Warm-blooded horses are believed to have originated in continental Europe.
A warmblood horse is a horse of medium build, designed for sports. Numerous sport horses around the world are classified as warm-blooded, and these horses can be seen in action in a wide variety of events, from three-day sporting events to dressage. The term “warmblood” does not refer to a specific breed of horse, but to a large general group of horses that share a number of traits. Some typical warm-blooded breeds include the Hanoverian, Trakehner, and Westphalian.
Hanover horses are a common example of a warm blooded horse.
These horses are believed to have originated in continental Europe and may be descendants of early forest horses that roamed Europe and were domesticated by human settlers. Some warm-blooded breeds are quite old and justifiably famous for their many talents.
Many nations, including most famously Germany and the Netherlands, have individual hot-blooded records. These studbooks will accept horses from a variety of breeds as long as they meet the warm blood standard, and in fact the requirements for these studbooks are usually quite strict. As a general rule, a horse registered as a warmblood should be very healthy, with excellent conformation and good general health. Horses of all colors are accepted in many herd books.
The Trakehner is an example of a warm blooded horse.
The hot-blooded build combines endurance, strength, and immense muscular control. Many warmbloods are used in dressage, taking advantage of their graceful carriage and beautiful movements on the dressage ring to pull off difficult maneuvers. Others are used as jumpers, hunters and competitors, competing in events such as drag races to prove their worth.
A German breed believed to have its origins as a European war horse, the warm-blooded Hanoverian is known for its strong bones and stamina.
Many warm-blooded horses are quite large but have a refined conformation without the heavy build of cold-blooded draft horses such as Clydesdales and Percherons. As a general rule, the warmblood pattern also includes very calm and intelligent horses, who are known to perform under stress and in a wide variety of situations. Depending on the training a horse receives, it may or may not be suitable for budding riders, and some warmbloods require immense control and skill from their riders.
Many breeders around the world offer warm-blooded horses for sale, and these horses are, as a rule, very popular. As registered Warmbloods can sometimes be expensive, some riders seek out horses that do not meet breeding standards but have many of the desirable Warmblood traits. These horses often perform very well in the show ring and are also good track horses, possessing the stamina, intelligence, and dynamic action that make Warmbloods so popular with riders around the world.