New ranking of dressage horse breeders is topped by Denmark.
As an alternative to the WBFSH’s yearly ranking the Dutch horse breeding magazine “Horse Genetics” has conducted a new survey emphasizing the success rate of the studbooks breeding dressage horses.
The WBFSH’s ranking is based on each studbook’s six highest placed horses on FEI’s individual ranking. The tendency is that this ranking is topped by the studbooks producing the highest number of foals each year, like the Dutch studbook KWPN and the German Hanoverian studbook. In this ranking Danish Warmblood has placed 3rd in three consecutive years.
The new Dutch survey paints a different picture. By calculating the percentage of foals actually making it to the FEI Top 300 it reflects the quality of the breeding rather than the quantity. The result reveals that some of the smaller studbooks prove to be more successful than in the traditional ranking.
Danish Warmblood ahead of all
The new ranking produced by Horse Genetics/Sport Horse Breeding places Danish Warmblood ahead of all other studbooks producing dressage horses. During the period 1995-2002 a total of 13,659 (dressage) foals were born in Danish Warmblood and 37 of them are now placed in the FEI Top 300 of dressage horses. In other words, 0.2709% of these foals are international top sports horses. Danish Warmblood is followed by the Holsteiner studbook with 0.2254% and the Oldenburg studbook with 0.2034%.
The two largest warmblood studbooks which top the WBFSH ranking are downgraded to the fourth (KWPN) and the seventh (Hannover) place. The most drastic differences are Swedish Warmblood placing fifth compared to their tenth place on the WBFSH ranking, and Belgium placing sixth compared to a fourteenth place.
Denmark tops the nation ranking
This survey has also lead to a ranking with country of origin. Each country is represented by all its studbooks which are a member of WBFSH, so that the country is judged on the total number of dressage horses that it produces. In this nation ranking Denmark takes a very clear lead ahead of Holland, Sweden, Germany and Belgium.
The Dutch magazine concludes from the survey “that the Scandinavian countries are in a strong position, the difference between Denmark and the remaining countries is impressive and that Holland is placed higher than Germany”.