Kinsky horse
Encyclopedia
The Kinsky horse or Equus Kinsky was Europe's original sport horse
. It was bred until the middle of the 20th century in Bohemia
, a part of the modern-day Czech Republic
. At one time it was the most prominent breed in that part of the world.
, while others are bay, chestnut
or black
(although black is very rare). The Kinsky horse is known for its extremely glossy, almost metallic, coat.
The Kinsky horse is a versatile, multipurpose horse, suited to dressage
, military and police applications, eventing
, steeplechasing
, fox hunting
, show jumping
and polo
.
branch of the Kinsky
family and in particular Count Oktavian Kinsky (1813–1896). The family of the Count had for decades bred Thoroughbred
s for horse racing
or steeplechasing. The first known mention of the breed term "Kinsky horse" or the now-protected designation "Equus Kinsky" is from the year 1838, with the creation of modern sport horse
stud book. Prior to 1838, the horses were known only as the particular horses bred by the various Counts Kinsky of the branch living in Chlumec nad Cidlinou.
The Kinsky family leaders were raised to the rank of Count in 1628. Thereafter, the Kinsky family received an order to develop their stud farm and breed horses for the Emperor's cavalry in the early 18th century. Horses with the best stamina, boldness and amenable personality suitable for battle and loyal to their riders were preferred, along with the golden color. In 1776, the quality of the horse was further improved through bloodstock from England. In 1814 Countess Kinsky arrived in Vienna for the International Congress riding a golden Kinsky horse; this attracted huge attention and the golden horse became sought after throughout Europe. Under the direction of Count Oktavian Kinsky, the stud near the Chlumec castle was expanded further and the studbook, which is still in use, was developed. Count Octavian was eccentric but a keen horseman. In 1874 he introduced an exhausting steeplechase, the Paradubice, where his own horses competed, frequently placed - and sometimes won.
Count Karel Kinsky rode the Kinsky mare Zoedone to win the Grand National
at Aintree England in 1883. The next year at the same race, his horse collapsed. The horse was not raced again and was retired to the Kinsky stud.
Following the communist
takeover and the election of Klement Gottwald
in 1948, many of the Bohemian nobility
fled, including the Kinsky family, who left Chlumec, with a consequent dispersal of the Kinsky herd. However, Count Radslav Kinsky remained in Chlumec until 1953 and when he returned in 1989 to reclaim his property, he helped found a club called "Equus Kinsky" to protect the remaining herd of Kinsky horses and eventually resurrect the breed. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and expanded contact with the west brought the breed greater recognition. Authorities in the Czech Republic now consider this breed an emblem of the country and the horses are now legally protected.
. The Kinsky horse is no longer threatened today (2006), but with less than 1,000 Kinsky horses surviving worldwide it is one of the rarest horse breeds in the world.
The Czech Republic has recognized that the breed is worth saving as cultural property. Various breeders of Kinsky horses are expanding their breeding programs in central Europe and there are also breeders and enthusiasts of the Kinsky horse in England, America and elsewhere. The future looks safer for this breed, and some promoters have the goal of seeing a Kinsky horse once again running at The European Grand National - Pardubice to celebrate more than 160 years of the Kinsky sport horse and countless more of the Kinsky horse in general.
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...
. It was bred until the middle of the 20th century in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, a part of the modern-day Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. At one time it was the most prominent breed in that part of the world.
Physical characteristics
Kinsky horses are usually between in height. They are considered to have stamina, athleticism and good character. Much importance is attached to the balanced, good-natured character of these horses. From birth, Kinsky horses are all very much inclined towards humans, friendly and curious. Around 40% of Kinsky horses have coats in various shades of gold, due to the cream dilution geneCream gene
The cream gene is responsible for a number of horse coat colors. Horses that have the cream gene in addition to a base coat color that is chestnut will become palomino if they are heterozygous, having one copy of the cream gene, or cremello, if they are homozygous. Similarly, horses with a bay...
, while others are bay, chestnut
Chestnut (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...
or black
Black (horse)
Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...
(although black is very rare). The Kinsky horse is known for its extremely glossy, almost metallic, coat.
The Kinsky horse is a versatile, multipurpose horse, suited to dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
, military and police applications, eventing
Eventing
Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
, steeplechasing
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
, fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, show jumping
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
and polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
.
History
The development of the Kinsky horse is closely linked with the history of the ChlumecChlumec nad Cidlinou
Chlumec nad Cidlinou is a city of the Czech Republic in Bohemia, Hradec Králové Region.It is situated near Hradec Králové at the confluence of the rivers Cidlina and Bystřice. The town lies at an average height of 206 metres above sea level...
branch of the Kinsky
Kinsky
The Kinsky family of the Counts and later Princes was one of the oldest and most illustrious families originating from Bohemia...
family and in particular Count Oktavian Kinsky (1813–1896). The family of the Count had for decades bred Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
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 for horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
or steeplechasing. The first known mention of the breed term "Kinsky horse" or the now-protected designation "Equus Kinsky" is from the year 1838, with the creation of modern sport horse
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...
stud book. Prior to 1838, the horses were known only as the particular horses bred by the various Counts Kinsky of the branch living in Chlumec nad Cidlinou.
The Kinsky family leaders were raised to the rank of Count in 1628. Thereafter, the Kinsky family received an order to develop their stud farm and breed horses for the Emperor's cavalry in the early 18th century. Horses with the best stamina, boldness and amenable personality suitable for battle and loyal to their riders were preferred, along with the golden color. In 1776, the quality of the horse was further improved through bloodstock from England. In 1814 Countess Kinsky arrived in Vienna for the International Congress riding a golden Kinsky horse; this attracted huge attention and the golden horse became sought after throughout Europe. Under the direction of Count Oktavian Kinsky, the stud near the Chlumec castle was expanded further and the studbook, which is still in use, was developed. Count Octavian was eccentric but a keen horseman. In 1874 he introduced an exhausting steeplechase, the Paradubice, where his own horses competed, frequently placed - and sometimes won.
Count Karel Kinsky rode the Kinsky mare Zoedone to win the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
at Aintree England in 1883. The next year at the same race, his horse collapsed. The horse was not raced again and was retired to the Kinsky stud.
Following the communist
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
takeover and the election of Klement Gottwald
Klement Gottwald
Klement Gottwald was a Czechoslovakian Communist politician, longtime leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia , prime minister and president of Czechoslovakia.-Early life:...
in 1948, many of the Bohemian nobility
Bohemian nobility
Bohemian or Czech nobility refers to the noble families of the Czech state , also known as "Bohemian Crown", "The Lands of the Bohemian Crown" or "The Lands of the Crown of Saint Wenceslaus".Aristocracy was abolished by law in December 1918 at the occasion of birth of the independent...
fled, including the Kinsky family, who left Chlumec, with a consequent dispersal of the Kinsky herd. However, Count Radslav Kinsky remained in Chlumec until 1953 and when he returned in 1989 to reclaim his property, he helped found a club called "Equus Kinsky" to protect the remaining herd of Kinsky horses and eventually resurrect the breed. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and expanded contact with the west brought the breed greater recognition. Authorities in the Czech Republic now consider this breed an emblem of the country and the horses are now legally protected.
Present and future
By the end of the 20th century, the Kinsky horse breed had been partly assimilated into the Czech warm bloodCzech warm blood
The Czech Warmblood is a horse breed from the Czech Republic.-Characteristics:The Czech Warmblood is a robust, powerful horse bred with strong bones. The breed has a strong neck on an elegant body, a broad, long back, and good hooves, though they are sometimes flat...
. The Kinsky horse is no longer threatened today (2006), but with less than 1,000 Kinsky horses surviving worldwide it is one of the rarest horse breeds in the world.
The Czech Republic has recognized that the breed is worth saving as cultural property. Various breeders of Kinsky horses are expanding their breeding programs in central Europe and there are also breeders and enthusiasts of the Kinsky horse in England, America and elsewhere. The future looks safer for this breed, and some promoters have the goal of seeing a Kinsky horse once again running at The European Grand National - Pardubice to celebrate more than 160 years of the Kinsky sport horse and countless more of the Kinsky horse in general.