One of the most numerous sporting half-blood breeds in Europe, the Hanoverian horse was conceived as a universal breed suitable for agricultural work and cavalry service. Today it is hard to believe that in the XNUMXth century the purpose of the horses bred in the state stud farm in Celle was to work in a harness in peacetime and move artillery in wartime. Particularly high-quality copies even went under the officer’s saddle and in the royal carriages.
History
The plant in Celle was founded in 1735 by the King of England and concurrently Elector of Hanover George II. The local mares of today’s Lower Saxony were improved with stallions of Germanic, English and Iberian origin. Quite quickly, the Hanoverian breed of horses acquired its own special type, which is clearly visible even in today’s Hanoverians. Despite the fact that the breed was changed under “today’s” requests.
The horse in the painting, painted in 1898, shows almost the same exterior that today’s Hanoverian horses have.
In 1844, a law was passed allowing the use of stud stallions on private mares for breeding purposes. In 1867, breeders founded the first society engaged in the production and training of horses for the needs of the army. The same society issued the first stud book of the Hanoverian breed, published in 1888. Hanover soon became one of the most popular breeds in Europe, used in sports and the army.
After the First World War, the demand for Hanover as a military breed of horses decreased significantly and the number began to decline. At that moment, horses began to be required that were suitable for work on a farm, that is, relatively heavy and powerful. Hanover began to change for current needs, crossing with heavy breeds.
To a certain extent, this is true. But farm work was only an episode in the history of Hanover. Even at this time, the Hanoverian horse breed retained the characteristics of a military and sporting horse. The Hanoverian horse spent World War II as a draft force for light artillery.
After the Second World War, the demand for sports breeds of horses again increased and the Hanoverian was again “re-profiled”, “facilitating” the Hanoverians with Thoroughbred riding stallions. Anglo-Arabs and Trakens were also added. The key to success was the desire of breeders to adapt to the changing market, a large livestock and careful selection of breeding horses. The resulting modern sport horse is not much different in type from the original. The photo of the modern Hanoverian horse shows that, compared to the picture, it has a longer body and neck, but the general type is quite recognizable.
The nuances of breeding
Today, the breeding of horses of the Hanoverian breed is under the jurisdiction of the Hanoverian Breeding Union, if we are talking about Europe. In Our Country, the registration of purebred foals and the issuance of breeding documents is managed by VNIIK. The breeding approaches of these organizations are at opposite poles.
VNIIK principle: from two purebred Hanoverian horses, a purebred foal is born, which can be issued breeding documents. Even if the foal turned out to be very unsuccessful, he will receive his documents. Later, owners often breed what a qualified livestock specialist would call breeding marriage and out of breeding. Therefore, often in Our Country you can buy a thoroughbred horse that is not suitable for any field of activity. And this applies not only to the Hanoverian horses.
The policy of the Hanoverian Union is different. The Hanoverian Studbook is open and any other breed of blood may be fused to these horses, provided the individual used has been licensed for use on Hanoverian horses. If the offspring meets the requirements, it is entered in the Stud Book as a horse of the Hanoverian breed. For the influx of fresh blood, stallions are usually used.
Considering that German breeds are all related to each other and can interbreed, a horse is often written not by the breed that her parents had (as in Our Country), but by the place of birth. For example, in horses of the Westphalian breed, the lines of stallions are the same as those of the Hanoverian.
The modern market calls for a large, well-dressed horse with good movement and jumping ability. Infusions of external blood and strict selection are aimed at improving the horses of the Hanoverian breed in this direction.
The headquarters of the Hanover Breeders’ Association is located in Werden. The main auction of Hanoverian horses is also held there. 900 young heads of the Hanoverian breed are sold per year. The Union also conducts the selection of breeding young animals and the licensing of breeding stallions.
Exterior
The photo shows that the horses of the Hanoverian breed have a typical athletic build of a rectangular format. The oblique length of the body is greater than the height at the withers. There are several types in the Hanover breed: from heavy, in which draft blood is noticeable, to the so-called “commander” – a tall, large horse of a purely riding type.
The Hanoverans have a long neck with high projection and often a large head. Modern dressage lines have an oblique shoulder blade with an “open” shoulder, allowing them to carry their front legs forward and upward. Short loin. Strong back. In dressage lines it can be relatively long. For jumping, a short back is preferred. The growth of the Hanoverians ranges from 160 to 178 cm and above.
Hanoverians can be red, black, bay and gray. Colors with the Cremello gene: tan, nightingale, isabella, are not allowed for breeding. Too large white markings are also prohibited.
In dressage, they prefer to take black horses of the Hanoverian breed. This is not due to the superpowers of horses of this suit, but to the fact that judging in dressage is subjective, and the black suit looks more spectacular than red or gray. But such a preference does not mean that the way to dressage is closed to individuals of a different suit. Just other things being equal, they will prefer black.
There are no such problems in competition. There the main criterion is the ability to jump.
Historical incident
The coat of arms of Lower Saxony shows a rearing white horse. There would be nothing unusual in this: heraldry is a conditional thing, and gray horses come across among the Hanoverians. But it turned out that white Hanover really existed.
In those years, the concept of the breed was very arbitrary, and the white “Hanover” appeared in Lower Saxony even before the founding of the factory in Celle. Breeding them began in 1730 in Memzen. Where these horses were brought from remains unclear. It is only known that some horses came from Denmark. Descriptions by contemporaries of individuals of this population vary. In some cases, dark spots are mentioned in foals. Since the horses were collected from everywhere, there is an assumption that there were individuals with a dominant white color and slightly spotted chubary. The population of white “Hanoverans” lasted only 160 years. With each generation, the vitality of animals decreased. Inbreeding practiced from generation to generation added problems. The selection of horses for performance was not carried out, the emphasis was on the suit. As a result, the population of white “Hanovers” suffered the fate of all show lines that focused on one extreme difference. In 1896 it ceased to exist.
Cream “Hanover”
Quite a mysterious group. And in fact, it may be that the coat of arms of Lower Saxony actually depicts not a white, but a cream horse. There is simply no such color in heraldry.
Cream “Hanoverans” appeared 20 years before the founding of the plant. King George I, having ascended the throne of Great Britain, brought with him cream horses from POur Country, which at that time were called royal Hanoverians.
The suit of this group is not known for certain. “Cream” is a very conditional name, under which a very light coat color is hidden. It is believed that these were horses with a yellowish or ivory body and a lighter mane and tail. However, a surviving portrait of one of these Hanoverans, ridden by George III, shows an animal with a pale golden body and a yellow-brown mane and tail.
The stallion is in the “baroque” type and there is a well-founded opinion that in fact the cream “Hanovers” are of Iberian origin.
“Cream” population lasted until the beginning of the twentieth century. But the livestock was constantly declining due to the growing inbreeding depression. In 1921, the factory was disbanded and the remaining horses were sold at auction. The economic factor also played a role here, since the maintenance of the royal Hanoverans at that time cost the treasury 2500 pounds a year.
The surviving black-and-white photo of the cream horses of the Hanoverian breed shows that here, too, the tails are darker than the main body.
Reviews
Conclusion
Hanovers, being one of the best sports breeds in the world, in Our Country require a careful approach to choosing a particular horse for the tasks. It is often better to buy a ready-made horse than to take a “young and promising” one. Often, due to poor maintenance by a foal, health problems are detected in a horse very early. And the pursuit of growth negatively affects the musculoskeletal system of the horse.