The Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburg Today
Today there are 20 approved stallions and 160 broodmares in the northern population of heavy warmbloods. They are bred with a pure-breeding scheme, using Ostfriesen/Alt-Oldenburg, Groningen, Saxony-Thuringian Heavy Warmbloods, and Silesian Heavy Warmbloods. The goal is a versatile, correct and balanced horse with a calm temperament. Desirable is a horse with a strong constitution, peaceful companionable temperament, which utilizes its feed well, has high fertility, and is suitable as a riding and driving horse. The walk and trot should be efficient and expansive, the latter with some action. The physique should speak of a moderately elegant horse of great depth and breadth, well-sprung ribs and a strong hind end. The head should be expressive with a large, friendly eye. The neck is muscular, medium-length, well-formed and set high on a long, sloping, muscular shoulder with defined withers. The back is medium-long, solid and elastic with a broad loin, the croup slightly sloped, wide and muscular. The limbs should be correct and dry with great bone strength, very strong joints suited to the horse's size, ending in the all-important well-shaped hooves.
At three years the horse is expected to stand between 158 and 165 cm tall, with a canon circumference of 22 to 24 cm. The primary colors are black, seal brown, and dark bay, though bay, chestnut, and grey do occur. Typically, they are conservatively marked. They are traditionally shown in a wide white leather bridle without the cavesson.
Because of their gentle natures, Ostfriesen/Alt-Oldenburgers are useful not just in sport and driving, but for recreation, police work and therapeutic riding. They are also used in forests for ecological reasons. Fourteen black Ostfriesen/Alt-Oldenburg geldings were sold recently to the Household Cavalry.
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