In 2018 public attention focuses on the Altwürttemberg horse as the ‘“Endangered Domestic Breed of the Year’. The Altwürttemberger will be demonstrating its versatility in a series of displays in the Livestock Hall (Hall 25), at the International Green Week Berlin (19 to 28 Jan.). A genuine all-rounder, the Altwürttemberger provides ideal leisure time company for drawing a carriage and its equable nature makes it suitable for therapeutic purposes These horses are also used for vaulting and in equestrian shows up to Class L.
A total of 45 Altwürttemberger mares and ten stallions
Formerly referred to as ‘master and peasant’, the Altwürttembergers demonstrated their agricultural strengths by pulling a plough or a cart on weekdays, and on Sundays and holidays they were hitched to a carriage or ridden. A strong, calm warm-blooded horse that did not tire and was also undemanding was the ideal choice for such varied uses. An appropriate and diverse breeding objective was established in 1866 by the Central and Regional Stud in Marbach. With the increasing use of machinery in agriculture the numbers of working horses declined from around 1950 onwards. In accordance with buyers’ requirements, warm-bloods began to be bred to produce a lighter riding horse, and the original farming type became rarer. An association dedicated to preserving this breed of horse, the Verein zur Erhaltung des Altwürttemberger Pferdes e.V. was established in February 1988, more or less at the last minute. At that time the breed comprised just 150 animals. At the present time the 24 active breeders have 45 Altwürttemberger mares and ten stallions.
Each year since 1984 the Association for the Preservation of Old and Endangered Breeds (GEH) has nominated an ‘Endangered Breed’ to emphasise that, in addition to wild animals and plants, valuable resources are being lost in agriculture too, and that active measures are needed to retain the diversity of breeds.