Trakehner Horse

a breed of saddle horse bred in the 18th century at the Trakai Stud Farm, in what is now Kaliningrad Oblast, by crossbreeding Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and other saddle breeds and their hybrids with the local Lithuanian horse.

Trakehner horses are large, well-proportioned, and agile. The coloring is primarily chestnut, bay, dark bay, and black. Stallions at stud farms of the USSR commonly measure 166 cm in height at the withers and have an oblique body length of 168 cm and a chest circumference of 196 cm. Stallions on the average weigh 600 kg, and mares 560 kg. The breed combines great strength with easy and efficient movements at a walk, trot, and gallop. The horses possess an energetic temperament and are easily broken in.

Trakehner horses are highly valued in equestrian sports. The best racing times in the USSR are 1:16 for 1,200 m, 2:11 for 2,000 m, 2:34 for 2,400 m, 3:19 for 3,000 m, and 5:7 for 4,000 m.

Trakehner horses are bred in the USSR, the German Democratic Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Polish People’s Republic, and other European countries, as well as in Asia and Latin America. They are in high demand in the international market for sports and studding.