Half-breed (horse)
In horse breeding , a half-breed is a cross between a thoroughbred and another horse breed. There are half-blood products after crosses with English or Arabic whole blood. In the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy in particular , the term was used for military horses , which were bred in large numbers in the state studs ( Lipizza , Kladrub , Piber , Radautz , Bábolna , Fogaras , Kisbér , Mezőhegyes ) and in the state studs . A distinction was made between "heavy" and "light" English or oriental half-bloods. Examples: Nonius was a heavy English half-blood, Gidran was a heavy oriental half-blood.
The term half blood is used to distinguish it from the English whole blood. Half-bloods are considered more spirited than warm-blooded animals and are therefore often used in equestrian sports. Their real domain is versatility, where they can show off their galloping ability , agility, toughness and endurance. Due to their temperament, they are not so popular among recreational riders, as this can often be problematic for casual riders. The half-breed can be called highly refined warmblood, it is not listed in any of its own breeding categories; it is a warmblood or sport horse with a very high proportion of noble blood. This is regulated by the breeding organizations through their licensing or stud book regulations. Today, sport horse breeding uses a relatively low proportion of whole blood, since most breeds already have a sufficiently high proportion; Whole blood is only used relatively rarely by direct crossbreeding. That was different in the early days of warmblood breeding, as more powerful, lighter army horses were needed quickly.
Half-bloods usually have a whole blood content of 50 percent. Horses with a larger proportion of whole blood are also referred to as half-bloods. The whole blood percentage can sometimes exceed the limit of 7/8. In terms of breeding, a horse with only one warmblood ancestor is considered a half-breed in thoroughbred breeding; the English thoroughbred is bred in the strictest pure breed. Is z. For example, if only one ancestor out of 32 ancestors is a non-thoroughbred, then the product is placed in the half-blood register of Weatherbys in England , who keep the stud book . The following applies in Germany : Half-bloods are entered in the stud book of a state horse breeding association (such as the Hanover Horse Studbook etc.), and not with the directorate for thoroughbred breeding and races.
Half-bloods with a particularly high percentage of whole blood are also used in horse racing , and there especially in obstacle races. In France , half-breed breeding is therefore practiced on a large scale with around 2000 dam mares. There, the French Anglo-Arab has developed its own "half-breed" for many decades, which is highly valued in racing, versatility and as a refiner in breeding. In direct performance comparison with English thoroughbred, no breed can exist in terms of galloping ability, but as a successful combination cross, the Anglo-Arab is a valuable horse. Analogous to this, the early East Prussian Trakehner and the Hungarian Gidrans were more or less fully bred half-breeds, albeit with proportions of Iberian and other breeds.
Strictly speaking, the famous Irish Hunter is a half-breed, albeit of the heavy type; it traditionally arises from the crossing of thoroughbred stallions and Irish draft mare (heavy warmblood). If the mother mare has already been grafted, you get a so-called lightweight hunter with 3/4 whole blood.
The trotter is also classified as part of the half-breed internationally.
Half-breed in Germany
In Germany in the sixties the most successful half-blood in horse racing was Dornkaat, that of G. u. W. Blohme was bred in the Hanover breeding area. A large half-breed for horse racing is run by the Hüner family in the Hanover breeding area.
Since the obstacle sport is only of minor importance in Germany, the number of half-bloods in horse racing is also falling sharply.
literature
- Hans Brabenetz: The Imperial and Royal State Stud Radautz and its horses. ISG-Verlag, 1987.
- Heinrich Gawlik, Martin Haller: The breeding of the half-blood horse in Austria-Hungary; Association publication Documentation center for old Austrian horse breeds. 2016.
- Pamela Macgregor-Morris: The History of the HIS. Tremation Press, 1986.
- Brian Smith: The Horse in Ireland. Wolfhound Press, 1991.
