"Belgium" Sport Horse? or Belgian?

We were just looking at a horse online designated as a “Belgium Sport Horse.” Never heard of that breed before so Googled it and found “Belgian” Sport Horse. Is “Belgium Sport Horse” a new breed, or could this be the same sort of mistake some people calling the Belgian breed the “Belgium” breed (draft breed)?

Looking for a friend who is looking for a warmblood or a sport horse.

There is Belgian Warmblood, BWP.

Not to be confused with a horse that is a belgian draft cross.

‘Belgian Sport Horse’ sounds like fancy talk for a half belgian draft half something else.

So, in other words, not a warmblood.

Careful of those types, they’re also the type to say that a PercheronxQH is a warmblood! An American Warmblood!

If it is a Belgian Warmblood, presumably it has registration papers you can ask to see. Or ask the lineage, sire and dam. IME, people with “real” warmbloods know all this about their horses, and take great interest in talking about it :). Ask the owners, see what kind of response you get. You could also later Google the names they give you and see if they exist in the Belgian Warmblood universe. I don’t think it’s a very common breed, certainly not in North America.

If they can’t name and brag about the registered sire, it probably isn’t a Belgian Warmblood.

That said, depending on the conformation that comes out of the mix, some people are happy with draft crosses at the lower levels of competition. But you shouldn’t be paying anything near warmblood prices for a draft cross, unless it has really proven itself in competitoin.

Belgian Sport Horse - aka, Studbook sBs or the Royal Sport Horse of Belgium, is a warmblood horse from the French speaking part of Belgium (vs. Belgian Warmbloods which come from the Flemish speaking part of Belgium). The stud book was ranked 5th in the world by the WBFSH in show jumping last year. McLain Ward rides two Belgian Sport Horses, HH Azur and Rothchild. People frequently misname both Belgian Sport Horses and Belgian Warmbloods - as Belgium. You can see more about the registry at www.sbsnet.be

[QUOTE=risingstarfarm;8690902]
Belgian Sport Horse - aka, Studbook sBs or the Royal Sport Horse of Belgium, is a warmblood horse from the French speaking part of Belgium (vs. Belgian Warmbloods which come from the Flemish speaking part of Belgium). The stud book was ranked 5th in the world by the WBFSH in show jumping last year. McLain Ward rides two Belgian Sport Horses, HH Azur and Rothchild. People frequently misname both Belgian Sport Horses and Belgian Warmbloods - as Belgium. You can see more about the registry at www.sbsnet.be[/QUOTE]

Yes, but these horses do not have Belgian Draft in them. It sounds like OP is looking at a horse that is potentially half draft? In which there is no affiliation, SBS, BWP or otherwise. “Sport Horse” seems to have lost its credibility, at least colloquially, as ‘studbooks’ like AWS have been on the rise and accept anythin and everything with four legs…

Ronda didn’t ask me to write this post, and doesn’t know that I’m doing it, but she’s the North American agent for sBs, and her customer service is exceptional. I highly recommend sBs as a place to register foals, if you have one that’s eligible. :slight_smile:

Belgium is a country. Belgian is an adjective. ANYONE who uses the word Belgium to mean Belgian has made a mistake, whether they’re referring to a warmblood or a draft horse. The draft horses are Belgians, not Belgiums.

I’d still say, ask the seller and see what kind of response you get.

If it’s a real warmblood, they will know its lineage and have papers, even if they misspelled the name on the sales site.

If it’s a draft cross, that will become pretty obvious too :slight_smile:

Belgium is a country. Belgian is an adjective.