Oldenburg

About the breed

The Oldenburg (German: Oldenburger) is a German warmblood sport horse whose core breeding area is the former administrative district of Oldenburg in Lower Saxony. Its studbook is kept by the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes, based in Vechta, whose breeding goal is a noble, large-framed, correct and capable horse with elastic, ground-covering movement, suited to every kind of equestrian sport. For three-year-olds the breeding programme gives a height of roughly 160 to 170 cm at the withers, and there is no restriction on colour.

From Count Anton Günther's horses to a working and carriage horse

Oldenburg horse breeding was founded in the 17th century by Count Anton Günther of Oldenburg (1583–1667). According to the breeding association's history, he used Neapolitan stallions from Italy, Andalusians from Spain, Cleveland Bays from England and stallions of Arabian origin from Poland and the Middle East, and developed the Oldenburg into a popular school, riding and carriage horse. The first stallion licensing in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg took place in 1820, the first mare register was published in 1891, and a horse breeding act of 1897 led to two separate breeding associations, North and South Oldenburg.

In 1923 and 1924 the two associations merged into a single organisation with a common breeding goal and a closed studbook; at that point there were about 10,000 broodmares. The German Society for the Conservation of Old and Endangered Livestock Breeds (GEH) describes how breeders then aimed for a medium-framed, strong-boned working horse that was an easy keeper. Heavy warmbloods of this kind were still working medium-heavy farmland and in haulage in the 20th century, and the army used them as baggage horses and to pull artillery.

Conversion to a sport horse and an open studbook

The modern Oldenburg is the product of a change of direction in the second half of the 20th century. In 1959 the Thoroughbred stallion Adonis xx became the first to open the phase of breeding for the modern sport horse, and in the early 1960s the studbook opened to further Thoroughbreds and to the Trakehner Herbststurm. In 1968 breeders returned to the bloodlines of the French Normans, mainly through the Anglo-Norman stallion Furioso II. According to the GEH, the last stallion of classic bloodlines was withdrawn from breeding in 1971. The old heavy type survives today as a separate breed, the East Friesian and Alt-Oldenburger, whose breeding programme aims for a versatile driving horse with at least 75 % heavy warmblood genes.

Oldenburg breeding is known for its liberal breeding policy. The programme defines pure breeding that is open to horses from other populations when they help reach the breeding goal. The list of approved breeds is long: besides German and other European warmblood studbooks, including the Slovenian and Croatian warmbloods, it names the Lusitano, the PRE, the Gelderlander, the Arabian and the Thoroughbred, the Anglo-Arab, the Shagya-Arabian and the Akhal-Teke. Apart from Germany, the association's breeding area covers most of Europe, including Slovenia, as well as the American continent, China and South Africa.

Two studbooks: OL and OS

Two independent studbooks operate under the Oldenburg name today. The OL association keeps the studbook of the Oldenburg horse, where, in its own words, mainly horses with a talent for dressage are bred. The OS association (Springpferdezuchtverband Oldenburg-International), founded in 2001 under the leadership of Paul Schockemöhle, keeps a separate breed, the International Oldenburg Show Jumping Horse, whose breeding goal is a horse for show jumping; breeders of eventers with a jumping emphasis are also at home there.

Since 2012 both associations have been united under a common umbrella organisation, the Oldenburger Pferdezuchtverband. At the start of 2023 OL had about 7,400 mares and 300 stallions, and OS had 5,070 mares and 200 stallions. According to the association, the broodmare population in 2020 was about 12,000, and measured by the number of registered foals Oldenburg had become the largest horse breeding association in Germany.

Height, weight and build

The Oldenburg is a large riding horse: the OL and OS breeding programmes give a height of roughly 160 to 170 cm at the withers for three-year-olds. The studbook does not state a weight, and there are no reliable weight measurements for this breed specifically. As general orientation for warmbloods only: in a Danish study, 38 adult warmbloods (breeds not specified) were weighed on a scale at 478 to 718 kg, with a mean of 640 kg.

The breeding goal asks for an elegant, harmonious riding horse with expression and nobility: an expressive, refined head with a large, lively eye, long and pronounced withers, a large sloping shoulder and a rectangular frame with a long, slightly sloping croup. A coarse, clumsy or unharmonious appearance is explicitly undesirable.

Colours and movement

An Oldenburg can be any colour, since both breeding programmes simply list "all colours". For movement, by contrast, the programme is precise about what it wants: diligent, rhythmic and ground-covering basic gaits, meaning a four-beat walk, a two-beat trot and a three-beat canter. The movement should come elastically and energetically from the hindquarters and travel over a loosely swinging back to a forehand that reaches freely from the shoulder. Over fences, a skilful, powerful, careful and deliberate jump with a clearly rounded back (bascule) is desired.

Temperament: what the breeding goal says

According to the breeding programme, an Oldenburg should be uncomplicated and easy to handle, yet keen, strong-nerved, reliable, of good character and with a calm, balanced temperament. Horses that are difficult to handle, nervous or hot-tempered are particularly undesirable.

That is a selection goal, not a guarantee for every horse. The Oldenburg is a big sport horse with powerful movement, so how it behaves in daily work depends on the individual, its age, its schooling and the trainer. A young horse from dressage or jumping lines needs an experienced rider, while an older, well-schooled horse can suit less experienced riders too.

Dressage, show jumping and leisure riding

The Oldenburg is best known as a dressage horse, but it is used in all Olympic disciplines. In its stallion selection guidance the association mentions dressage horses, show jumpers, eventers, hunters and reliable partners for leisure riding. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Isabell Werth rode the Oldenburg mare Weihegold OLD to individual silver with 89.071 % and team gold with Germany, taking her Olympic medal tally to ten. The association notes that many horses from its auctions in Vechta go on to compete internationally, while others go to ambitious amateur and leisure riders.

Oldenburg vs Hanoverian: what is the difference?

The Oldenburg and the Hanoverian are both German warmblood sport horses from Lower Saxony; the main difference lies in how breeding is organised. Oldenburg breeding has two independent breeds, OL with a dressage emphasis and OS for show jumping, whereas the Hanoverian remains one breed with separate breeding programmes within a single studbook. The Oldenburg programme explicitly lists the Lusitano, the PRE and the Gelderlander among approved breeds, while the Hannoveraner Verband confirmed in 2023 that these breeds are not eligible for its programme. The Hanoverian programme targets a final height around an average of 168 cm, while the Oldenburg programme gives 160 to 170 cm for three-year-olds. In the 2025 WBFSH dressage ranking Oldenburg was second with 12,310 points and the Hanoverian society third with 11,665.

Health: WFFS and veterinary checks for stallions

WFFS (warmblood fragile foal syndrome) occurs in the Oldenburg. It is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder of the connective tissue: a foal that inherits the faulty gene variant from both parents does not survive. In an international survey of 4,081 horses from 38 breeds, 34 of the 219 Oldenburgs tested were carriers (15.5 %), which the authors described as similar to the Hanoverian (49 of 283, 17 %). The samples were not random samples of the whole population.

Under the OL breeding programme, every stallion entered in Stallion Book I or II has been tested for WFFS since 2019; the result is published and does not affect registration. At licensing the programme also checks for radiographic findings of osteochondrosis, laryngeal paralysis, recurrent airway obstruction (heaves), equine recurrent uveitis, crib-biting, ataxia and shivering. A stallion with such findings to the extent the programme defines is not licensed, and for some of these findings a mare may be entered in Mare Book II. These are selection criteria, not figures on how common the conditions are in the breed.

How long does an Oldenburg live?

There are no lifespan figures specific to the Oldenburg, so the general figure for horses applies. The Merck Veterinary Manual states that horses live 25 to 30 years on average, and that lifespan depends on health, care and size.

Housing, feeding and exercise

An Oldenburg needs a stable with daily turnout and contact with other horses. The UK Code of Practice for the welfare of horses (DEFRA) stresses that horses are herd animals that should be able to socialise with their own species, and that isolation can have a negative psychological impact. All stabled horses, except those on box rest for veterinary reasons, benefit from daily turnout to graze.

Forage is the basis of the diet. In a natural state a horse spends 16 to 20 hours a day grazing and browsing, so outside work it should have almost constant access to hay or grazing and continuous access to fresh water. The ration should be adjusted to age, type, weight, condition, health and workload, and concentrates added only to the extent the horse really needs energy that forage does not cover.

Care: hooves, teeth, vaccination and worming

Caring for an Oldenburg is moderately demanding and follows the same rules as for other horses. Hooves should be trimmed or reshod as advised by the farrier, usually every 4 to 8 weeks. Teeth should be checked by a vet or equine dental technician at least once a year, and older horses more often if needed. The DEFRA code recommends a vaccination and hygiene programme agreed with a vet, and a parasite control programme that includes faecal worm egg counts and the use of wormers when necessary.

Who the Oldenburg suits

The Oldenburg suits dressage and show jumping riders best, as well as leisure riders who want a large, elegant horse with good paces and can work regularly with a trainer. For beginners and children it is suitable only with conditions: choose an older, calm, well-schooled horse and ride under qualified supervision. It is less suited to owners who lack time for daily exercise or who would keep the horse alone, without other horses for company. With a horse like this, it is worth keeping a record of vaccinations, farrier visits and dental checks.

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