History Of The Knabstrupper Horse
The Knabstrupper horse is believed to have originated from prehistoric spotted horses that also produced the Appaloosa horse. In 1812 the Knabstrupper started with a single chestnut blanket spotted mare called Flæbe purchased by Major Villars Lunn who owned an estate in Denmark called "Knabstrupgaard". The mare was used as a carriage horse and later bred to a Fredricksborg stallion and Flæbe and her colt foal, Flæbestallion, born in 1813 became the foundation for the Knabstrupper.
By the 1870s the limited number of Knabstrupper horses lead to unavoidable problems of inbreeding and in 1891 a fire at the Lunn family stables killed 22 of its top breeding horses. By 1900 the numbers of Knabstruppers had declined significantly and supporters of the Knabstrupper horses set about to re-establish the breed. In 1971 breeder Frede Nielsen brought 3 Appaloosa stallions to Denmark to introduce new blood into the Knabstrupper breed.
Height Of The Knabstrupper Horse
The Knabstrupper horse stands 14.2 hh upwards.
Colour Of The Knabstrupper Horse
Knabstrupper horses exhibits the same colour patterns as the Appaloosa as they share the same colour genes from the prehistoric spotted ponies.
The Knabstrupper has mottled skin on the muzzle, around the eyes and on the genitals. It also has white sclera and striped hooves. Knabstrupper horses can be any solid colour or spotted.
There are several distinct spotted patterns and each horse is unique. "Leopard Spot" is a white horse with evenly distributed coloured spots, "Near Leopard" is similar to Leopard Spot but with coloured head and legs, "Spotted Blanket" is mainly coloured with a white back and/or hindquarters within which there are coloured spots, "White Blanket" is mainly coloured with a white back and/or hindquarters without spots, "Snowflake" is coloured with white spots over the body, "Frosted Hip" or "Frosted Blanket" is coloured with white frosting or white spots over the loin and hips, "Marble" is coloured at birth but roans with age to almost white, "Few Spot" or "Few Spot Leopard" is white with just a few spots.
Breed Characteristics Of The Knabstrupper Horse
The Knabstrupper horse has an expressive head, a well proportioned neck, long sloping shoulder, strong back, short and muscular loins, strong limbs with plenty of bone.
Temperament Of The Knabstrupper Horse
The Knabstrupper horse is lively, amiable and co-operative.
Uses Of The Knabstrupper Horse
The Knabstrupper horse is used as a general riding horse and in equestrian sports such as dressage, eventing, and show jumping.
