About Westphalian Horse
| Weight | 1,150 lb |
| Physique | Powerful, light build |
| Lifespan | 25-30 years |
| Best Suited For | All levels of horse owners, trainers, and riders |
| Temperament | Willing, even-tempered, easy to train, relaxed, strong work ethic |
| Comparable Breeds | Oldenburg Horse, Hanoverian Horse |
| Height | 15.2-17.2 h.h. |
Westphalian Horse Breed History
The Westphalian Horse, also known as the Westfalen Horse, is a breed of horse that originated in Westphalia, the largest state in Germany and the westernmost part of the North Rhine region. Wild horses roamed freely throughout these marshlands during Roman times, when farming was prohibited, which are located between the Weser and the Rhine rivers. One small group of semi-wild horses still roam the area today, and young stallions are resold each year.
Those wild horses are the ancestors of the Westphalian Horse. Westphalia has been breeding horses for hundreds of years, but this breed wasn’t created until 1826. The Westphalian breed was developed using Oldenburg, Anglo-Norman, Thoroughbred, and Hanoverian blood over time. Westphalians are easy to work with because they are laid back.
The Westphalian Horse was used as a farm horse before the tractor was invented because these horses were strong enough to pull carts to town, carry riders, and plow fields. However, the breed is utilized in more apprehensive settings these days.
These horses can pull carriages as well as compete in training, jumping, and equine eventing.
The Westfalen Horse Association was established in 1999 by devoted enthusiasts of this distinctive horse breed. Promoting and supporting the Westphalian throughout the United States was their primary objective. The German Association of the breed, which is in charge of breed registration and records, is affiliated with the organization.
Westphalian horse Breed Traits
Because of their easygoing nature, Westphalian horses are very popular. You can work with this breed whether you are a beginner or a professional rider or trainer because they are easy to ride and train. Be that as it may, because these ponies are enormous movers, they probably won’t be fit to be easygoing riders. These ponies do, nonetheless, perform very well in dressage and show bouncing.
These athletic, appealing, areas of strength and are likewise known for their hard-working attitude, so they will be committed and able to work with you, all while staying collected and agreeable. In general, they are a joy to work with and be near.
The Hanoverian and the Westphalian appear to be similar.
Overall Description
The Hanoverian Horse and the Westphalian Horse are physically similar. The attractive profile of its head can be slightly dished or straight. The chest should be deep and the neck ought to be long.
Additionally, this horse will have strong hindquarters and a high-set tail in addition to strong loins, sloping shoulders, and a medium-length back that is broad and straight. You will notice that the forearms in particular have strong muscles, even though the legs are short and the joints are large and pronounced. The hooves are also hard and well-shaped.
Due to its muscular quarters and powerful body, this breed will have excellent suspension and even appear elegant while moving. It also has a lighter build than other warm-blood equine breeds, which makes it easier to move around.
Since the Westphalian Pony isn’t viewed as an expert in any single sort of equine game, pinpointing the particular compliance for these horses can be hard. A horse might look different from another.
Westphalians can move gracefully and with great suspension.
Colors
Beautiful Westphalian horses can be found that have all of the solid equine colors. However, the Westphalian Horse’s most common coat colors are black, gray, chestnut, and bay.
Size
Westphalians are about 15.2 and 17.2 hands tall. These animals generally weigh between 1,000 and 1,300 pounds. These are to some extent similar to the Hanoverian ones, but their build is coarser.
Breeding and Uses
The Westphalian breed has been established more for sport. The main characteristics of the breed are strength and perfect riding ability. Thus, the Westphalian is stable enough for beginners and at the same time, it is a preferred choice for professionals. Breeding programs are still running in the horse’s homeland of Germany, but horses have also been transported to America to found breeding programs here, too.
At present, many purposes have been introduced to the Westfalians, such as Driving and Show Hunting. Mainly, it wins the dressage and show jumping competitions because of its energetic movements and long strides. It is a breed with good proclivity and well known for its rideability and hence is liked by the riders who compete at different heights.
Diet and Nutrition
Mature Westphalians are usually serious eaters but because of it, you can still save money on your feed bill. These horse’s diet includes different forages such as hay and grass. A feed concentrate may be included for horses that have been working hard, while others can just be given a balanced diet.
Common Health Problems
Westphalians, relatively speaking, constitute the largest people in the area and are one breed that tends to be healthy, but they are inbred with Hanoverians. Hanoverians with Osteochondrosis have a higher risk of producing the same in Westphalians, which are strainless. Osteochondrosis, a condition caused by the disruption of the development in the cartilage, can be a source of trouble in the lower limbs of the horse, often leading to breaking out of leg sores, and usually not able to have the ability to participate in a patient’s horse’s riding and athletic career. In some cases, this ailment may be discovered just after the horse develops navicular, a painful hoof disease that calls for the proper care and sometimes demanding chores to undertake to ensure the horse’s comfort.
Usually, this purebred is very trainable, and often a child can learn them with no problems and is generally known for having
Grooming Requirements
The Westphalian Horse, like all other equine breeds, greatly benefits from regular grooming. Grooming sessions are a great way to build relationships with your horse as well as to massage and clean their skin and coat.
A standard equine grooming kit will enable you to detangle the tail and mane and smooth out the entire coat, in addition to using equine shampoo to thoroughly clean your horse whenever necessary.
You can use a dandy brush and a shedding blade if necessary to remove additional debris, dirt, mud, and loose hair after brushing your horse’s entire body with a curry comb. Using a body finishing brush and a damp rag, you can focus on the horse’s legs and face, and then use a mane comb and tail brush to detangle the long, flowing hairs on those parts of the body. At last, utilize a foot pick to completely clean the hooves of any garbage, soil, and shakes, and make certain to review the hooves near guarantee that they are solid too.
3 Little-Known Facts About the Westphalian Horse
1. Westphalians Are Warm-Blooded Animals
This is a categorization of horses, not a talk of their physiological ability(meaning all horses are mammals, and therefore they generate their heat). The Clydesdale, Belgian, and Shire are fantastic examples of cold-blooded horses, that is, they are much bigger than the normal horse and have thicker fur for protection against the biting cold
2. Westphalians Are Great With Kids
The calmness of Westphalian horses is what makes them close friends of children; although they are difficult to ride by kids. They are happy to be close to kids and will eat things like carrots and apple slices from their hands.
3. Germany Leads in Westphalian Horse Breeding
The Westphalian horse which is the second largest breeding program in Germany after the Hanoverian is unfortunately not possible to count them living in the USA and even in some other parts of the world. Mistranslations likely exist because some of the stallions are registered as Rhinelanders, while some Rhinelanders, the breed from which Westphalians developed, are listed as Westphalians, which confuses the stud books.
These are fed and kept indoors on small farms and of course in the backyards of the farmers. Not only be able to handle inclement weather, but they also have a whole range of behavior variations in the body.
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