Characteristics
The Dutch Harness Horse is distinctive among warmbloods for its high action, and gaining popularity among those saddle seat aficionados who seek a larger, more substantial horse. They are traditionally shown with a braided mane and natural tail, and when shown in-hand often wear a white bridle without a cavesson. The hooves are usually allowed to grow longer than a riding horse's feet, but are never shod with weighted shoes. While the colors black, brown, bay and chestnut are most common, there are greys, true roans, and creme dilutes. Tuigpaarden are often very well-marked, and many have extensive sabino or rabicano markings. There are even some tobianos, though they are rare.
The expressive head is made up of straight lines and distinctly warmblood in type. It is usually narrow, long and quite dry, similar to the Saddlebred.
The neck is set on quite high, and the shoulders are uniformly long and powerful. The carriage of the head and the level croup with high-set tail distinguish the harness horses from their riding-type relatives. The longer back, more open loin, and flatter croup enable the hindlegs and forelegs to work independently and with great action. By comparison, the harness horse appears to stand higher off the ground.
Strict selection procedures mean that the Dutch Harness Horse is reasonably uniform in type and motion, and also means that the gait qualities of the horses are inherent. As the show horses are not asked to canter in harness, this gait receives less attention. The walk is diligent, but the trot is the true show gait. The forelegs are typically longer than the hindlegs - by design - and as such the horse will "sink" in the back and rise in the front. This quality is responsible for the powerful, active hind end and the great freedom in the forehand. These horses usually have a metronomic trot and ample suspension.
In comparison to the riding horse type, the Tuigpaarden are more hot and sensitive to the energy of a crowd. However, with the control of the stallion inspections, bad-tempered horses or those with poor constitutions are at the very least identified, if not culled outright. A dangerous stallion would never obtain breeding permission in the first place, and so the breed is reactive and courageous, but pleasant and kind.
Branding is now illegal in the Netherlands, so the lion-rampant brand of the KWPN appears on the left thigh of only older horses. Today, KWPN horses are microchipped instead.
The letter which begins a Dutch Harness Horse's name corresponds to his year of birth. Daughters are often given only a very slight variation of the dam's name, for example: 1988 was the "G" year, so the daughter of a mare named "Zilvia" was "Gilvia".
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