Thoroughbred

The Importance of the Thoroughbred in
Warmblood and Sport Horse Breeding

There is no Sport Horse without Thoroughbred. I make this strong statement after 12 years of pedigree research.

The Thoroughbred, by being selectively bred for speed and weight carrying (rider) has produced a genetic reliability in up-grading for all other breeds of horses intended for sport.

In the European Warmblood you will always find Thoroughbred used time and again to bring in the athletic ability, to improve gaits, as well as to fix the shoulder and hind quarter conformation; ingredients that make their breeds successful at sport.

For an example of this truth let's examine the development of the Hanoverian: the most populous breed of European Warmblood. At the base of the Hanoverian horse are Holstein stallions, Yorkshire Coach Horses (cross of Thoroughbred and what is called Cleveland Bay today), and Thoroughbreds (Edwards).Then in the 1800's horses from Mecklenberg were used extensively (von Stenglin). The Mecklenberg Horses were based on a mix of native horses, Thoroughbreds and imported mares. These imported mares were mostly from Ireland (Fell)

Later more Thoroughbred and Trakehner was added for type and sport improvement. (von Stenglin).

I'm sure some of these ingredients are a surprise to you, they were for me! But you will surely note that the recurring theme is Thoroughbred. In addition, most of the modern Hanoverian lines are based on pre-potent Thoroughbred stallions (D line= Der Lowe, A Line= Adeptus etc.) And recently a marvelous new Hanoverian dressage line has emerged, founded on Lauries Crusador, a full Thoroughbred. We can surmise from all this that for sport success the Thoroughbred most be reintroduced at intervals. If you leave out the Thoroughbred for too long "Thud Monsters" start appearing.

Sport Horses or Warmbloods are not pure bred animals, and all studbooks are still open to Thoroughbred. So, if you are wondering why that beautiful, large and correct Warmblood you ride needs 2" spurs to move forward, it might be a clue that it is time to add some Thoroughbred to the gene pool.

There is a "finesse" needed in sport horse breeding. If you add too much Thoroughbred or too hot a line you may get some temperament problems, or too much "go", along with all that talent. You will need a certain flair to know the right amount of spice to add to your soup- just like a good chef.
For an example of a successful sport horse recipe, let's take a look at Cor de la Bryere- a grade A Selle Francais sire with 33 approved stallion sons and 201 approved mares.

Corde is known not just as a hereditary jump transmitter, but for the style and suppleness he brought to the breed. His progeny are top level competition horses with lots of knee action and a scopey shoulder, which results in them being able to snap up their knees when they jump or extend well in dressage.
Link to his famous sons: Calypso I-V

Cor de la Bryere 7 generation pedigree

Almost 3/4 Thoroughbred through the top progenitors: Rantzau and Furioso, Corde exhibits a pedigree that shouts pre-potency. He is 5x5 to Son-in-Law, the great staying influence, through a son and a daughter found in the dam and sire. And that combination is reinforced by Dark Ronald, the sire of Son-in-Law, being balanced by the presence of Rondeau his sister, the dam of Teddy.

Corde carries on both sides of his pedigree Bachelor's Double 6x6, sex-balanced , as well as Cicero 5x7 through a son and a daughter also. Cicero, a son of St. Simon is balanced and reinforced with a sister: Weir. Sex balancing completes the genetic package that made the champion- it gives you the whole thing, therefore is an important goal for linebreeders.

The Rantzau half of Corde has in addition to the Son-in-Law/Cicero/Bachelor's Double duplications is also sex balanced in Rabelais, Ajax and Royal Hampton. Ranztau, a full Thoroughbred, was a magnificent sire of jumpers and stallions. His success as a sire was to consistently pass on excellence in sport and in breeding stock.

The dam side of Corde brings its own type of potence through a brother and sister French Trotter, as well as adding back up to the sire's strengths. Corde is 15% French Trotter. Another great jump sire: Galoubet, is 50% French Trotter. With French Trotter having so strong a presence in two of the most prolific and successful jump sires in the world, it would pay to take a closer look at just what this breed is.

More robust than other trotting breeds, the French Trotter was bred not just to be a harness horse but to carry a rider also. It is renowned for its great hind quarter and its reserves of stamina. This breed has historically been used not just as trotting horses, but as jumpers and general riding horses. And while not all Selle Francais have this much Trotter blood, back in the 19th century the two breeds were considered one. So Corde and Galoubet have merely gone back to the "well" again, and with positive results.

The French Trotter descends from Norfolk Trotter and Thoroughbred which were added onto the native Norman stock, later some American Standardbred was also added to the breed.

Recipe for French Trotter: Norfolk Trotter contributed trotting style, substance and stamina. Thoroughbred gave speed, good action and courage. The Norman gave it size, calm temperament and versatility. The American Standardbred improved trotting speed. Jump ability was noted from the very beginning and the special jump style of Corde most probably comes straight down the genetic trail from these snappy trotters.

Of course, the Norfolk Trotter and the American Standardbred have large doses of Thoroughbred in them already. You just can't get away from it- if there is sport ability, you will find Thoroughbred.

Corde is a extremely successful sport horse line. So much so that I now hear breeders worrying about the Corde saturation in the Holstein. I have noticed personally that the male side of Corde is much more available than the female. And I came across a young stallion while doing a search for the female balance of Corde for a client, that is one that can certainly help the overload of male Corde, without losing the benefits of his fabulous ability. This young stallion also contains a nice female balance for a male Ramiro immbalance. For a cure for the all male lines of Corde see Bratt Z

Full Thoroughbred stallions can be and are exceptional sport horse sires. Check the stallion roster of any Warmblood or Sport Horse registry and you will find them; better yet, trace where the lasting sport lines descend from.

Many breeders don't realize that America had a super star Sport Horse sire way back in the 1930-40's. But we did, and yes he was a full Thoroughbred, with a progeny record that is still hard to equal today. Gordon Russell- a great Sport Horse sire. Another example of a early American successful Sport Horse sire: Man O' War whose descendants are still providing the stamina, courage and jump ability of many of our modern sport horses.

Usually this would be the place for me to start a paragraph on the difference between sprinting and staying Thoroughbreds. Sprinters being built more "downhill", and therefore less suitable for riding horse stock. But as I thought of this, Abgar, a thoroughbred line in Dutch Warmbloods came to mind, and the common presence of other sprinters such as Tudor Minstel, Mumtaz Mahal and Lauries Crusador.

Thoroughbred breeders of stayers have often found that if they keep away completely from sprinting lines, that after a while they get plodders (Tesio even came to this), that stayers sometimes need some acceleration action. So, as a breeder this is another point where you will have to decide what exactly you need for your sport soup and when to add it.

As we have said before: knowledge is power, and learning just what constitutes a sprinting bloodline, not only may surprise you, but also free you so you can use those dreaded sprint lines to your advantage.