Kladruber Horse

The Kladruber horse was bred originally at the Kladrub stud of the Czech Rerpublic, from where the horse derives its name. The horses are tall and majestic and originally developed for a fast carriage horse but they are now used for rising as well.

The horses are extremely rare today, but are currently being used by the Livgardets Dragoon Band who seem very pleased with the animals.

History

The Kladruber developed at the Kladrubstutieriet in the Czech Republic during 1700. The stud was founded in 1579 in the then Austria / Hungary Empire of Emperor Rudolf II. The stud had the reputation of being one of the worlds oldest, and still active stud, however the stud is now run by the Czech government.

The objective of the breeding of the Kladruber horse, was to breed a handsome Horse Franchise that was elegant enough for solemn ceremonies yet powerful enough to pull heavy carriages.

The foundation stock was the imported Spanish horses from Andalusia and even Italian horse breeds and the heavier Czech Harness horses which were crossed with horses imported from Denmark, and Ireland.

Then more German Warmblood horses the Holstein and Oldenburg were imported and crossed into the horses. The first horses evolved to pull large and heavy trucks at royal ceremonies, usually in four or six in span.

The first horses were a variety of different colours. The breeders decided to change the colour and farmers opted to breed to a strict adherence to a breeding program with 18 white and 18 black mares and stallions, therefore limiting the colours to grey [which is the terms for a white horse, true grey and black.

This breed selection was to create a more uniform horse colour for matching animals in span. White Lipizzaner horses were also included in the breed development plan; crossing was for the set, color and type of horse.

During the Seven Years’ War from 1756 to 1763 the stud was evacuated in order to save the horses and most horses were transferred to Slovakia or Hungary.

Due to a fire at stud in 1757 the buildings burned down 200 years of documentation of the Kladruber breeding programme was lost.

That is why only 6 horses are recognized now as the foundation stock of this breed, despite them not being the earliest known stallions of the bred.
Pepoli was a dapple grey who sired the white stallion Generale, born in 1787 and considered to be ancestor of all the white Kladruberhastar.

Maestoso and Favory, both born in Kladrubstuteriet, were two of the 6 white Lipizzaner stallions which were bred into the race. Favorys offspring were returned to Kladrub after World War II in order to further improve the strain.

Barzoi and Legion were two stallions of the Orlov Trotter breed who were imported from Russia after the two world wars in order to improve the movement of horses.

Rudolfo was a Lusitano stallion from Portugal who was imported and crossed into the Kladruber after World War II.

The most influential black stallions were Sacromoso and Napoleon both born at the Slatinany stud. The breeding programme occurred at two different studs and in two different ways has resulted in a difference of appearance in the strains of white and black horses.

The whites were often more pure bred equal and taller than the black horses, while the black horses have heavier builds and more powerful looking heads.

A quadriga with white Kladruberhastar is not unusual among Kladruber breeders
In 1930 it was decided that the black herd would be sold off. Most of the animals were sold to slaughterhouses for meat production and the herd book was written off.

A few horses were saved, however, and farmers have started to breed these horses again at the stud in Nyuppstartade Slatinany.

Attributes

The Kladruber is a stately, majestic horse with big, nice movements that has strong similarities with the Lipizzaner and Andalusian horses.

The Kladruber is calm, resilient and a fast draft horse capable of competing at an elite level. Sometimes the breed is crossed with lighter breeds to obtain suitable riding horses, which are widely used in dressage because of the fine movements.

The Kladruber have an ideal height of 163 to 175 cm and is almost exclusively grey. The mane and tail are usually heavy. The breed is an excellent wagon horse with an impressive walk and a trot with high knee action.