Mare and foal. Belgian Warmbloods pass their quality on to their offspring. Reg Corkum
Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association
North American District
1979 CR 103
Georgetown, Texas 78626
www.belgianwarmblood.com
Being on a Belgian Warmblood is like sitting on a piece of history. For a breed that is only fifty years old, the accomplishments, the thrill, and the satisfaction it gives are immeasurable. Names like Darco, Jus de Pomme, and Big Ben are important characters in the story of the Belgian Warmblood.
The photograph of Jus de Pomme winning double gold in the Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the most exciting images for the registry. One of the most poignant pictures is one of four young children in Belgium sitting on the back of the famous Lugano van la Roche, demonstrating one of the other important qualities of the Belgian Warmblood—its wonderful temperament. This photograph hangs in the living room of one Belgium family of breeders that has been with the Belgium Warmblood Breeding Association (or Belgisch Warmbloedpaard, BWP) for decades, starting with Lugano van la Roche, and still active today with the exciting young stallion Adorado. Belgian Warmbloods continue to make history today, and it is a journey in which all breeders and riders of these special horses participate. The Belgian Warmblood has been carefully developed over several decades through the selective breeding of Belgium’s finest cavalry and light agricultural horses crossed with Thoroughbreds, Anglo-Arabs, and other proven European warmbloods (Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Selle Francais, and Dutch). The resulting modern Belgian Warmblood is an ideal riding and competition sport horse of international quality, with its bloodlines being the world’s finest. Talented and successful riders have been buying and competing with Belgian Warmbloods for many years, which consistently place at the top in world rankings for jumping and dressage. Their achievements have been phenomenal and have made a statement as to the athleticism and profound ability of the breed.
History
From the end of the nineteenth century to 1954, the breeding of agricultural riding horses that could be worked during the week and ridden on the weekend was outlawed in Belgium. The purpose of the ban was to protect the Belgian Draft horse breed, yet the ban was so extensive that Flemish riding horses completely disappeared. Once agriculture became mechanized in the 1950s, the ban was lifted.
As the need for heavy draft horses lessened and horses were only used for light agricultural work, the way was clear for the development of the recreational horse. The label “agricultural riding horse” was replaced with the name “warmblood.” Belgian breeders first looked to Gelderland, the Netherlands, for foundation stock for the Belgian Warmblood and then quickly moved to France to the Selle Francais, Hanover, and finally Holstein. The offspring of the horse Ibrahim from France, the stallions Flugel and Lugano from Hanover, and the young stallion Codex from Holstein—all of which were bred to Dutch and French broodmares—comprised the origin of the Belgian Warmblood.
The Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association was founded in 1955 when the rural riding organization, Landelijke Ruiterij, imported stock from various countries for sporting purposes. Since the registry began from scratch, there was no need to build upon a gene pool that might have been unsuitable; rather the best horses and bloodlines for sport were incorporated as the foundation of the registry.
The BWP stands as a model for a Europe without borders and has a very open policy on the introduction of jumping genes from the surrounding breeding areas. Thus, the BWP has become a sort of melting pot of the most important European bloodlines with just a couple of thousand mares in its stock. The Belgian Warmblood breed continues to progressively change through utilization of the finest bloodlines of those warmblood breeds that are highly competitive in the sport horse and other performance arenas.
Famous Athletes
Belgian Warmblood horses have represented countries around the world in Olympic and World Cup competitions. At the 2000 World Cup, three of the top ten horses were Belgian Warmbloods. During the same year, Belgian Warmbloods won the Olympic individual bronze medal for show jumping, and fifth, sixth, and tenth place (one alternate) in the Olympian World Cup. They won a 1992 Olympic gold medal for team jumping, and two 1996 Olympic gold medals—one for individual and team jumping, and one for team show jumping.
Further successes include an individual bronze medal for show jumping for Saudi Arabia with Khashm al Aan at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, while Parco and Clinton tied for fifth for Belgium at the 2004 Olympics in Athens in the show jumping competition. The 2004 and 2008 Summer Games saw U.S. team gold medals for Sapphire in show jumping. In fact, Belgian Warmbloods comprised half of the Olympic show jumping team and alternates for the 2008 games.
Although Belgian Warmbloods have been recognized primarily for their strengths in show jumping and eventing, they are becoming regulars in dressage competition as well. They competed in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics in dressage. Each year, increasing numbers of BWP horses are competing and winning in United States Dressage Federation (USDF) sanctioned dressage competitions. Belgian Warmbloods are no longer Europe’s best kept secret, as now they are being sought out by riders all over the world.
Belgian Warmlood in dressage, displaying its elastic stride. Violetta Jackowski
The Belgian Warmblood is also making an impact on the American sport horse industry. Many world-class American riders have been winning numerous championships, international events, and classes at prestigious breed shows across the country with Belgian Warmbloods. Examples are Soubrette, a domestically bred Belgian Warmblood that was the five-year-old Eastern League Young Jumper Champion in 2001, and Gray Slipper, honored with The Chronicle of the Horse Horse of the Year Award in 2007.
Since implementing performance requirements for its stallions in 1996, the BWP North American District (BWP-NAD) has had two champions at the one-hundred-day stallion testing in North America. In 1996, the approved stallion, Mannhattan, had the top jumping index at the testing in Rancho Santa Fe, California. In 1998, Puerto D’Azur was the overall champion at the one-hundred-day test in Batavia, Ohio. These stallions were competing against the finest warmblood stallions in the country that were from every recognized warmblood breed.
With such glowing achievements, there is no comparison to the amazing qualities of the Belgian Warmblood.
North American Registry
The Belgian Warmblood first entered the North American show scene in the 1970s, and the BWPNAD was established in 1987. It was founded by a group of breeders, owners, and friends dedicated to the importation and preservation of the Belgian Warmblood in North America. It is a fully recognized district of Belgium and serves as the sole administrating office for breeding practices on the North American continent.
Belgian Warmblood stallion evaluated on his free jumping. Nancy McCallum Photography
In 1988, the North American District hosted the first official keuring tour for the inspection of breeding stock in the United States by Belgian judges. By monitoring through keurings, or approvals, the BWP-NAD ensures the selective breeding of the ideal sport horse. Since its inception, annual keuring events have grown to encompass more than twenty inspection sites throughout the continental United States (north to south and coast to coast), as well as Canada. These keurings serve to guarantee the continued success of horses by the BWP-NAD.
The BWP-NAD continues Belgium’s fine breeding tradition by affording owners in North America the opportunity to breed mares and stallions approved by the Belgian jury. Its goal is to encourage the excellence of Belgian Warmbloods in all disciplines, ensure their position in the international marketplace, and bring joy to their owners. Each year, the BWP-NAD sponsors individual breed classes at major breed shows in the country, including dressage, futurities, combined eventing, and hunter/jumper competitions.
Lifetime achievement awards are based on a horse’s performance in dressage, hunters/jumper competitions, or eventing. The BWP-NAD is developing a database to track both Belgian Warmbloods’ performances in North America and horses that are for sale, as well as record offspring foaled in North America. The association is a charter member of the Federation of North American Sport Horse Organizations, participates in the all-breeds category of the USDF, and works with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to ensure that every BWP foal born is assigned a lifetime number for performance tracking.
Registry Requirements
Only quality horses are admitted to the registry through the visual inspection and evaluation (keuring) of stallions, mares, and foals. They are selected for their athletic ability, conformation, and movement. They can be any color, and the average size is between 16 and 17 hands.
The Belgian jury looks for horses that have correct, modern conformation, athletic potential for the Olympic disciplines, proven bloodlines, good character, reliable temperament, and, above all, the potential to pass these traits on to their offspring. As a result, this selectivity ensures that buyers, riders, and breeders of Belgian Warmbloods are getting the highest quality horse possible.
Standards (Keurings) Stallions
Stallions registered in certain European warmblood foal books are eligible for inspection by the BWP. They must be at least three years old, sired by approved stallions (not just registered or licensed) from a recognized European warmblood association, and out of main stud book dams. The stallion’s sire and dam do not have to be of the breed, but they must be from proven competition bloodlines.
Judges first inspect the stallion’s pedigree. If the judges feel that the stallion is of sufficient pedigree, then he is shown in hand at a walk and trot. If the quality of the gaits and conformation are sufficient, the stallion is then asked to free jump (jump without a rider) and is evaluated on jumping style. If a stallion is over the age of three, the judges require that he be seen under saddle. The ideal size for a stallion is 16.1 to 17.1 hands.
Prior to acquiring provisional approval, stallions must undergo a veterinary examination, which includes a semen analysis and radiographs of the forefeet (regular and navicular series), fore fetlocks, carpal joints, rear fetlocks, hocks, and stifles. This examination must show the stallion to be free of heritable diseases. He must also be tested for the presence of equine viral arteritis (EVA). Finally, all stallions must undergo an endoscopic laryngeal exam.
BWP has sixty-seven approved stallions as of 2008 in the United States.
Mares
Mares approved for breeding are entered into one of two stud books. The main stud book is for select registered mares of a recognized sport horse breed, including most other European warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, and Arabians. The auxiliary stud book is for select mares of unrecognized breeds or those of unverifiable pedigree. All mares must be over 15.1 hands to be eligible for inspection and inclusion into either book.
Mares are evaluated on their movement, elasticity, conformation, and general impression. Any mare producing consistently unacceptable foals may have her breeding status rescinded.
There are several stages that the mare must complete to obtain Elite status. The mare must be inspected twice between the ages of three and six (as opposed to three and four years of age) and must be recommended by the jury to receive a conformation label. She also must receive a veterinary label and a performance label, as well as have produced at least one offspring. After completing all four steps, she is awarded Elite status.
For the conformation label, the mare must be presented at three years old, and again at four, to the Belgian jury. The mare must be recommended by the keuring jury for the label both years. If the mare is not presented at the age of three and four, she must have completed the rest of the elite mare requirements before she may be presented for this label.
For the veterinary label, the mare must submit to a thorough veterinary exam and x-rays. The radiographs needed are of the forefeet, hocks, and stifles. For the performance label, the mare must complete two years’ worth of performance requirements at the same age and level as the stallions.
If all three labels are attained, elite status will be granted after the mare produces a BWP registered foal.
The Select Mare Program provides E-Label (conformation label) mares with the opportunity to take a performance test instead of completing performance requirements. The mare must still have an approved foal, but x-rays and veterinary exams are not required.
Foals
In order for a foal to be registered, it must be sired by a BWP-approved stallion and out of a dam that has been entered into either the main or the auxiliary stud book of BWP. With the advent of the European Union, it recently became possible to register foals that are sired by outside approved stallions and out of dams that have been entered into either the main or auxiliary stud book of BWP. These stallions must be approved for breeding by the European stud books of the Hanoverian, Oldenburg, Dutch, Selle Francais, or certain other recognized stud books. The stallions must be over six years old and have already completed their performance requirements at the time of breeding. All foals are DNA typed.
Credit: Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association, North American District