The difference between French and German horses.
It is almost 1030 pm, I finished my fifth day working for Harm Thormählen at about 8.30. I am now watching outside my guestroom window, only this time the young colts are not on this side. But as I am writing I can hear them play.
The mix between French and German blood is a proven one. The most known mix is actually the one between Holsteiner Blood and French blood. The most famous example is Cor de la Bryère who changed the Holsteiner breed and lifted the breed to a higher level.
For World Breeding News I wrote last year or maybe even already two years ago an article about the difference between the French and German horses.
At first I would like to take out an part of what Luc Henry said: "How do you see the differences between German and French bred horses? Do you have an idea as a breeder yourself why these differences are there? Actually the differences between the French and German horses are less obvious than in the past. This difference was also the result of the culture of the two countries and also as result of the selection of the stallions. I think that the horses had to be adapted on the way the people are.The Germans were more involved by the culture of discipline and the French were more involved by the culture of adaptation. The selection (Stallion performance test) in Germany was really strict and could only approve young stallions that accepted the submission on a young age.In France this kind of selection doesn’t exist but at the end of the years of 60, the Grande Semaine de Fontainebleau (national young horse championships) was for the French breeder, the selection. Not that there were many stallions competing, but it was valuable by the fact that there were still at that time statistics about the best genitors.We often talk about the fact that the French horses have a top attitude for working and that they have a difficult mouth and that they are built on the forehand. These facts are for me often the consequence of how the riders are in France and how the horses are been selected. In Germany it wasn’t acceptable to have stallions that weren’t easy to ride in flatwork. With too much obedience, you lose the capability of the horse to think. That is what we call the intelligence or and the attitude of the horse. The horses decide to have a partnership with a rider. In the past the horses stood really under control with the German riders, they had not so much change to have a bit freedom.There are also exceptions. There are also German bred horses who had a top attitude and not a good balance and still were fantastic horses: Chin Chin might be the best example (difficult mouth, difficult canter and still a top attitude). We were lucky in Belgium that twenty years ago a person like Joris de Brabander had the courage to import semen of him like he also did with semen of Quidam de Revel. These determinations with the presence of Darco and Heartbreaker has revolutionized the Belgium Breeding. On top of that you have Zangersheide, first as a breeding stable and then as a Studbook. They always worked on progress in breeding. It is still from great value for the Belgian breeding to find it’s place. For me are Joris de Brabander, Darco, Heartbreaker and Zangersheide the four pillars of the Belgium breeding. What Joris has done is unique, without him there would not have been a Usha van ‘t Roosakker, Ta Belle van Sombeke and Qerly Chin. Three very important foundation mares for the Belgian success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s51d1K39To
A video of Qerly Chin.
Sören von Rönne:
How do you see the differences between German and French bred horses? Do you have an idea as a breeder yourself why these differences are there?
I believe there are not many differences between the horses. A German and a French horse needs to have balance in the body, they need to be able to do the physical requirements. Plus also the rideability is very important, the horse can have a perfect conformation but it needs to have the willingness to work. A horse does not have necessarily a bad mouth, the most comes from if a horse is in balance. Also what is a difficult mouth? A horse with a soft or a hard mouth? Also a horse needs to work with the mouth, it is positive when they start chewing on the bit. You can say in quotation marks that the horses look in France more intelligent because of their riding style. I don’t think that there is nowadays a big difference between the mouth of a German or French horse, because we have now everywhere a mix of international bloodlines. Some German Holsteiner bred horses are more French then some of the French horses. In France they have for example Canturo x Sandro Boy and here in Holstein we have Diamant de Semilly x Quidam de Revel or with Baloubet de Rouet.
The German education and performance test system is asking from the horses to be rideable and is asking from the horses that it looks like it is having a good mouth. The system is having a preference for the rideable horse. The main focus is on the young horses classes if you look at the four, five and six year olds. A horse, in Germany, that is shaking all the time with the head and can’t wait for the rider aid’s has no chance here. In Germany you are almost being forced to ride these horses in a certain way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTKARht8D4k
Taggi and Sören von Rönne
Eric Navet:
German horses are often built upwards vs French horses are often built downward so more balance issues when they are young and then a more difficult mouth. Mouth problems come through a lack of balance. There are intelligent and dumb horses in all breeds. I would agree that skill number one with the best German horses is scope vs intelligence on the fences for the best French horses. Why? Probably genetics. More blood so more reactivity, quicker off the ground. But with the evolution of the international breeding, German horses are getting more blood and French horses more scope. Scopey horses are strong enough in their hindquarters and abdos to carry themselves and not lean down on the bit. If they are strong on the bit its from a lack of education. In general young German horses are way more educated than French horses traditionally because they need to. Many young French horses show with little education and still jump clear. I also think that the mentality of the people is different. German riders put their young horses early in a system vs French young horses riders traditionally show them as they naturally are. But I think that the evolution of our sport requires nowadays a better and earlier education.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTKARht8D4k
Eric Navet and Quito de Baussy
Spending time with the breeder of so many amazing horses is an honor. To learn the mares better and to learn also more about the breeder of my mare and where she is born!
