The Kladruber horse is a warmblood breed from the Czech Republic that has been around for more than 400 years, making it one of the oldest horse breeds in the world. The breed was initially bred to serve as carriage horses in royal ceremonies, a tradition that is still holding on today. The Kladruber features a distinctive Roman nose, which makes it easily distinguished from other warmblood breeds.
Photo: Kladruber Horse
Kladruber Breed Facts:
Name: Kladruber
Origin: Czech Republic
Height: 15.3hh-16.3hh
Color: Gray or Black
Usage: Carriage Driving
Other: The Kladruber is most known for its Roman nose, which gives the horse a strong yet elegant appearance.
Kladruber Horse History
The Kladruber is the oldest Czech indigenous breed of horses and is the only breed selectively bred specifically for the ceremonial purposes of rulers (dating back to the 14th century).
The breed was developed at the National Stud in Kladruby nad Labem in the Czech Republic, which was founded in 1579, where old Spanish and Italian blood horses were crossed to create the Kladruber breed.
Throughout the 17th century, the stud farm specialized in breeding ceremonial carriage horses for the Imperial Court.
The tradition still persists today; the Swedish Mounted Royal Guards use Kladrubers to carry trumpeters, and the Danish queen uses Kladrubers to draw her State Coach on festive rides.
The breed has a lively temperament yet is calm and intelligent - making them safe for public events where there is a lot of noise and things that can go wrong.
Kladruber Horse Usage
Even though the Kladruber is still mainly bred for carriage driving, cultural events, and other official events, the breed has other qualities that make them great dressage or trail horses. Another usage for them is equine therapy horses, due to their calm and docile nature. The Kladruber is a heavier build warmblood breed; hence, it's not as popular for Showjumping or other athletic riding disciplines.
Kladruber Horse Colors
At the start, the Kladruber breed could be found in almost all colors, but as years went on, only gray and black were selected for horse breeding, as it looked nicer when all the horses looked the same for carriage driving.
Grey kladrubers historically served royal courts, hence the decline in popularity of black kladrubers. The color was nearly extinct in 1931 but was successfully regenerated thanks to a unique project initiated in 1939 to save the black horses.
Why Does the Kladruber have a Roman Nose?
The Kladruber's long history of selective breeding has given the breed a distinct look with a 'big nose', also referred to as a convex head with a Roman nose.
They are sometimes mistaken for the Campolina breed due to their similar noses.How Much Does a Kladruber Horse Cost?
The Kladruber breed is considered a 'cheaper' warmblood breed,
As the Kladruber breed is not very common, you are very lucky if you happen to come across one. As the breed is of a heavier build, it is not as popular as a riding horse; hence, the price tag is fairly low. You can find a Knabstruber horse for anything from $4000 to $30,000.
