Kisber Felver
Encyclopedia
The Kisber Felver is a rare sport horse
breed developed at the former Kisber Stud in Hungary
. The Kisber Felver is not widely known, but has merit in sport horse disciplines. Only a handful of people continue breeding Kisber Felver horses today.
s. It successfully produced racehorses and was the origin for champions such as the unbeaten mare Kincsem
, who was entered in The Guinness Book of World Records.
Through a carefully controlled breeding program, a distinct horse type evolved. The Kisber Felver was bred by crossing Thoroughbreds with Furioso
s, Trakehner
s, Arabians
, Anglo-Arabian
s, and Selle Francais, while maintaining the a high ratio of Thoroughbred blood.
The Kisber Felver is a relatively young breed, developed over the past hundred years, and they display good conformation, athletic ability, movement, and a lively temperament. Like many other horse breeds, the Kisber Felver was endangered during the World War I
and World War II
. In 1945, more than half of the breeding stock were taken as war spoils. 150 Kisber Felver horses were imported for the US Remount, but were sold at public auction
in 1947 when the remount disbanded. Unlike other European imports such as the Lipizzan
er, the imported Kisber Felvers were widely crossbred, reducing the count of purebred animals. In 1961, the Dalmand Stud took hold of the remaining purebred Kisber Felvers. The stud has continued the breeding to the day.
. All stallions intended for breeding must be inspected and licensed
by the breeding committee.
Sport horse
Sport horse, or Sporthorse, is a term used to describe a type of horse, rather than any particular breed. The term generally refers to horses bred for the traditional Olympic equestrian sporting events of dressage, eventing, show jumping, and combined driving. The precise definition varies...
breed developed at the former Kisber Stud in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The Kisber Felver is not widely known, but has merit in sport horse disciplines. Only a handful of people continue breeding Kisber Felver horses today.
History
The Kisber Stud was founded in 1853, and initially bred ThoroughbredThoroughbred
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...
s. It successfully produced racehorses and was the origin for champions such as the unbeaten mare Kincsem
Kincsem
Kincsem was the most successful Thoroughbred race horse ever, having won 54 races for 54 starts. Foaled in Tápiószentmárton, Hungary in 1874, she is a national icon, and is revered in other parts of the world, too...
, who was entered in The Guinness Book of World Records.
Through a carefully controlled breeding program, a distinct horse type evolved. The Kisber Felver was bred by crossing Thoroughbreds with Furioso
Furioso
Furioso was an influential sire of jumping horses, and is found in the pedigrees of many top show jumpers today.-Life:Furioso was a terrible racehorse, with zero wins out of 21 starts. However, he was a fantastic sire of jumping horses, standing in France...
s, Trakehner
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...
s, Arabians
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
, Anglo-Arabian
Anglo-Arabian
The Anglo-Arabian or Anglo-Arab is a crossbred horse that now also has its own status as a horse breed. It is a Thoroughbred crossed with an Arabian. The cross can be made between a Thoroughbred stallion and an Arabian mare, or vice-versa...
s, and Selle Francais, while maintaining the a high ratio of Thoroughbred blood.
The Kisber Felver is a relatively young breed, developed over the past hundred years, and they display good conformation, athletic ability, movement, and a lively temperament. Like many other horse breeds, the Kisber Felver was endangered during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1945, more than half of the breeding stock were taken as war spoils. 150 Kisber Felver horses were imported for the US Remount, but were sold at public auction
Public auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
in 1947 when the remount disbanded. Unlike other European imports such as the Lipizzan
Lipizzan
The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner , is a breed of horse closely associated with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, where the finest representatives demonstrate the haute école or "high school" movements of classical dressage, including the highly controlled, stylized jumps and other movements...
er, the imported Kisber Felvers were widely crossbred, reducing the count of purebred animals. In 1961, the Dalmand Stud took hold of the remaining purebred Kisber Felvers. The stud has continued the breeding to the day.
Characteristics
Kisber Felvers are a sporthorse breed developed to perform in a variety of modern sport horse disciplines. They stand between and can be any solid color but are often bay or chestnutChestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
. All stallions intended for breeding must be inspected and licensed
Studbook selection
Studbook selection is a process used in certain breeds of horses to select breeding stock. It allows a breed registry to direct the evolution of the breed towards the ideal by eliminating unhealthy or undesirable animals from the population. The removal of individuals from a population is called...
by the breeding committee.