Gelderland

Gelderland horses are a breed that many horse enthusiasts may not be familiar with.

Here is everything you need to know about these beautiful animals!

Gelderland Horse Breed Info

Here are some of the key things you need to know about the Gelderland horse:

Height (size) 15.2 – 16.0 hands high
Colors Most commonly chestnut, often with extensive white markings, but bay, black gray and skewbald are also seen
Country of Origin The Netherlands
Common Uses Combined driving, dressage, show jumping, eventing, pleasure riding

Gelderland Horse Facts & Information (Breed Profile)

The Gelderland horse, sometimes known as the Gelderlander, is a breed of heavy warmblood horse that originated in the Dutch region of Gelderland in the 18th century.

However, the Gelderland has not been formally bred since 1969 when the Royal Warmblood Horse Studbook of the Netherlands was created by merging the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Harness Horse Breeding (which registered the Gelderlander), and the Nederlands Warmbloed Paard studbook (which registered the Groninger).

Since then its ancestry has been assimilated with the Dutch Warmblood.

In order to create a handsome and versatile horse for carriage driving and agricultural work, native mares of this area were bred with Andalusian, Neapolitan, Norman, Norfolk Roadster, and Holsteiner stallions.

When pleasure riding became more popular in the 19th century, Friesian, Oldenburg, Hackney, and Thoroughbred blood was introduced to the breed in order to lighten the animal while also enhancing its level of athleticism.

The modern Gelderland has characteristics from each of these ancestor breeds, including the fashionable pace of the Hackney, the placid temperament of the Friesian, and the impressive jumping ability of the Thoroughbred and the Holsteiner.

Gelderland horses are an exceptionally popular and successful option for the sport of combined driving.

In addition, Gelderland horses commonly participate in dressage, show jumping, and eventing at an international level.

They are also very desirable for riding.

If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating breed, keep reading!

Alternative Names

“Gelderlander”

Temperament/Personality

Docile, but has high energy

Physical Characteristics

The head is long with either a straight or convex profile.

The eyes are expressive and large.

The neck is strong with a crest, and withers are prominent.

The chest is deep and the shoulders are strong and sloped.

The back is long and straight, and the tail is high-set.

The legs are strong and clean and strong.

Gelderlands possess high-stepping action, especially at a trot.

Colors

Most commonly chestnut, often with extensive white markings, but bay, black, gray and skewbald are also seen

Height (size)

15.2 – 16.0 hands high

Stallions

n/a

Mares

n/a

Weight

n/a

Blood Type

Warm

Common Uses

Combined driving, dressage, show jumping, eventing, pleasure riding

Health

n/a

Popular Traits

n/a

Feeding/Diet

n/a

Country of Origin

The Netherlands

Ancestors

Local mares, Andalusian, Neapolitan horse, Norman, Norfolk Roadster, Holsteiner, Friesian, Oldenburg, Hackney, Thoroughbred