Knabstrupper

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

Danish breed of horse, spotted

title: "Knabstrupper" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["horse-breeds", "horse-breeds-originating-in-denmark", "animal-breeds-on-the-geh-red-list"] description: "Danish breed of horse, spotted" topic_path: "general/horse-breeds" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knabstrupper" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Danish breed of horse, spotted ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox horse breed"]

FieldValue
nameKnabstrupper
imageDanish Knabstrupper - Xantos.jpg
status
altname
countryDenmark
distribution
group1Knabstrupper Association of Denmark
std1https://knabstrupper.dk/cms/Clubknab/ClubImages//Avl%20og%20sport%20dokumenter/Avlsprogrammer%202024/2024%20UK%20Breeding%20Program%20Knabstrupper%20Horse%20updates%20FINAL%2020240120.pdf
useriding, driving, circus
colourusually spotted
height
weight
::

| name = Knabstrupper | image = Danish Knabstrupper - Xantos.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = | image2 = | image_size2 = | image_alt2 = | image_caption2 = | status = | altname = | country = Denmark | distribution = | group1 = Knabstrupper Association of Denmark | std1 = https://knabstrupper.dk/cms/Clubknab/ClubImages//Avl%20og%20sport%20dokumenter/Avlsprogrammer%202024/2024%20UK%20Breeding%20Program%20Knabstrupper%20Horse%20updates%20FINAL%2020240120.pdf | use = riding, driving, circus | colour = usually spotted | height = | weight = | note =

The Knabstrupper or Knabstrup is a Danish breed of warmblood horse. It is principally a riding horse, but is also used as a harness horse and as a circus animal. It is broadly similar to the Frederiksborger, but often has a spotted coat. In the past, injudicious breeding for this characteristic alone compromised its constitution and conformation. In the years after the Second World War the mechanisation of agriculture led to a sharp fall in numbers, and by the 1960s no more than 100 of the horses remained. In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed, with a world-wide population estimated at little over .

Characteristics

The horses usually stand between at the withers; small or pony-sized ones have also been bred.

According to the Knabstrupperforeningen for Danmark, the EU-approved main organization for the Knabstrupper breed, the primary colouration should be spotted. Solid-coloured horses must only be bred to spotted-coloured horses. To be eligible for registration and breeding, a horse must also display one or more characteristics of striped hooves, mottled skin, and white sclera (white of the eye), though if still in doubt, the presence of the LP-gene may be documented with a gene-test. Horses with a grey gene, rat tail (sparse hair), or distinct pinto colourations are not eligible for registration or breeding.

A 2022 study found that Knabstruppers are predisposed to Equine recurrent uveitis.

Breed history

The Knabstrupper descends from a single mare believed to have originated in Spain who showed qualities of endurance and speed, and was of an unusual colouration: a deep red () with a white tail and mane, and white flecks or "snowflakes" over her whole body and brown spots on her back. She was called Flaebehoppen, 'Flaebe's horse', because she was reportedly bought by a butcher named Flaebe from an officer of the Spanish army. He sold her to , who took her to his estate at Knabstrup Hovedgård in the kommune of Holbæk in northern Zealand. There, in 1808, after a month of testing of her working capabilities, he bred her to a Frederiksborger stallion. The stallion Mikkel, a grandson of this pair foaled in 1818, was a noted harness-racer and a foundation stallion of the Knabstrupper breed. In 1971, three Appaloosa stallions were imported to Denmark in the hope of adding new blood to the Knabstrupper breed; only two of them were used, and many breeders preferred to cross-breed with Danish Warmblood, Holsteiner or Trakehner stock.

As of 2024, crossing Knabstruppers with other breeds such as Thoroughbreds, Arabians and other warmbloods may lead to approval, but crossing with Appaloosas will not.

Uses

The Knabstrupper has long been used as a circus horse, and is well suited to driving and equestrian vaulting. It is also used in dressage, show-jumping and eventing.

References

References

  1. (28 October 2022). "VGL Research identify risk factors for insidious uveitis in Knabstrupper horses". UC Davis Veterinary Medicine.
  2. (September 2023). "Risk factors for insidious uveitis in the Knabstrupper breed". Equine Veterinary Journal.
  3. "Breeding Programs 2024".
  4. "Knabstrupper".
  5. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn. 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  6. 9781780647944.
  7. [https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=DNK&specie=Horse&breed=Knabstrupper&lang=en Breed data sheet: Knabstrupper / Denmark (Horse)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2022.
  8. [https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=DEU&specie=Horse&breed=Knabstrupper&lang=en Breed data sheet: Knabstrupper / Germany (Horse)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2022.
  9. [https://dadis-transboundary-ext-ws.web.app/?species=Horse&transboundary=Knabstrupper&lang=en Transboundary breed: Knabstrupper]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2022.
  10. Elwyn Hartley Edwards (1994). ''The Encyclopedia of the Horse''. London; New York; Stuttgart; Moscow: Dorling Kindersley. {{isbn. 0751301159.
  11. Elwyn Hartley Edwards (2016). ''The Horse Encyclopedia''. New York, New York: DK Publishing. {{isbn. 9781465451439.
  12. Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). [https://archive.org/details/horsesofworld0000rous/page/n1/mode/1up ''Horses of the World'']. Princeton: Princeton University Press. {{isbn. 9780691167206.
  13. [https://www.knab.dk/history History]. Viborg: Knabstrupperforeningen for Danmark. Accessed February 2024.
  14. (January 20, 2024). "Breeding Program for the Purebred Knabstrupper of Classic Type (adopted 2005)".
  15. (June 2008). "Breed of the Month: Knabstrupper". USDF.
  16. 9781032084428.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

horse-breedshorse-breeds-originating-in-denmarkanimal-breeds-on-the-geh-red-list