I’ve been reading the harness thread ( on the dressage forum) with interest, but I am totally not familiar with their movement. What do they bring to the table as far a a dressage horse? Do they have more suspension, or free shoulders or powerful hind ends? What? How can they “help” a mare that is not a harness “type”? Thanks, this is very interesting, I love “hybred” types but have never thought of these as dressage movers.
I’m not even understanding the question.
What breed are you talking about??
the thread on the dressage forum
is referring to the dutch harness horse, I think. In that thread, they are riding the harness horses in the dressage ring and some are crossing these horses with riding type horses…which prompted me to ask the “?” Thanks
Do you mean Dutch Warmbloods? If you’ve seen something on a forum somewhere might be an idea to post the link.
[QUOTE=Thomas_1;4566643]
Do you mean Dutch Warmbloods? If you’ve seen something on a forum somewhere might be an idea to post the link.[/QUOTE]
I think they mean the Gederlanders (or Dutch Harness Horse). They are different from the regular Dutch Warmblood, heavier and they have a little higher, snappier movement. I heard they even imported a couple of American Saddlebreds stallions several years ago to add more flash to the gaits.
Christa
The Dutch Harness Horse/Gelderlander has extravagance of movement
Over the years it has been said that Hackney HORSES (not ponies) were bred into the Gelderlander
Think movement like Anky’s Salinero
big and flashy, and a bit on the edge
It is not necessarily what all people are looking for but does make a splash
I think it is one of those things where people see something in another breed, in another discipline & try to import (cross breed) that into the major breeds of there own discipline.
The DHH & the Gelderlanders can have alot of suspension in there natural movements without a rider, I’m sure many dressage riders see such things and ask themself what could they get out of that type of horse riding it!
Robert
I responded to your original post in the Dressage Department, and have also posted it here:
They bring what you said to the mix, and much more!
They have powerful hind ends with obvious hock articulation. Their hocks are very much under them and carrying. They have the ability to coil their loins and step fare underneath themselves. They have tons of suspension. They have rounder movement (as opposed to daisy cutting straight legged movement), where knees and hocks are both used.
The canter is pure and has a lot of jump. They have clean flying changes, and you will rarely see one cross cantering for even a split second in a pasture.
They will improve all of the above in a non-harness mare. The above traits are dominant ones. There are some very successful dressage horses (national and international) who are half or part harness horse.
Try searching for gelderlanders or dutch harness horses on this site. There have been numberous threads over the years.
The Dutch Harness Horse was created from the original Dutch horses, the Gelderlander and the Groniger, and were the Dutch Warmblood and it’s subcategories: the Riding Horse, the Jumper, the Hunter, the Gelderlander, and the Dutch Harness Horse. (The Groniger split off long ago and has it’s own book and registery). The Gelderlander and the Dutch Harness Horse are very closely related, if not the same, but in years gone by a distinction was made. Each has it’s own book of bloodlines.
The Dutch Harness Horse’s movement and qualities are all natural. What people said about the SB and Hackney is not all correct. The Dutch Harness Horse existed successfully on it’s own for a very long time without adding new blood. The two breeds were only introduced to ADD NEW BLOOD into an already small gene pool. There has been only a very select few individuals (like one or two stallions of each breed in past years) that were accepted and bred into the book. That blood has been diluted down. There are many individual Dutch Harness Horses that do not have either. (and in many cases, thankfully).
Very well said and good posts by Fantastic (who has some really nice Gelderlander and Harness Horses I might add :)).
I am eagerly awaiting my foal, I crossed my KWPN Riding Type mare to a Harness Horse stallion that was approved for breeding last year.
I just sold a lovely Gelderlander gelding who was strictly a driving horse. Lots of power and ability, action in front and a willingness to try and do whatever you asked. He loved to canter in harness and would come back with a simple half-halt.
Gelderlanders are a great breed, tough to find. The KWPH have more action than a Gelderlander and are a lot more common.
[QUOTE=Trakehner;4567009]
I just sold a lovely Gelderlander gelding who was strictly a driving horse. Lots of power and ability, action in front and a willingness to try and do whatever you asked. He loved to canter in harness and would come back with a simple half-halt.
Gelderlanders are a great breed, tough to find. The KWPH have more action than a Gelderlander and are a lot more common.[/QUOTE]
I am not familiar with KWPH? What is that? Not being snarky…really just want to know 
We had old-style Gelderlanders for a couple years, imported years ago. They had a LOT more substance and bone than the present DHH I am seeing. Ours had the natural action front and hind, just flat shod. They both wore size 4 in the European shoes.
Ours both rode and drove, had PLENTY of power, enough to make your eyes water at the big trot! They came from the Dutch School, trained by Mr. Velstra as part of a Team. They were kindly, certainly willing and taught us MUCH about what to expect in upper level horse ability and skills. They had done a lot of ridden Dressage, were quite capable of the upper level movements, with a skilled rider pushing the buttons. I was not that good a rider, but fun to watch them under another!
We met Mr. Velstra at the Gladstone World Pairs Championship in 1993, asked about the two of them. He actually remembered them fondly as he had assembled the Team originally. He told us then that TRUE Gelderlanders like ours were dinosaurs, end of the era. No one was breeding them like that, not what the market wanted. He only knew about 15 Gelderlander horses like that still around back then, and they were being crossed to lighter animals for more action.
Haven’t seen any to equal ours since. Lots that have the color, good action, just lack substance as we expect it. With Mr. Velstra at the heart of Dutch breeding, have to believe what he told us. DHH and Gelderlander WERE quite different animals, in the past.
Our animals were old when we got them, over 20yrs, possibly much older. So they were bred in the late 1970’s or very early 80’s for a time frame. Saw photos of them in competition in the 1980’s when CDE was very young. We sure enjoyed them, as did the girl we gave one to after putting one down for health problems. Took it to college and showed the “pretty horse” riders how to REALLY do those upper movements! Left them with their mouths hanging open after the unkind remarks about the looks of horse!! Nothing anyplace around to match her skilled education under saddle. The girl really loved that horse.
The Gelderlanders both had nice endings after all their years of service. Bodies were old and worn, but sound movers to the end.
[QUOTE=CDE Driver;4567192]
I am not familiar with KWPH? What is that? Not being snarky…really just want to know :)[/QUOTE]
The KWPN will use the abbreviation KHH to stand for KWPN Dutch Harness Horse in English literature (since most English speakers have trouble wrapping thier heads around the word Tuigpaarden). I think Trakehner must have gotten confused.
[QUOTE=Renae;4567369]
The KWPN will use the abbreviation KHH to stand for KWPN Dutch Harness Horse in English literature (since most English speakers have trouble wrapping thier heads around the word Tuigpaarden). I think Trakehner must have gotten confused.[/QUOTE]
Hey, I shoveled snow for hours today…a typo can occur.
Thanks a bunch
I appreciate your time sharing with me about this type of horse. I am certainly learning a lot about a horse I obviously knew nothing about.
So is this about Gelderlanders?
It’s easy to say . . .
Tuigpaard.
Tuig = tow (like cow) -gh (soft “g”) = towg, tou-g, = Tuig
Paard = pard
All together now, “Tuigpaard”.
dressagediosa posted her link of her 3rd Level Musical Freestyle on her Dutch Harness Horse, Victorious.
