Warlander
Encyclopedia
The Warlander is a horse of Baroque type
Baroque horse
The Baroque horse is a term used to generally describe the type of agile but strong-bodied descendants of horses in the Middle Ages such as the destrier. Specific ancestors of this type include the Neapolitan horse, and the Iberian horse of Barb ancestry known in the Middle Ages as the Spanish...

, produced by crossing Andalusian
Andalusian horse
The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE , is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation...

 and Friesian
Friesian horse
The Friesian is a horse breed originating in Friesland, Netherlands. Although the breed's conformation resembles that of a light draft horse, Friesians are graceful and nimble for their size. During the Middle Ages, it is believed that the ancestors of Friesian horses were in great demand as war...

 breeds. The ideal Warlander combines the Andalusian's intelligence, facility for collection, flexibility, and powerful hindquarters, with the Friesian's tractability, dramatic leg action, "bone", and strong forequarters.

History

The crossing of Andalusian and Friesian horses to produce improved cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

 horses has a history going back to at least the sixteenth century, though the term "Warlander" was coined only in the late twentieth century to reflect both the breed registry's claim that this cross was historically used as a war horse
Horses in warfare
The first use of horses in warfare occurred over 5,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of horses ridden in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons...

 and its origins from two very old equine horse breeds.

Characteristics

Warlander breeders seek to augment the strongest and most desirable qualities of the Andalusian and Friesian breeds through the genetic heterosis
Dominance versus overdominance
Dominance versus overdominance is a scientific controversy in the field of genetics that has persisted for more than a century. These two alternative hypotheses were first stated in 1908.-Genetic basis of heterosis:...

 created by combining two purebred
Purebred
Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding...

 lines. Another goal is to address concerns related to inbreeding depression
Inbreeding depression
Inbreeding depression is the reduced fitness in a given population as a result of breeding of related individuals. It is often the result of a population bottleneck...

 that may exist in progenitor lines as a result of having closed genetic stock. Because of this, significant debate exists over whether a Warlander will only obtain genetic benefit if it is an F1 hybrid
F1 hybrid
F1 hybrid is a term used in genetics and selective breeding. F1 stands for Filial 1, the first filial generation seeds/plants or animal offspring resulting from a cross mating of distinctly different parental types....

. A crossbred animal is likely to enjoy hybrid vigor
Heterosis
Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement, is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. The adjective derived from heterosis is heterotic....

 and therefore have genetic gains over both of its parents. However, there is uncertainty over whether an F2 horse - produced by a Warlander-Warlander, Warlander-Andalusian, or Warlander-Friesian pairing - would be likely to suffer from genetic atavism
Atavism
Atavism is the tendency to revert to ancestral type. In biology, an atavism is an evolutionary throwback, such as traits reappearing which had disappeared generations before. Atavisms can occur in several ways...

. The statistically tiny number of F2 and subsequent generation Warlander horses bred internationally has meant empirical resolution of this question has not yet been possible.

Recognition

Although evidence of breeders utilizing the Andalusian-Friesian cross dates back 400 years, the Warlander has been a distinctly organized horse breed
Horse breed
Horse breed is a broad term with no clear consensus as to definition, but most commonly refers to selectively bred populations of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a very broad sense to define landrace animals, or...

 only since the 1990s. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) currently does not recognize competition horses classed as Warlanders, and no Warlander organizations are recognized by the global Universal Equine Life Number foundation or any national equestrian federation. However, the Bavarian Specialist Breed Registry (Bayerischer Zuchtverband für Kleinpferde und Spezialpferderassen) has begun to house Warlander breed books
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...

. Warlander supporters are optimistic that this recognition opens the door to formalization of the breed within the European Union system.

External links

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