When we analyse the results of the
2008 Olympic Games for dressage and
show jumping, we see that horses which
scored highly in the different disciplines
came from different, predominantly
European, studbooks.
Table 1 summarizes the studbooks of
the horses that were in the top ten
individual rankings in the Olympic
Games 2008.
|
Show
jumping |
Dressage |
Total by studbook |
| KWPN |
5 |
2 |
7 |
| Hanover |
1 |
5 |
6 |
| Belgian wb |
2 |
|
2 |
| Westphalen |
2 |
|
2 |
| Swedish wb |
|
2 |
2 |
| Russian wb |
|
1 |
1 |
Table 1. Studbook registrations of the top 10 horses in Olympic dressage and show jumping.
It appears that these studbooks have
produced horses who successfully
compete at the highest level. So in this
article we will have a closer look at how
they achieved these outstanding results,
and what this might mean for New
Zealand.
To get an idea of the number of horses
in the main breeding countries in
Europe, figure 1 represents the number
of Warmblood foals born per studbook
by country in 2001. Obviously, the
largest number of Warmblood horses
can be found in Germany, followed by
the Netherlands, France and Ireland.
Interestingly, in Germany the
Warmblood population is divided among
different smaller studbooks (each yellow
bar being a different studbook), and if
we then order the studbooks by size, we
find that the KWPN is the largest
studbook, followed by Selle Français,
Hanover, Westphalia and Holstein.
Figure 1. Number of foals born per studbook in the main European warmblood breeding countries.
In a study that was carried out by
Koenen, a questionnaire was sent out to
the different studbooks, asking to give a
mark between 1 and 10 for how
important they considered different
breeding objectives. The results for the
main breeding objectives are given in
figure 2. Since the sole objective of
studbooks is to achieve genetic progress
in the different traits, it is obvious that
there is a differentiation among them in
the type of the horses they produce. For
example Holstein and Selle Français
specialise in show jumpers, Trakehner
specialise in dressage and Hanover and
KWPN specialise in both. It is also
worth noting that the importance of
health and conformation in the
breeding goal is judged differently
among the studbooks.
Figure 2. Relative importance of different breeding objectives in various studbooks.
Before the Second World War, Europe
had many local horse breeds, some of
which were bred as multi-purpose
horses. They were the lighter built
horses who were capable of doing light
agricultural work, towing carriages, and
riding. A number of these breeds
developed into specialized riding horses,
which were used for sports like showjumping
and dressage. They were
crossed with thoroughbreds, to improve
temperament, create more movement,
increase jumping ability and generally
to produce a lighter built horse. These
developments occurred more or less in
parallel in the different European
countries, with Germany and the
Netherlands taking the lead. At the
time, fairly traditional breeding
methods were used, and largely
subjective judgment was the norm.
Later, individual horse tests were
developed, but at the time it was still
unknown whether these made sense
from a genetic point of view.
Figure 3. Use of stallions other than local ones in Sweden in the period before 1979 to 2003.
Groundbreaking work was done in the
Netherlands in the late 80’s, early 90’s
by Dr. H. Huizinga, who established a
system of breeding values for show
jumping and dressage for the KWPN,
which was followed up with more
research about the genetic relationships
of traits measured at an early age and
later performance. The acquired knowhow
was used to revise the system of
selection and testing of young stallions,
and a better genetic gain was achieved
by putting these methods in place. At
the same time, similar research was
carried out in Germany where breeding
systems were put in place using their
findings. Over time, similar
developments took place in other
regions like France and the
Scandinavian countries.
Figure 4. Genetic improvement achieved in Sweden in the period before 1979 to 2003
In most countries, the different
studbooks were kept closed, meaning
they only allowed breeders to choose
stallions approved within the studbook.
The KWPN and the Scandinavian
studbooks however adopted another
policy, where they allowed breeders to
breed to stallions of other, accredited
studbooks. They approved the studbooks
that followed the same breeding goal as
themselves, eg a healthy sport horse
with a good conformation that is
capable of performing at the highest
level.
Using this policy, they didn’t limit
themselves to the gene pool of their
own country or studbook, but they
mingled genes of other populations into
their own. This way, it was easier to
improve on traits which would
otherwise have taken more generations
if it could only be achieved by selection
within their own population.
The Swedish Warmblood Studbook
provides a good example, they started
to use stallions from studbooks other
than their own in the early 90’s. Figure
3 represents the number of stallions of
different origin used in their population
and the associated decreased use of
their own stallions. Much of this was
achieved using chilled semen, as this
can be easily and timely transported
within Europe. The effect on the
average breeding value of their horses is
shown in fig.4 which demonstrates that
they have improved the quality of their
horses in a small amount of time using
the best stallions from other studbooks.
Another approach to establish a worldclass
gene pool was taken in the USA
and Canada, where many breeders
joined the KWPN. As the regional
organization grew, they established
their own studbook, and they now use
the KWPN breeding system under
license. They imported horses from the
Netherlands and bred to stallions which
were either approved or recognized (eg
stallions from within the studbook or
from accredited studbooks). They are
now effectively a stand-alone
Warmblood studbook with their own
selection and testing policy, closely
associated with the KWPN in the
Netherlands. As we know from the
Olympics, the North Americans have
done very well with KWPN show
jumpers.
Figure 5. Tangelo vd Zuuthoeve. A KWPN
approved stallion with a Selle Français
background
Although New Zealand is geographically
far away from Europe, we can still make
use of the proven genetics developed
over there, either through the use of
imported stallions, or imported frozen
semen.
If we adopt breeding policies similar to
the KWPN and the Swedish Warmblood
Studbook and if we consistently use
stallions that have either an established
high breeding value for either sport, or
a pedigree of parents with a high
breeding value, within a few
generations our horses can appear also
on the list of the World Breeding
Federation of Sport Horses.
Figure 6. Berlin. A KWPN approved stallion with
a Holstein background.
In order to achieve this, we will also
need a breeding system ourselves, which
means that we keep track of the
performance of our horses, their speed
of progress, their pedigree and methods
to compare horses relative to each
other. If we all stand behind the
common goal of producing the best
possible horses, and join our efforts,
New Zealand can become a producer of
top quality sport horses