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Country of origin | South Africa |
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The Vlaamperd is a South African breed of light draught or harness horse; it is also suitable for riding and is used in dressage. It was bred in the Western Cape region of South Africa in the early twentieth century, and resulted from cross-breeding of local mares with imported European stallions, particularly Friesians. The horses are usually black, though mares may be dark seal brown. A stud-book was started in 1983.
The Vlaamperd derives from the now-extinct Hantam Horse or Cape Horse, a riding horse bred in the former Cape Province, particularly after 1814 when Lord Charles Somerset imported Thoroughbred stallions from Britain. [6] [3] [7] Shortly after the end of the Second Boer War in 1902, a funeral director in Cape Town imported a few Friesian stallions. [3] They were shipped from Antwerp in Belgium, supposedly because exports of Friesians from Holland were not permitted at the time; for this reason Friesians came to be known in South Africa as Vlaams Perde, meaning 'Flemish Horses'. [4]: 511 [a] The Vlaamperd descends from the offspring of Hantam and other mares put to these stallions. [3] There was some later influence from other foreign breeds: an Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger stallion named Kemp made a significant contribution to the early development of the Vlaamperd, as did a Cleveland Bay stallion named Scheepers in the 1940s. [3]
In 1983 a breed society, the Suid Afrikaanse Vlaamperdtelersgenootskap or South African Vlaamperd Breeders Society, was started in Bloemfontein; [3] a stud-book was begun in the same year. [2]
The conservation status of the breed is not clear – population data has not been reported to DAD-IS since 1999. [2] In 2013 there were about 200 horses. [5]: 418
The Vlaamperd stands on average 154 cm (15.1 hands) at the withers. Its appearance is similar to that of the Friesian, but less heavy, with finer bone. [5]: 418 [8] It has a thick mane and tail, a well-rounded croup, long legs and a high-arched neck, and steps high when in motion. [5]: 418
Stallions are black, while mares may also be dark seal brown. [4]: 511
The Vlaamperd may be used as a riding horse, a carriage horse or for classical dressage. [4]: 511 [5]: 418
Conservation status | |
---|---|
Other names |
|
Country of origin | South Africa |
Traits | |
Height | |
Colour |
|
The Vlaamperd is a South African breed of light draught or harness horse; it is also suitable for riding and is used in dressage. It was bred in the Western Cape region of South Africa in the early twentieth century, and resulted from cross-breeding of local mares with imported European stallions, particularly Friesians. The horses are usually black, though mares may be dark seal brown. A stud-book was started in 1983.
The Vlaamperd derives from the now-extinct Hantam Horse or Cape Horse, a riding horse bred in the former Cape Province, particularly after 1814 when Lord Charles Somerset imported Thoroughbred stallions from Britain. [6] [3] [7] Shortly after the end of the Second Boer War in 1902, a funeral director in Cape Town imported a few Friesian stallions. [3] They were shipped from Antwerp in Belgium, supposedly because exports of Friesians from Holland were not permitted at the time; for this reason Friesians came to be known in South Africa as Vlaams Perde, meaning 'Flemish Horses'. [4]: 511 [a] The Vlaamperd descends from the offspring of Hantam and other mares put to these stallions. [3] There was some later influence from other foreign breeds: an Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger stallion named Kemp made a significant contribution to the early development of the Vlaamperd, as did a Cleveland Bay stallion named Scheepers in the 1940s. [3]
In 1983 a breed society, the Suid Afrikaanse Vlaamperdtelersgenootskap or South African Vlaamperd Breeders Society, was started in Bloemfontein; [3] a stud-book was begun in the same year. [2]
The conservation status of the breed is not clear – population data has not been reported to DAD-IS since 1999. [2] In 2013 there were about 200 horses. [5]: 418
The Vlaamperd stands on average 154 cm (15.1 hands) at the withers. Its appearance is similar to that of the Friesian, but less heavy, with finer bone. [5]: 418 [8] It has a thick mane and tail, a well-rounded croup, long legs and a high-arched neck, and steps high when in motion. [5]: 418
Stallions are black, while mares may also be dark seal brown. [4]: 511
The Vlaamperd may be used as a riding horse, a carriage horse or for classical dressage. [4]: 511 [5]: 418