The Rhinelander

The Rhinelander

This is another relatively modern addition to the warmblood breeds , which has progressed from being a heavy horse to that of an international competition animal in just fifty years.

The Rhinelander descends from the heavy draught horses or Rhineish - German , which was widely considered to be one of the best German coldbloods. As the mechanisation of agriculture increased , the need for these horses for farm work disappeared and the draught breed is now no longer recognised in its native land. However , breeding of the Rhinish horses continued and the studbook ( Rheinisches Pferdestammbuch ) remained open.

By 2003 , 133 stallions and 3,056 breeding mares were registered with the studbook. In America in particular , many Rhinelanders have been misleadingly advertised as Westphalians because of the lack of a similar studbook , so the true success of some lines of the breed may never be known.

It is acceptable to outcross Rhinelanders with most warm and hotbloods , although German breeds ( particularly the Westphalian ) are preferred. Today , Rhinelanders compete at the highest level , particularly in show jumping and are becoming increasingly popular in Britain. They typically stand at 16.2hh but can be taller. Any colour is acceptable , but chestnut is the more common.

They are bred mostly in the regions of Rhineland , Saxony and Westphalia and are ranked 10th and 11th as international competition breeds for show jumping and dressage respectively. The Rheinisches Pferdestammbuch is based in Wickrath Germany and their german language website may be found at www.pferdezucht - rheinland.              

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