The Frederiksborger is Denmark's oldest horse breed. They were tremendously popular throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods and were considered luxury items. Today, the breed is rare, but has a loyal following. Stallions and mares undergo studbook inspections before being allowed to breed. They are most often chestnut with white markings.

History

The Royal Frederiksborg Stud was founded in 1562 under King Frederik II, who populated it with the

Neapolitan horse The Neapolitan Horse, , ''Neapolitano'' or ''Napolitano'', is a horse breed that originated in the plains between Naples and Caserta, in the Campania region of Italy, but which may have been bred throughout the Kingdom of Naples. The Neapoli ...

and the Iberian forerunners of the

Andalusian horse The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE (Spanish language literally translates to "Spanish pure breed". This name is sometimes capitalized when used in English-language publications, but is all lower-case in Spanish, which ...

. As the Norfolk Roadster and Arab-bred horses gained popularity later on, they, too, were selected to stand at the royal stud. As a

courtly Courtesy (from the word , from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly culture was r ...

mount, the Frederiksborg had to be agile and trainable for the courtiers' pursuits in ''haute ecole'' and

warfare War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...

, stylish and high-stepping for parades and court ceremonies, and strong and uniform in appearance to trot before the royal

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

s. By the 18th century, the Frederiksborger enjoyed such particular fame that the Danes began to export them in great numbers. They contributed to the formation of the

heavy warmblood The heavy warmbloods () are a group of List of horse breeds, horse breeds primarily from continental Europe. The title includes the Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger, Ostfriesen ("East Friesian") and Alt-Oldenburger ("Old-Oldenburger"), Groningen H ...

s, but also to the

Lipizzan The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner (, , , , , , ) is a European horse breed, breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroque horse, Baroque type, and is powerful, slow to mature and long-lived; the coa ...

er. A grey Frederiksborger stallion born in 1765, ''Pluto'', became a foundation stallion in the breed. The popularity of the breed took its toll, and in 1839, the royal stud was closed. The breeding of Frederiksborgers continued with private breeders, though the needs of the people reshaped the horse to some degree. Instead of a luxury item, the horses were redirected to be more suitable for the

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

and

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

work. In 1939, efforts to re-establish the breed were started, adding East Friesian, Oldenburgs,

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

s, and

Arabians Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

later. The modern Danish Warmblood often traces back to the Frederiksborger through the female lines, though the pedigrees of these horses are mostly German. Nevertheless, as the Danish breeders made use of German and Swedish horses, some part-Frederiksborger mares made their way back into the breeding population. So too do the

Holsteiner The Holsteiner is a horse breed originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a domin ...

''Manfreid'' (''Markgraf''), Swedish ''Rousseau'' (Herzog), and the

Hanoverian The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe: * British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 * things relating to; ** Electorate of Hanover ** Kingdom of Hanover ** Province of ...

s ''Atlantic'' (''Abglanz''), ''Ergo'' (''Abendjaeger''), and ''Boheme'' (''Bolero''). Otherwise, the Frederiksborger has been purebred for the past century, which accounts for their uniform type.

Characteristics

Today, the numbers of Frederiksborgers are low, but the remaining examples are handsome horses. They are most often vividly marked flaxen chestnuts, though

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

buckskins Buckskins are clothing, usually consisting of a jacket and leggings, made from buckskin, a soft sueded leather from the hide of deer. Buckskins are often trimmed with a fringe – originally a functional detail, to allow the garment to sh ...

palomino Palomino is a equine coat color, genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane (horse), mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. The palomino color derived from the breeding of Spanish hor ...

s, and greys are seen, as well. They usually have sabino-type markings and many have

rabicano Rabicano, sometimes called white ticking, is a horse coat color characterized by limited roan (horse), roaning in a specific pattern: its most minimal form is expressed by white hairs at the top of a horse's tail (horse), tail, often is expresse ...

roaning, as well. In conformation and type, the Frederiksborger was "ahead of its time", so the horses express great quality and are quite uniform. The muzzle is wide and the straight lines of the head often border on convex. The neck is powerful and usually crested, and is set high on strong shoulders. The withers are not high, and the back, while long, has a strong loin. The hindquarters are broad and deep and the croup is level. The level topline and high-set neck of the Frederiksborger belie its showy trot. The legs are solid and square, a little more than half the horse's height. The tail is well-carried. The gaits of the Frederiksborger are expressive and powerful, with natural self-carriage. The trot is the best gait and is showy with a long stride. The walk is diligent and open, and the canter is sufficient. Most Frederiksborgers are willing jumpers, though calm-natured horses are less likely to be concerned about knocking rails.

Uses

Frederiksborgers are best in harness and compete up to the international levels of

combined driving Combined driving (also known as horse driving trials) is an equestrian sport involving driving (horse), carriage driving. In this discipline, the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. The sport has three p ...

. They are also suitable horses for amateurs, as they are not selected for sensitivity. Some individuals are successful in competitive

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

and

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

, as well.

Medical issues

Frederiksborgers are early-maturing, long-lived, and sound reproductively and structurally well into their old age. The greatest concern facing the health of the Frederiksborger is

inbreeding Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely genetic distance, related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genet ...

due to a limited gene pool. However, studbook inspections are intended to safeguard the breed against weakness; a horse with a known genetic disorder is not approved to breed.

References

"Frederiksborg," from Oklahoma State livestock breeds

Breed Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederiksborg Horse Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Denmark