For centuries, Hanoverians have been known as one of the most successful breeds in riding. Yet for all its prominence and success, including being touted as the best known of the German Warmbloods, there is very little useful information to be found about this 400-year-old variety, either on breeders’ websites or on any of the six international registry sites. Piecing together machine translations from German is woefully imprecise, but there is very little info in English.
Known in Germany as the Hannoveraner, or Hannöverschen Horse, the origins of selective breeding can be traced back to 16th Century to the Kingdom of Hanover in northern Germany, which is now the state of Lower Saxony. Breeding in Hanover at that time was a major livelihood of farmers, and the Hanoverian was bred for agriculture, carriage, and for the cavalry. Originally developed as a draft horse, the breed has been enhanced by the Trakehner, with imported Thoroughbred stallions. regularly crossed with domestic “war horse” German mares for improvements. The result is the modern Hanoverian horse.
The State Stud in Celle, Germany, was founded in 1735 at a time when the individual reining German sovereigns wanted to be independent of importing horses. Since horses were of prime military importance, the goal of the State Stud was to offer good stallions at low fees to individual breeders. This goal remains, although the horses are no longer used for war.
Those unfamiliar with the Hanoverian tend to think that the State Stud at Celle and the Hanoverian Society are one entity, but they are not. Both are separate organizations that co-operate to the benefit of the Hanoverian breed. The Hanoverian Society e.V. is a private co-operation financed by members’ dues, whereas the State Stud Celle is a wholly state-owned institution. Currently, 130 stallions are stationed there and during the breeding season, between February and July, from two to ten stallions are stabled at each of the 42 breeding stations that are spread out over the region. Out of 12,060 services registered with the Verband in 1997, about 7,444 were carried out by state-owned stallions. Currently the Hanoverian stud book has approximately 19,000 mares and 540 stallions registered.
Sometime after 1870, breeders consolidated, taking into account the indigenous tribes, in which the coach and military suitability of the Hanoverian stood in the foreground; and the Hanover Chen Stutbuches (Hanoverian Studbook) was officially begun in 1888 and in 1899 the Chamber of Agriculture took over the stud-book as keeper. Verband hannoverscher Warmblutzuchter, e.V. (VhW), (The Society of Hanoverian Warmblood Breeders) was later founded in 1922 in Germany through a merger of breeders and abolished the requirement for a centrally controlled, uniform breeding and evaluation of all recorded breeding operations.
During the time between the two World Wars special emphasis was on use in agriculture.Since the end of World War II, the breeding goal has been a redevelopment of Hanoverian breeding to exclusively produce a more versatile performance horse.
The Hanoverian is a rideable, noble, big framed and correct warmblood horse, which, on the basis of its natural abilities, its temperament and character is suitable as a performance horse as well as a pleasure horse. Breeding stock is very carefully inspected and selected for correct conformation, athletic ability and inner qualities such as disposition and trainability.
Hanoverians are large but refined, with long necks, sloping shoulders and pronounced withers. The Hanoverian is characterized by a strong build, muscular hidquarters, and hard hooves. The head should be medium sized, and the eyes should be large and expressive. The horses can be 15.3-17.2 hands high, but most are in the range of 15.3-16.2 hands. The colors of Chestnut, bay, brown, black, and gray are the most common. Regulations prohibit buckskin, palomino and cremello horses, as well as horses with too much white, from being registered. The Hanoverian is a well proportioned warmblood horse with natural balance, impulsion and three elegant, light, elastic gaits described only as a ground-covering walk; a floating trot; and a soft, round, rhythmic canter. No further information is available.
The Hanoverian is calm and level headed, even in difficult situations. The horse has an honest and trusting disposition, and gives in willingly to the rider’s commands. They have been bred to be willing and trainable.
A large number of top competition horses have been branded with a special “H” brand of the Hanoverian trade mark on their back left side. Its inspiration came from the crossed horse heads that still decorate the gables of the breeding farm house in Lower Saxony and is a relic from prehistoric times.
In the United States, the American Hanoverian Society (AHS) was incorporated in 1978 in Kentucky with only 40 members, for the purpose of gathering the Hanoverians in North America into a registry to preserve and promote the breed. While the AHS is an independent organization, it maintains a close relationship with the German VhW, regarding inspection, registration and licensing procedures and educational activities.
But not only top riders who engage in Olympic caliber dressage, eventing, hunting, jumping and driving benefit from Hanoverian Horses. The Horses with the “H”-Brand also deligth pleasure riders in many countries throughout the world. Hanoverians, elegant, strong, and robust, excel in dressage, show jumping and cross country.