# Hanoverian vs. Dutch Warmblood?



## Raejay (Mar 30, 2015)

I'm on a CDE team for FFA, on the breeds ID list there are several horse breeds. The two breeds I have the most trouble with are the Hanoverians and the Dutch Warmbloods, they look very similar :? . Does anyone know how to physically tell the difference between the two?


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Answer to that is 'No!'

Dutch warmbloods are a mix of several breeds. 
Hanoverians have changed a lot over recent years since several TBs were cross bred to them to improve the back end.

Warmblood is a term used to cover many breeds including cross breeds which a lot of continental horses are.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Like Foxhunter said!

There is very little difference between many of the European warmbloods. There are, traditionally, two major "types" of warmbloods.....the carriage horses (finer and somewhat fancier) and the coach horses (stronger and more powerful). Examples of the carriage horses would have been the Trakehners. The Hannoverians were coach horses.

Now that carriage/coach differences are not so important, they have worked to "refine" the coach horses by mixing in finer examples from other breeds as a way to "improve" the breed. As a result, they are taking away much of what defined them.

Carriage style horses are the rage. Many of the heavier coach horses fell into history. Some distinct coach breeds are now extinct, like the Yorkshire Coach Horse. They were no longer needed and other horses filled the need for riding horses, so they fell by the wayside. Too bad. Their stud book was finally closed in 1936. Cleveland bays were another horse that almost went away. Luckily, it was caught in time and are still around, though uncommon.


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