The Trakehner
The Trakehner is as near as any to being the ideal, modern, all-around competition or riding horse. Perhaps because of the hardy base stock from which it derives, and the careful use of Arabian blood at selected intervals, it seems to have been better able than most warmbloods to absorb the best Thoroughbred qualities while still retaining its own character. Its upgrading influence is evident in many of the European sporting breeds.
The Trakehner originated early in the 13th century, in what used to be East Prussia. At this time, the province was colonized by the Order of Teutonic Knights, who established a horse-breeding industry using the indigenous Schweiken Pony as a base. The Schweiken, much used in farming, was a descendent of the Konik, itself a descendent of the Tarpan, from which it inherits its natural vigor, toughness, and endurance.
In 1732, 500 years after the Order had colonized the area, Friedich Wilhelm I of Prussia, father of Frederick the Great, founded the Royal Trakehner Stud Administration on the drained marshlands between Gumbinnen and Stalluponen in the east of his kingdom. This became the principle source of stallions for Prussia and renowned for producing an elegant coach horse that combined speed with stamina.
In 1787, the emphasis had switched to the production of remounts and chargers, and even at that early date an exhaustive testing system and detailed documentation of pedigrees had been introduced. This close attention to genotype breeding, supported by a series performance tests, was to become the hallmark of warmblood production throughout mainland Europe. In its heyday during the 19th century, the stud at Trakehnen covered more than 34,000 acres. It supported herds of mares that were divided by coat color: chestnut, bay/brown, mixed colors, and black, black being the dominant color.
During the 19th century, English Thoroughbreds and top quality Arabians were introduced to upgrade the breed even more. Over the years, the former became predominant - by 1913, for example, 84.3 % of all Trakehner mares were by Thoroughbred stallions. The breed was widely used in the First World War, and was believed to be the best war horse available. However, the Arabian element always remained a powerful balancing element to offset and deficiencies caused by the Thoroughbred. An Arabian mare herd still exhisted in 1936, and as late as 1956-1958 the Anglo-Arabians Burnus and Marsuk were being used. The greatest influence on the Trakehner breed was the English Thoroughbred Perfectionist, a son of Persimmon. Foaled in 1893, Persimmon was bred and owned by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, and was by St. Simon out of Perdita II. Persimmon won the Epsom Derby and St. Leger in 1896, and represents an important influence in the St. Simon line. The blood of his son, Perfectionist, as well as that of Tempelhuter, the best of Perfectionist's sons, appears in many modern Trakehner pedigrees.
The Trakehner stands between 16 and 16.2 hands high and has an impressive record. Trakehners dominated the 1936 German Olympic teams, which won every medal at the Berlin Games, and have continued to be successful in international competition since the Second World War.
