Riding was not a hobby in former times. The horses helped farmers to do their work. People did not start before the 18th and 19th century to crossbreed their horses with Spanish and Arabian breeds in order to get better riding horses. The result: muscular and strong, but also fast and agile horses. At first they were used during wars or as prestigious eye-catchers at official occasions such as festive tríbutes and parades. Today, warmbloods are almost exclusively used as leisure and show-jumping horses.

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