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IRISH TRAKEHNER HORSE SOCIETY |
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FROM EAST PRUSSIA... |
Andrew Nicholson and Jaegermeister II by Polarschnee. In 1996, the international eventing career of this experienced pair was topped with a bronze medal for the New Zealand team in Atlanta/USA. | |
THE MYTH OF TRAKEHNEN The Trakehner is the oldest and most highly-bred of all warmblood breeds. The royal main stud Trakehnen situated in East Prussia was founded in 1732 by King Friedrich Wilhelm I. The Trakehner, today's only purebred riding horse breed, was systematically created from native breed with major influence of Arabian and Thoroughbred blood. Before World War II, the Trakehners, which were bred as cavalry mounts in the first place, were the most successful sport horses and hunters. In the 1936 Olympics Trakehners won six gold medals and one silver medal.Trakehnen was a vast area with 5000 hectares and 16 farmsteads, with 3400 humans and 1200 horses (including 300 broodmares and 15 sires) living close together. But Trakehnen was also the origin and centre of horse breeding in East Prussia. Four studs (Georgenburg, Rastenburg, Braunsberg and Marienwerder) were annually supplied with young stallions from the main stud to spread the high breeding standard of Trakehnen all over the country.At the end of 1944 horse breeding in East Prussia came to a sudden end. Innumerable families fled more than 600 miles westward. The survivors of this harrowing flight, marked by hardship and privation, which became known as "The Trek", owe their lives to their Trakehner horses.The stock of the most prosperous horse-breeding area of the German Reich consisted of about 25.000 broodmares and 1.200 approved stallions. For the re-establishment of the Trakehner breed in Western Germany only the tiny basis of 1.500 horses was left. From the main stud Trakehnen itself only 27 broodmares could be saved. But the Trakehner breed lives on!...ALL OVER THE WORLD |
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| AN INTERNATIONAL CAREER. In the beginning it was very difficult to re-establish the Trakehner breed in Western Germany, because many of the refugees still hoped to return to East Prussia sometime in the future together with their horses. In addition, horses were replaced gradually by motorization. In 1956, with only 602 mares and 45 stallions left, the Trakehner population had reached rock bottom. But from then on the breeding stock increased steadily. Today, the actual stock registered with the Trakehner Verband comprises 5.000 broodmares and nearly 300 stallions. This makes the Trakehner one of the most significant German riding horse breeds. The breeding area of the Trakehner horse is no longer to be found in East Prussia, but all over the world. This development started immediately after World War II when the first modest exports of stallions and mares took place. Today, Trakehner horses are bred in more than 30 countries, including Ireland.
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| The most successful dressage rider of all times: Dr. Reiner Klimke with the Trakehner stallion BIOTOP. |
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