Breeders of Trakehner Performance Sports Horses
KEATINGE TRAKEHNERS STUD
The Trakehner is the closest British ideal of the modern competition and riding horse today and considered to be the thoroughbred of all the warmblood breeds.
It is generally lighter of type than most other warmblood breeds and typically stands between 15.2 and 17 hands high. Bay, black, chestnut and grey are its most common colours.
Well known for their ‘floating trot’, full of impulsion and suspension, Trakehners possess strong powerful hindquarters, long sloping shoulders, short canons and a well set neck, with their heads often being finely chiseled, narrow at the muzzle with a broad forehead.
Renowned for their grace, power, magnificent movement, outstanding beauty, and excellent ride-ability, they are naturally balanced and free with an ideal temperament. Keen, sensitive and alert yet level headed, due to their superior intelligence, they learn quickly and are able to undertake intense work.
Trakehners breed true to type and are therefore very important in the use of refining and upgrading other breeds. Influential stallions include Abglanz for the Hanoverians, Herbststurm influencing the Oldenberg, Marco Polo for the Dutch warmblood and Ibikus and Donauwind being particularly famous for improving the Danish warmblood.
The breed’s popularity in Britain is growing at an astounding rate and in the competition field Trakehners hold an impressive record, winning every medal for the German Olympic team in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Examples of Trakehners in competition....
Dressage
The famous dressage rider Dr. Reiner Klimke has ridden many Trakehners to Grand Prix level including the well known Fabian and Biotop. Olympic dressage Trakehners include TCN Partout ridden by Anky van Grunsven and Peron. who led the US team to a bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The stallion Va Tout was the most successful dressage horse worldwide in 1985. In 1998 British-bred Holme Grove Solomon was awarded the British Horse Foundation Top British Bred Dressage Sire for his progeny’s performance on the British Horse Database.
Eventing
Trakehners show more stamina than other warmbloods in the eventing field. Before retiring to stud, British stallion Fleetwater Opposition - by Mushampe Danube - was junior Three-Day Event Champion. In 1999 Windfall, a German- and American-approved breeding stallion, was Germany’s ‘horse of the year’, selected for the German team at the 2000 Olympics, by 2004 he was a Three Day Event Medallist. Summersong , also an Olympic Eventer.
Show Jumping
Show jumping gave us Amber du Montois ridden by William Funnel and nominated for the 2000 Olympics. Also we have Grade A-competing Utopian Opposition. In the 1984 Olympics Abdullah, by Donauwind, carried Conrad Homefeld to win team Gold and individual Silver medal for the US in 1984 and to a 1985 Word Cup win and Heuringer, team Silver medallist at the 1994 Word Equestrian Games.
Driving
In 1995 the driving world saw Karen Bassett and her team of black Trakehners becoming Britain’s National Champions and the world’s leading lady ‘four-in-hand’ driver.
Other examples of famous Trakehners include Corna by Illuster who was the Champion Riding Horse of all breeds in Germany in 1985.
The familiar black horse featured in the Lloyds bank logo - and its series of TV adverts - is a Black Trakehner Stallion.
Even part-bred Trakehners are hugely successful, a classic example of this is the famous and so loved by all Milton.
Our experience of this wonderful breed is certainly addictive and we have never looked back. The superb teamwork that can be achieved with these horses is the best reward in the world. Once you have won their trust you will find, as have we, that you have a friend for life and a horse that will try their best, with all their heart and soul for you.
In fact, I cannot put into words just how wonderfully committed this horse breed is - ‘the proof is in the pudding’ try one for yourself, and see!
“Horses give us the wings we lack”