The Hanoverian
The Hanoverian horse is a warmblood horse which is bred especially to jump, do dressage, eventing and driving.
The breed originated in northern Germany in the state of
Lower Saxony,the former kingdom of Hannover, where a successful horse-breeding industry has existedfor 400 years. The State Stud was established at
The hanoverian has light and elastic gaits seen in its ground-covering walk, a floating trot and a round, rhythmic canter.
Hanoverians possess a noble head with expressive eyes sitting on a well proportioned neck; sloping shoulders; a long, broad forearm and short cannon bones; and straight legs. Also preferred is a strong back; a long, well-sprung ribcage; and a broad, slightly slopingcroup. The hocks must be strong and well defined; the pasterns of all four legs must be of proper slope and length; and the hooves should be well shaped, strong and sound. Movement must be straight with no paddling, winging or crossing over.
Hanoverians range in size from 15 hands to well over 17 hands, but in all cases height should be in proportion to the overall build. Harmony is more important than size. Coat colours run the range from grey to chestnut, bay, brown and black.
In 1978, the American Hanoverian Society (AHS) was formed. Over the years the Society has worked closely with the German HanoverianVerband (the Verband hannoverscher Warmblutzuechter) inspecting breedingstock, registering horses and licensing and performance testing stallions.
Hanoverian horses have been very successful in competition -
13 medals in the 1992 Olympics and four consecutive World Breeding
Championships, as well as five gold, one silver and
two bronze medals in dressage and show jumping at the 1996 Olympics.
For more information, contact:
(In
Hanoverian Horse Society
R.R.#2,
N0B 1S0
(519) 843-3869
(In the
The American Hanoverian Society
Tel: (606) Fax: (606)
www.hanoverian.org
AHSoffice@aol.com