Horses have a very long history in relations with humans and belong to the group of domesticated animals. Before the very first invention of machinery, they were popular for their strength and working abilities. Thanks to all that strength and endurance, these beautiful animals worked for the whole day.
Nowadays, horses usually don’t participate in industrial and farm production, yet are used for riding and enjoying. They are also a part of horse racing, one of the most popular sports events globally. However, the question is which horse breed originated in Czechoslovakia. Let’s discover that together.
Horse Evolution
Horses began their evolution era about 50 million years ago, and since then, they have changed a lot. They changed their appearance, size, usage, characteristics, and relations with humans.
Many countries tried to breed their unique horse breeds by crossing different horse types. The goal was to get an animal with all the good characteristics inherited from different ancestors. Some of these attempts were successful, so you can find numerous crossed horse breeds that are more famous and popular than their original bloodlines.
Two neighboring countries, Czech Republic and the Slovakian Republic, were united after World War I and formed Czechoslovakia. While they were two states of the same country, they developed some popular horse breeds together. Let’s talk about these beautiful animals, although they are not easily recognizable worldwide.
Kladruber Horse
The Czech Kladruber horse is a rare and beautiful horse breed. It is probably one of the oldest horse breeds in the world, dating back to the 16th century.
It is recorded that this horse breed dates from 1579 when the primary breeding center, National Horse Breeding Farm in Kladruby nad Labem, started mixing Spanish and Italian bloodlines. Their goal was to crossbreed these noble horses with some warmbloods and create a kind of unique breed.
The most common usage of this breed in its home country was for ceremonial purposes. People used them in teams of four or six horses for pulling carriages.
Experts made many color combinations from the first day of the new breed establishment until the 18th century, when grey and black horses were established as only options. Each of them had its purpose and was used only for it. For instance, black horses usually belonged to church-related people, while grey ones belonged to the imperial court.
There is a myth that all grey Kladruber horses trace to only one sire, Pepoli. On the other hand, the legend says that the black Kladruber horses originate from two bloodlines only, Sacramoso and Napoleone.
Although this breed exists for so long, Kladruber horses are rare nowadays. Ten years ago, in 2011, it was announced that there were less than 500 mares worldwide.
Kladruber horse characteristics
This horse breed is well-balanced with highly noble blood and is well-known for its calm and pleasant temperament. It is easy to handle and train and very interested in relations with humans.
This breed can be medium- to large-sized with perfect standing and is typically 64 to 68 inches (163 – 173 cm) high. It is also famous for its unusual strength, endurance, and long lifespan.
The huge advantage of these horses is their talent for classical dressage and training. They are very motivated, cooperative although their primary usage is to be carriage horses.
The Kladrubers are also an excellent choice for sports. They achieved many awards in carriage competitions, including numerous world and national championships.
Czech Warmblood Horse
Czech Warmblood horses (Cesky Teplokrevnik) are a mixture of Spanish and Asian bloodlines, but the final influence on their DNA comes from English breeds. They appeared after World War I under the significant impact of Thoroughbred and Oldenburg stallions.
Unfortunately, many of them vanished after World War II since horse usage for military and farms decreased. On the other hand, this particular horse breed has a broad spectrum of usability and is usually exported to Western European countries.
Nowadays, the Czech Warmblood horse is the most common breed in Czechoslovakia. It is famous for its ability to adapt to everyone’s needs. You can ride one of these beauties whether or not you are a calm nature and only want to ride a horse or enjoy jumping and running as fast as possible.
Czech Warmblood horse characteristics
The Czech Warmblood horse is a middle-sized animal with an average height of 64 inches (163 cm). This breed has a robust and muscular body, usually covered with a dark color coat.
This breed is an excellent option for dressage and training because it is willing to work and cooperate. Thanks to its long legs and agility, you can often see these animals in sports activities like jumping. In fact, they are widespread in Olympic jumping competitions.
Additionally, this breed has a perfect, energetic, and animated attitude. Horses are healthy, intelligent, and reliable. They are always willing to work and learn with their rider, while their temperament perfectly fits their sports nature. Most of them live approximately 25 to 33 years.
The Czech Warmblood horse is a perfect option whether you look for a competitive or calm and entertaining horse. It will adapt quickly to your needs, but you should be prepared that this animal is born for only one man.
Czech Kinsky Horse
The Czech Kinsky horse (Golden horse of Bohemia) appeared at least a thousand years ago. The legend says that the Bohemian princess was in danger while traveling the country, and a young man came to rescue her.
Her father, the King of Bohemia, knighted the brave young man, while his horse became the official horse of the Bohemian army.
This versatile breed is famous for its stamina, strength, endurance, size, and ability to endure many daily activities. Its height is approximately 64 to 69 inches (163 – 175 cm) on average. Each animal has a muscular body, narrow head, strong neck, short back, and solid, straight legs.
Most admirers appreciate this breed’s loyalty, good nature, dedication to humans, and ability to form strong bonds with other horses without much aggression. It is always intelligent and prepared to work and train hard.
Once you see this horse, you will be astonished by the typical metallic reflection of its coat that comes in different color combinations. Unique genes are responsible for attractive shades of gold, brown, and bay.
Almost every horse will have that glossy reflection even if it doesn’t carry the characteristic dominant cream gene. On the other hand, you can find only a few black and grey colored horses of this particular breed.
Czechoslovakian Small Riding Horse
The development of this relatively young breed began in 1980. The main bloodlines for this breed are from Arabian horses and Hanoverian, Slovak Warmblood, and Hucul with Welsh pony stallions.
These horses grown in the rugged terrain of Nitra in Slovakia are strong, muscular, and hardy. Even though these animals are not very tall, only 52.8 to 53.2 inches (134 – 135 cm) on average, they are impressively powerful.
Thanks to thick coats, they can stand low winter temperatures. The Czechoslovakian Small Riding horses are very suitable for rough and rocky terrains and great for working.
Since these animals remain calm even under high pressure, they are an excellent solution for kids riding. Plus, they have good gaits and jumping characteristics.
Hucul Pony
It is an ancient horse breed that originated in the Carpathian Mountains at least 400 years ago. This small, heavily built horse is approximately 48.5 to 52.5 inches (123 – 133 cm) tall.
The Hucul Pony has a short head with large eyes and usually a short neck and legs. Their coat is very thick and comes in different color combinations, primarily black, bay, and chestnut.
Horses of this breed are usually very calm and steady, willing to work, intelligent, brave, and good-natured. They are also too sensitive, so you need to be gentle and experienced in training. Otherwise, you can make an enemy.
Thanks to its strength, the primary usage of this breed are to work and pull, but it is also suitable for riding in rough terrain. Nowadays, these horses usually find their place in riding over long distances or as a tourist attraction. You can also see them on the farms as therapy horses.
Velka Pardubicka
Velka Pardubicka is the most dangerous horse race organized annually in Pardubice, the Czech Republic. It takes place on the second Sunday of October for the past 140 years with one strict rule. The horse that participates in racing needs to be at least six years old.
The track is 4 miles 506 yards (6.9 km) long with 31 obstacles. The average time to finish the race is approximately 9 to 10 minutes, with the record of 8:56.01 set in 2015.
In 1993, there was the most dangerous track ever when only one horse managed to clear the obstacles and finish the race. Over thirty horses died trying to clear the obstacles by now.
Summary
Almost every country worldwide has tried to breed its unique horse. Some failed, while others bred the most famous horse breeds ever. Czechoslovakia has a few attractive horse breeds that are not very well-known worldwide, but they are popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and worth considering.
