Kladruber
Origin
Czecholovakia
History
The Kladruby horse sprang from old Spanish and Italian blood in the 16th and 17th centuries. It has been continuously bred in the Czech lands for over four hundred years. In 1579 the Emperor Rudolf II who was a great lover of Spanish horses established a horse stable in Kladruby nad Labem with the aim of providing official carriage-horses for royal ceremonies, so called galakarossiers. The Kladruby was used as a majestic ceremonial carriage horse by the imperial court in Vienna. The blossoming of the stud was from 1712 to 1748, when the stud had 1,000 head of horses.
The Kladruby of the 18th century had a high, Roman-nosed head with small ears, high-set neck, and a wide, muscular croup. At that time, colours found in the breed were not only black and grey but also some less common ones, such as Palomino and appaloosa. Unfortunately, breeding records for the breedīs first 200 years were destroyed by fire in 1757. Later the Kladruby was bred in two colour varieties, white and black.
The progenitor of the modern breed was the black Spanish-Italian stallion Peppoli foaled in 1764, whose descendants Generale and Generalissimus founded lines still bred today.
Maestoso (1773) and Favory (1779), two stallions born in Kladruby, became progenitors of famous Lippizaner lineages. Arabian Shagya X and Orlov Trotters Barzoi and Legion were used for blood freshening between WWI and WWII. Favory blood lineage returned to Kladruby after the WWII, when the Kladruber population was reduced. Rudolfo, Lusitano imported from Portugal after the WWII, also has several daughters which are submitted into the Kladruber studbook.
Black Kladruber had two important lineages: Sacramoso (born in 1799) and Napoleone (1845). The stud was regenerated in Slatinany. There are some differencies in the black and the white type. The White Kladruber is more thoroughbred type, has higher level of oriental blood and a gentler cranium. Black Kladruber has slightly more nordic - occidental blood and much more Neapolitan blood. That is why the Blacks have a slightly different head and neck shape and a shorter croup. Sacramoso lineage brought to the Blacks the typical cranium shape, more concave in the splanchnocranium and nearly plane in the forehead. In general, the Black Kladruber is heavier and smaller than the white.
Black Kladruby horses were used mainly as carriage horses for clerical dignitaries. In 1930, the black herd was dispersed with most of the animals going to meat processors. A plan was later developed, using the remaining black mares, to re-establish the black line. This aim was fulfilled with success in the Research Institute for Horse Breeding in Slatinany. This undertaking was highly appreciated by the world organization UNESCO and is acknowledged as a model for rescue of endangered breeds.
The Kladruby horse is hippologically unique. The breed has a four hundred year old selection history. In Czechoslovakia it is the only indigenous breed. It is one of the rarer breeds in the world with 1,200 Kladruber horses in the world, most of them - more than 1,000 - in the Czech Republic. Five hundred horses are in private hands and five hundred are owned by the National Stud Farm
Description
- Head:
pronounced convex-shaped head - Conformation:
the Kladruby is a vigorous, majestic carriage horse of Baroque appearance with a large frame and vaulted neck. A cadenced trot with high knee action is typical of this breed. - Average height:
16.2 to 17 h.h. - Colour:
usually grey - Temperament:
Kladruby horses have always been known as tough, late-maturing horses with great endurance. They have a calm nature. - Today:
primarily used as draft or combined driving horses, their speed makes them successful at the international level. The Kladruber is also occasionally outcrossed with lighter breeds to produce a more suitable riding horse, usually for dressage.
I have been a working student with Dominique for over a year, and within a short time, we have grown together into a wonderful team. Less than a year under saddle, and Solo and I are already working on the canter piruette...
The Old-Kladruber Horse is one of the most graceful and noble breeds I have ever seen!
I recently went to the Czech R. and the Kladruby studfarm and hope to import a mare within the next year. (I have a Lipizzan gelding right now). I love the pictures of your black stallion, he is gorgeous. Are you aware of the United States Kladruber Horse Association that was founded earlier this year?
If you are in California, I would love sometime to come and see your stallion Solo.
Thanks,
Clara Moehlman
Your stallion is GORGEOUS!!! I own a four year old grey Kladruber mare that I would like to breed sometimes next year. If you e-mail me, I can send you her pictures. =)
Jana