Description of horses of the Hanoverian breed
The horse has long taken a place of honor next to a man. Even in the last century, with the help of this animal, fields were plowed and moved on the ground. Nowadays, the traction power of these animals is used less and less, changing horses to equipment. Now horses can be found in various sports more often than in ordinary life. The Hanoverian horse breed is considered one of the brightest sports species.
Hanoverian horse breed
This species was artificially bred, thanks to which the Hanoverian horse, which originally did not possess any outstanding qualities, became the standard of the Olympic breeds. It is the stallions of this species that have distinguished themselves in the history of horses.
History of the origin of the Hanover breed
The first mention of scholarly work on the breeding of Hanoverian horses dates back to 1735. The breeding plant was established in Germany under the protectorate of King George II, who ruled England and Ireland at that time. Hanoverian horses at that time were used by knights and noble people. In the process of breeding this species, such horse breeds as:
- Arab;
- Danish;
- Trakehner;
- Andalusian.
By the 19th century, the Hanoverian horse breed had undergone a change, and horses were increasingly used in agriculture as traction or in light sledding. They also continued to be used for horse riding. Almost all the first photos with horses were of Hanover. Many rifle cavalry favored these mounts because of their tolerance for loud gunfire and the smell of gunpowder. During the Napoleonic Wars, the breed was on the verge of extinction.
For the revival of the Hanover, English thoroughbred horses were used, but crossing with them led to a strong lightening of the body structure. As a result, the horse lost its working qualities, but acquired increased maneuverability. It was possible to re-balance the breed only at the end of the 19th century. For this, the Hanoverians were brought together with those rejected thoroughbred horsemen who were too large in size. A quarter of the gene pool of the Hanoverian breed consists of English horses.
Interesting facts about the Hanover breed
During World War II, animals again began to play the role of traction and labor. This made it possible to use equids for military purposes and as movement. However, in the post-war period, breeders began work to lighten the Hanover mass. This decision was justified by the fact that in the second half of the twentieth century, horses were replaced with might and main by technology. Consequently, the working qualities of the equids were already unnecessary, so sports became the main goal of the breeders. By our time, horse breeders have achieved excellent results. The Hanoverian horse breed is considered one of the best types of exit horses.They are ideal for horse racing and show jumping due to their physical parameters and disciplined nature. The breeders paid special attention to the latter: the horse of this species is resistant to stress and perfectly lends itself to training. The Hanoverian horse breed served as the basis for the creation of such German species of horses:
- Rhine half-blooded;
- Mecklenburg;
- Brandenburg;
- Westphalian.
The Hanoverian horse breed is considered one of the most prestigious species in the world and occupies a leading place among German horses. Foals of this breed have a high cost, sometimes 3-5 stallions of other breeds are given for one young horse.
Horse appearance and characteristics
The exterior of the Hanoverian horses has a massive appearance, but the structure of the body is harmonious. These are horses of a pronounced sporty appearance. The height of the Hanover at the withers is more than 1.5 m. The neck of animals is long, with a well-defined withers.
The horse's body has developed muscles and turns into a strong croup. The horse's tail is set high. Another feature of the breed is the prominent joints on the long, muscular legs. The horse's hooves are quite high, with a firmly horny plate. With a properly selected diet and a large number of movements, the horse's body becomes embossed, the animal quickly shakes its muscles. Hanoverian stallions are very flexible, their movements are smooth and harmonious. The breed shows itself well in dressage.
The horse's head is embossed with a straight, slightly sloping nose. The eyes are set wide and the color is predominantly brown. The nostrils of the animal are wide.
The color of horses can vary, but the characteristic coat color is black and chestnut. Reddish individuals are extremely rare. White spots on the nose are acceptable, however purebred breeds are generally solid.
The Hanoverian horse breed is distinguished by its endurance and flexibility. Due to its physical qualities, this type of horse is very often used in sporting events. This breed has many merits and medals on its account.
Horses are carefully selected before breeding. Only those animals are allowed to mate, whose exterior passes all the norms. In addition to appearance, the strength, endurance and character of the animal are also tested. Not the last place is occupied by such a characteristic as stress resistance. This quality is one of the predetermines of this breed. A shy horse is not allowed to mate.
An obligatory sign of a thoroughbred Hanoverian horse is a brand in the form of the letter "H". The brand represents two horse heads and is placed on the left side of the animal in the first year of life.
The exterior of the horse is considered exemplary and is often used for photo on the cover of horse breeding magazines.
Character and sporting activities involving the breed
Hanoverian horses have their own distinctive character traits. Most often these are positive qualities:
- pride;
- calmness;
- equilibrium;
- courage.
Such a character in horses of this breed is not accidental: unbalanced animals are not allowed to divorce. That is why, with each successive generation, Hanover is increasingly subject to the rules of discipline. This breed is preferable to others in terms of sports. Riders choose these horses because they are fast and well trained. Most often they are used in races and show jumping because of their agility and endurance.
Conventionally, the Hanoverian stallions can be divided into the following sports groups, where they are leaders with varying degrees of success:
- Show jumping - more than half of the horses in this sport are Hanover.
- Dressage - up to 30% of the total number of racehorses.
- Eventing - about 10% of the total number of horse species.
In general, Hannovers are multiple champions of Olympic sports and simple races. This success is explained by the long and painstaking work of German scientists.The Hanoverian horse breed is a few hundred years of hard work, thanks to which this type of horse became the leader in equestrian sports.
Hanoverian horse in the mounted police
Due to its calm nature and clear execution of commands, the Hanoverian breed is used for equestrian police in various countries. These horses are preferred by the cavalrymen of England, France and Canada. The British Royal Cavalry Regiment consists of Hanoverian stallions.
Preparing for such a service takes some time for riders. Usually horses from 3 to 5 years old are recruited into the regiment, after which they are prepared in this order:
- a horse is tamed by a future cavalryman;
- the animal is tested for resistance to stress;
- the horse, together with the owner, undergoes practice at public events.
Such a service is quite difficult for both the horse and the person. Hanover must withstand loud noises and flashes, remain in place even in the event of direct danger, and obey the rider unquestioningly. The Hanoverian breed does an excellent job with all these requirements.
Also, for photos in British newspapers, as a rule, they choose the owners of this type of horse, because the Hanover is a very beautiful breed.
Features of the diet and content
The daily diet of equine-hoofed animals consists almost entirely of greens and herbs. If the stallion is kept in a stall, then fresh feed can be replaced with hay. However, it is worth remembering that an adult horse can consume hay indefinitely, so it should be harvested in large volumes.
Roughage can be composed of a variety of herbs. But the most popular are:
- meadow;
- steppe;
- cereals;
- legumes.
Grain hay is considered the best food for a horse; its horses are consumed in its pure form. The daily norm of an animal is 2 kg of herbs per 100 kg of live weight of an adult horse. The rest of the roughage must be given in mixed form. This is especially true for bean hay. If you feed a horse with clean bean shoots, you can clog the animal's stomach.
Horses also need vitamin and mineral complexes. If there is a lack of calcium and phosphorus in the body, the bones of the horse simply will not withstand the loads that the animal body receives when running.
The equine stable should be warm and at the same time with good air circulation. The stall of a horse should be cleaned at least once every 3 days. It is also required to comply with the sanitary standards for keeping horses, since their violation leads to unsanitary conditions.
It is also necessary to monitor the horseshoeing of the animal. A stallion with worn out horseshoes cannot participate in the race, otherwise there is a high probability of damaging the hooves. It is customary for sports horses to cast individual horseshoes. For horse racing, they should be light and strong, for show jumping, they should sit perfectly on the hoof.
The same goes for the harness and saddle. Sports equipment should not injure the animal. Check that the harness does not crush teeth and that the saddle does not chafe the horse's back. If a horse participates in open-type competitions, then the animal must have a training and rest regimen, otherwise you can disrupt the body of an adult horse.
Conclusion
So, the Hanoverian breed of horses is distinguished by its maneuverability and disciplined disposition, the characteristics of stallions say that this is the best kind of horses. Thanks to these qualities, the horse is considered a benchmark in various sports. Caring for such a horse differs little from the usual conditions of keeping an equid-hoofed animal. It is important to remember that this breed is focused on racing, so the diet should not be too high in calories, and in the horse's schedule, at least 3 hours daily are devoted to active races. The Hanoverian stallion is highly trainable and will bring many victories if handled correctly.