{"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"u28R38WdMo","rid":"R7EKS5F","offerId":"OF3HQTHR122A","offerTemplateId":"OTQ347EHGCHM"}}

All about Hanoverians


  • Everything you wanted to know about the Hanoverian breed

    Horse & Hound’s guide to major equestrian events 2025
    If you are looking for a quick rundown of the key equestrian competitions taking place in the UK during 2025, then we have all you need to know
    0 seconds of 1 minute, 28 secondsVolume 0%
    Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
    Next Up
    Beginner's Guide To the Cheltenham Festival
    02:37
    00:00
    01:28
    01:28
     

    A relatively recent breed, the Hanoverian was founded in 1735 on a stud at Celle in northern Germany.

    The stud wasestablished by King George II, with the intention of producing strong stallions that could be mated with local mares.

    He planned to use the versatile offspring as all-round agricultural horses.

    Black Holsteins (powerful coach horses produced by crossing native mares with Neopolitan, Spanish and Oriental blood) were used as foundation stock, with Thoroughbred and more recently Trakehner, blood being introduced. The breed gradually became lighter in build and increased in quality.

    History

    Up until World War II, Hanoverians were used as cavalry remounts, harness horses and farm animals.

    Following the war, however, the number of horses needed for this type of work decreased and the breed founda new niche as the demand for riding and competition horses increased.

    Today, the breed has established a world-wide reputation as an athletic show jumper, a versatile eventer and a powerful, agile dressage horse.

    Conformation

    The Hanoverian is a noble, big-framed and correctly-built warmblood horse, whose conformation is suited to both pleasure and performance riding.

    Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2025 with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

    You may like...