To suspect that a horse breed that did not exist 60 years back would become a genuine legend! Yes, I’m talking about the Belgian Warmblood or BWP, which has surpassed celebrity standing within such a short period of time. The breeding of light weight horses was historically restricted in Belgium, as the country wished to maintain the pureness of its famous Braband strain. It was only in the early 1950s that the government relaxed its prohibition and the Minister of Agriculture gave his approval to a breeding project that concerned horse breeds from every part of Europe. The Warmblood was an outcome of this project. The 1st horse of this breed was born in 1953.

The Warmblood has acquired incredible success in sports arenas, particularly in disciplines like dressage and show jumping. It is a horse with strong conformation and rude health and a large tight body featuring broad hindquarters and strong hind legs.

The Warmblood has an average height of 16 to 17 hh.

Belgium’s horse breeding program is tightly controlled and breeding is permitted only with horses that meet draconian standards. The program has produced powerful bloodlines including names like Big Ben, Darco and Sapphire.

When they reach the age of 3 or 4, Warmblood stallions are put thru a Hengstenkeuring or analysis test; this test judges the horses ‘ conformation and loose jumping abilities. The horses are than inspected and evaluated by expert vets before the final phase, when they’re considered for performance when under the saddle. Only those horses that get thru this test successfully get cleared for breeding. While mares are also assessed, they are not the subject of analyses under the saddle.

The Warmblood BWP registry hopes to breed horses of attractive characters that are a joy to ride, and may also be used to take part in global equine events. Two facets of the breed that have been given great concern are health and conformation.

Warmblood horses sport a variety of colors like chestnut, grey, black, bay and brown, and some pintos.

As a robustly healthy and versatile breed that has achieved great success as dressage horses, show jumpers and all round sport horses, the Warmblood breed has gained worldwide renown. The Warmblood is typically the horse to beat in most equestrian disciplines.

Inside a bit more than half a century, the Warmblood’s versatility has made it one of the planet’s most accomplished in-demand sport horse breeds. This breed has made a massive impact in nearly every equestrian discipline, and looks superb for lots more in the future.

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