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Finding the Horse of Your Dreams

Selle Français
Selle Français horses are primarily
known for their success in showjum-
ping, but many of them have also been
successful in dressage and eventing.
Before the Industrial Revolution, hor-
ses were used in France mainly for
war. Therefore, many French horses
had several characteristics in common:
courage, ease of use, mental up to any
test, and strength. At the end of the 20th
century, a new trend began in France.
Horse breeders began to breed sport
horses, as it was the new interest of a society that was becoming more and more
interested in sports. This trend lead to the creation in 1958 of a single Stud-
Book that would meet the characteristics of the French horse. It was called Selle
Français. These horses have a strong skeletal structure, which is important for
show jumping, and can measure from 15 to 18 hands (Stud-Book Selle Français,
2018). They usually have strong personalities, as many of them have the genetic
influence of the English Thoroughbred, but they are very smart and have a good
learning capacity (Turner, 2018).

Hanoverian
Hanoverian Warmblood horses are ori-
ginated from North West Germany. At
the beginning, they were used as carria-
ge horses, for cavalry mounts, and farm
horses. However, during the Napoleo-
nic wars, Thoroughbreds from England
were used to replenish the stock of horses
in Germany, which made Hanoverians
more agile and useful for competition. In
1888, the Hanoverian Warmblood Stud-
Book was created to breed sport horses.
Hanoverians have had excellent results in
show jumping and dressage competitions, and they are considered the oldest and
most successful warmbloods in the world. They have a height of 15.3 to 16.2 hands
on average. Their legs are usually short, but very strong. They have a balanced cha-
racter, and very good strength and stamina (Lloyd, 2015).

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