History

Top-level horse breeding

Danes have been breeding riding horses for centuries. Originally, the horse was used for work or as riding horse in the royal stables and the Danish Armed Forces.

The world-famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, where classical equitation from the Renaissance is performed, is home to the white Lippizaner stallions. One of the founders of this line of horses was a Danish dapple-gray horse named Pluto. This handsome stallion was born at Det Kongelige Frederiksborger Stutteri (The Royal Stud at Frede- riksborg) in Denmark as early as 1765. These stables belonged to the Danish king, who was famed for breeding some of Europe's finest horses.

In recent decades, organized breeding has made Denmark a top-level producer of riding horses. Danish horses easily measure up to the best horses from other European countries.

Modern Danish breeders have made good use of breeding stallions from famous horse breeding countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, adding some of Europe's best performing blood to the Danish horses of today.

More and more Danish riding horses excel at international competitions owing to the constant work to improve the quality of Danish breeding horses at studs all over Denmark. Moreover, the horses are trained by people who hold a professional Danish horse trainer's degree and who at the same time work as coaches for the talented riders.

This combination of targeted and selective breeding plus goal-oriented training of the horses are now paying off, making Danish horses in high demand among ambitious riders all over the world.

Many of the Danish breeding and riding events take place at the national horse center, Vilhelmsborg - one of the largest and most modern equestrian sports centers in Europe. Vilhelmsborg is an old converted manor located in beautiful surroundings close to Denmark's second largest city, Aarhus.