Oldenburg = A Wonderful, Beautiful Horse! (Oldenburg Horse)

Member Name: sweetpea01

Product:	Oldenburg Horse
Date:	01/07/09 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great all round wonderful horse.

Disadvantages: Not for a novice & can be expensive

I thought I would suggest the Oldenburg horse to Dooyoo as I own an pure bred Oldenburg Horse. His name is William and the picture of the grey horse you see before you is William! I thought instead of putting up a picture of some flashy, shiny horse I would put up a picture of mine! So now you can all see my own horse! William is presently kept at a yard in Warwickshire and as shown in the picture I had just finished riding him.

William was born and bred in Germany and is registered Oldenburg and has his German passport to prove it! His bloodline is through Rubenstein (which I have written a bit about below!) which is an incredibly famous and most sought after blood line! William is 17hh, is 10 years old and is a fleabitten grey. Currently competing solely in dressage and I bought him for this purpose. He came over to the UK has a 4 year old and I have now had him for 3 years.

*~*~* The Horse *~*~*

The Oldenburg are a light horse breed, and a large warmblood. Light horse breeds generally weigh under 1,500 pounds. They are typically used as riding horses for leisure and trail riding. Being agile and swift, many are also used on the racetrack, in the show ring, and for work on the ranch. The Oldenburg horses name is derived from the horse's origins; Oldenburg is a city within lower Saxony, Germany.

Light horses are grouped in a couple of different ways, one being the continent or country where they originated from. They are also grouped according to training, classified as either a stock type, hunter type, saddle type, or 'other'. A body type is generally attributed to each class, with the 'other' classification being a bit of an odd ball. It includes those that are color breeds or those that may fit a body type of one of the training classes, but not be used for that type of training. In some cases the 'other' types can also include those that may fit into more than one of the type groups.

The horse class the Oldenburg Horse primarily fits into is the hunter type class as it is well adapted to jumping, dressage and three day event. It is also suitable for occasional driving.

The Oldenburg is a large warm-blooded breed averaging 16 to 18 hands high. They can be bay, brown, black, chestnut or grey, and white markings on the lower legs and face are common. They have a largish head, either straight or Roman nosed (convex) connected to a long and extremely strong neck.

They should be well muscled through the shoulders, back and hindquarters, with a flat croup and a high set on tail. Legs are powerful with short, thick bone. They retain some of the knee action of their harness horse ancestors, making them an outstanding sport horse.

*~*~* History *~*~*

The Oldenburg breed's conception began with Count Johann XVI von Oldenburg in the late 1500's. He based the breed on the Friesian (primarily a harness horse) as a foundation for a lighter horse also suitable for riding. His successor, Count Anton Gunter von Oldenburg, refined the breed by infusing blood from lighter horses coming from such places as Spain, Turkey, Italy and England.

The Oldenburg became very popular throughout Europe in the 1600 and 1700's. This popularity led to indiscriminate breeding. In 1784 there were more than 16,000 horses in the area.The private breeders established a studbook in 1861 to register the breeding stock and improve the quality of the breed to meet the demands of the coach lines and the cavalry.

With the introduction of the railway, the need for harness horses declined. The breed was further developed to enhance the concept of the "German Riding Horse". This concept called for elegance, ground covering movement, and a kind yet spirited disposition.

*~*~* Rubenstien *~*~*

Although the remarkable stallion, Rubinstein is Westphalian bred, it was the current Breeding Director of the Oldenburg Verband, Dr. Wolfgang Schulze-Schleppinghof that first accepted the stallion for breeding after he had been rejected by the Westphalian stallion committee. Dr. Schleppinghof felt that with the stallion's bloodlines and qualities he was well worth taking a chance on, and it was a decision that proved to be very valuable for modern dressage breeding. Owned by Gestuet Vorwerk, Rubinstein himself was successful at Grand Prix having been a member of the 1996 gold medal German team, and he has produced hundreds of successful Oldenburg sons and daughters such as Relevant, Renoir Unicef, Rohdiamant, and Royal Diamond.

*~*~* Branding *~*~*

The modern Oldenburg can best be identified by the "O" and crown brand on the left hip. Products of the "Oldenburg International" program have a similar brand, with an "S" within a crowned, incomplete "O". Underneath the Oldenburg brand are the last two numbers of the horse's life number. The official brand can only be placed on Oldenburg horses prior to 2 years of age. A digital micro-chip implanted in the crest of the neck is another identification method used.
Oldenburg brand showing the "O"-and-crown and last 2 digits of the life number

*~*~* Uses *~*~*

Unless directly sired by a Thoroughbred, most Oldenburgers are too slow for eventing. Oldenburgers have been very successful in the sport of show jumping. Bred to be courageous, cautious, powerful, scopey, and correct over fences.

The Oldenburg has become particularly successful in dressage, owing much of its continued success to sires like Donnerhall and now Sandro Hit, who top the rankings in the production of dressage horses. In 2006, Oldenburgers were the third most successful breed in the dressage ring, with only the Hanoverian and Dutch Warmblood breeds having higher WBFSH standings. Oldenburg horses who have competed in Dressage at the Olympics include Relevant, Gestion Bonfire, and Ranier.

Oldenburg horses are bred for performance and quality; they excel in dressage and showjumping. On the flat the Oldenburg has incredible animated rhythmical gaits, with a great deal of suspension, Oldenburg horses are also extremely accurate over fences; they are bold and have a powerful jump with plenty of scope.

*~*~* Health *~*~*

The Oldenburg is a hardy breed, and has a relatively low incidence of health issues. They do require attention to grooming to prevent equine fugal and bacterial infections such as rain rot, scratches, ringworm or thrush. They are also a very curious breed, and care must be taken to keep their environment free of any objects that they could injure themselves with.

*~*~* Opinion *~*~*

I love owning an Oldenburg. William is a true character! Although he is incredibly hard work! He is really sensitive, especially to changes in his surroundings and work. But on the whole he is a pleasure to own, he is incredibly caring and is certainly loyal! I don't think I'd want another breed even though I do own a Hanovarian and a Thoroughbred! These horses are certainly not a novice ride and would definately recommend against having one as your first horse but for a knowledgeable, experienced rider these are perfect!

Summary: A wonderful German horse.