Trakehner Influence in Westfalia

Like so many other German warmblood breeds, Westfalia, and later the Rhineland, were heavy on working animals and draft horses and witht he downfall of the horse as an essential tool in farming, had to come up with a new plan quickly. Westfalia's State Stud in Warendorf was founded in 1828, and only a few years later, the Rhineland followed with a State Stud in Wickrath (1839), which doesn't exist anymore. Today, the state of Northrhine-Westfalia is united in its efforts of breeding warmbloods, but two distinct brands are still kept alive, while major shows like approvals and auctions feature horses from both regions. One big difference in their histoyr is probably that Westfalia always was closer to Hanover in terms of improvement blood, while the Rhineland profited most from Trakehners. But roots of the East Prussian horses can be found anywhere, and so here is the story of the influence in this particular warmblood breed.

Foundation lines - Oxyd

Before WWII, the breeder Baron von Nagel realized how valuable East Prussian horses could be in "modernizing" these heavier types into suitable riding horses. In 1938, he bought the East Prussian stallion Oxyd from the Prussian state stud Beberbeck. A descendant of the Perfectionist xx-Irrlehrer line in Trakehnen, Oxyd was a very valuable stallion in Berberbeck before he was sold.
As Werner Schockemöhle stated in his book "German show jumping riders", "the Beberbeck C, L and O-lines contributed greatly to the establishment of the Hannoverian and Westfalian breed. Whenever it mattered most to breed for hardiness, movement and elegance, Beberbeck stallions were used. Oxyd was no exception. This black stallion was a huge success". Oxyd sired 20 main studbook mares and 5 approved stallions in Vornholz. Inarguably, Oxyd's greatest contribution was to the Westfalian breed. Daughter Malta produced the gray, full brothers (by Ramzes AA) - Mariano and Radetzky. The younger was Mariano. Owned and ridden by Josef Neckermann, this pair's dressage achievements included team and individual gold medals at the 1966 World Equestrian Games in Switzerland, and team gold and individual silver at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

Sadly, his influence was less prevalent in the Trakehner population, where harsh conditions after the war made survival - not breeding - the most pressing business. The few notable exceptions were world-class horses. The full-brothers Adular and Afrika along with Chronist xx made up the bronze medal team at the 1952 Olympics in Stockholm.

Adular, Afrika and Chronist xx	Mariano	Radetzky

The older was the stallion Radetzky, founder of the legendary "R-Line" that went on to be synonymous with world-class dressage. Today, the R-line influences some of the best dressage horses in Oldenburg and Hannover, as well as many smaller German registries. In the U.S., the Hannoverian and Westfalian breeds also depend on this influence. Radetzky's most important line is through Remus I -> Romulus I -> Romadour II -> Rosenkavalier -> Rubinstein. An entire chapter about Rubinstein can be found in our Oldenburg section.

To get an idea of the general athleticism of the "R-Line", consider the Radetzky son Roman, World Champion Show Jumper in 1978 and the immortal Rembrandt who along with partner Nicole Uphoff, won individual and team gold medals at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympic games. And the Radetzky grandson Sioux was a leading event horse in Europe during the 70s.

Rembrandt