The Wielkopolski is a breed of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

that was originated in Central and Western

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

in 1964, and is occasionally known as Mazursko-Poznanski. Its name derives from ''

Wielkopolska Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city ...

'' ("Great Poland"), a region in west central Poland centred on

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

History

The Wielkopolski was developed by crossing two now extinct Polish breeds, the Pozan and the Mazury, so it is also referred to as the Mazursko-Poznanski. The Pozan or Poznan horse was developed in Poland. This breed was extremely rare, and was bred at the studs at Posadowo, Racot, and Gogolewo. The Pozan was a mixture of Arabian,

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

Trakehner Trakehner is a light warmblood breed of horse, originally developed at the East Prussian state stud farm in the town of Trakehnen from which the breed takes its name. The state stud ( :de:Hauptgestüt Trakehnen) was established in 1731 a ...

, and Hanoverian bloodlines. It was a middleweight farm horse, very versatile, used for riding and agricultural work. The Mazury, also known as the Masuren was developed in Poland as a riding horse. It mainly stemmed from the Trakehner breed and when crossed with the Pozan went on to develop the Wielkopolski breed. The Mazury was bred at the stud at Liski in the

Masuria Masuria (, german: Masuren, Masurian: ''Mazurÿ'') is a ethnographic and geographic region in northern and northeastern Poland, known for its 2,000 lakes. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District. Administratively, it is part of the ...

region. A 1963 Polish postage stamp illustrated a Mazury. These two breeds formed a base, to which Thoroughbred, Arabian, and

Anglo-Arabian The Anglo-Arabian or Anglo-Arab is a crossbred, part-Arabian horse that now also has its own status as a horse breed. It is the result of a Thoroughbred (hence, the prefix "Anglo") being crossed with an Arabian. The cross can be made betw ...

blood was further added.

Breed Characteristics

Although not a well-known breed worldwide, it is used as a

sport horse A sport horse or sporthorse is a type of horse, rather than any particular breed. The term is usually applied to horses bred for the traditional Olympic equestrian sporting events of dressage, eventing, show jumping, and combined driving, but ...

because of its temperament, comfortable gaits, and hardiness. Their athleticism allows for use in show jumping and

eventing Eventing (also known as three day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...

. They are also suitable for dressage. The breed is bred along two lines. One is lighter, for competitive riding. The other is heavier, and used in harness and as a riding horse. The Wielkopolski has a fine, small head with a straight profile and lively eyes. This is set into a strong, long neck. The horse has sloping shoulders and a deep and wide chest. It is muscular, compact, and deep in the body, with powerful hindquarters. Their legs are well muscled with long cannons and good, clearly defined joints and tendons. They can be any solid color, and usually stand between There is also another Polish warmblood breed, the Małopolski, bred in the region of ''

Małopolska Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...

'' ("Little Poland") in the south of the country (around

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

). These horses are smaller and slightly less suited to showjumping than the Wielkopolski.

References

External links

Photos of the Wielkopolski Horse
{{Equine, state=collapsed Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Poland