“LIKE flying on a magic carpet” is how Danish Olympian Andreas I Helgstrand describes I riding the 17.2hh nineyear-old stallion Jovian, one of dozens of stallions on the roster at the prolific Helgstrand breeding facility. The leggy bay (by Apache x Tango) represents the epitome of modern dressage breeding: he's purposebuilt to do his job with spectacular fluidity and jaw-dropping expression.
Dressage horses were not always thus. After the cessation of World War II, there was time and appetite for competitive equestrian sports. Most horses fell into one of two categories: the fiery hotblood (such as the racing thoroughbred) or the clunky coldblood, mostly used in agriculture.
The modem warmblood came about through the mixing and finessing of these two - capitalising on the sturdiness and longevity of the coldblood and the energy and athleticism of Arabs
