The German Riding Pony is a unique pony breed that
developed in
Germany forty
years ago due to the need for a large pony with the
athleticism and temperament for children to compete with
at a national and international level. Specifically, the
German Riding Pony (GRP) was bred to be a competitive
pony in the disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and
eventing. English pony breeds, particularly type B
Welsh, were crossed with smaller Warmbloods,
Thoroughbreds and Arabians with the goal of obtaining a
smaller version of the German Warmblood. Within ten
years, the German Riding Pony type was showing good
results in competition and breeding.
As with
full size warmblood breeding, registries developed in
each region of the country and animals were inspected as
foals and breeding stock at korungs or inspections. The
breed standard for these ponies include a small head,
large eyes, small ears, clean throatlatch, a long neck
set well on the body with a pronounced wither and a long
croup. They are bred for horse-like movement that is
correct, rhythmic, and elastic with a large stride,
expressive gaits and clear impulsion from the
hindquarters. The goal is a pony between 13.2 and 14.2
hands (138cm-148cm as measured in
Germany).
Foals are inspected during the year of their birth, and
exceptional individuals are awarded premium status.
Mares are inspected at or after age three and may be
entered into a studbook, main studbook or premium
studbook depending on their quality and bloodlines.
High quality mares can be performance tested to achieve
the coveted designation of State Premium Mare.
Stallions must be licensed at age three or four and if
successful, then must compete a thirty day performance
testing prior to being placed in the studbooks.
Over the past forty years the Germans have enjoyed
tremendous success in their breeding programs and are
producing talented ponies that in all aspects but size
resemble their larger sized warmblood “cousins”.
However, even in
Germany, F1
crosses of welsh pony x warmblood or Arabian are still
used and create some exquisite results that can go on to
be successful in competition or breeding. Chardonnay, a
brilliant pony stallion that has won several prestigious
competitions and sold at auction for a record price is a
wonderful example of a successful F1 pony by the much
utilized Welsh stallion
Constantine.
Australia has recently gained awareness of
these wonderful, athletic ponies and there is a lot of
interest currently in importing, breeding and riding of
GRP’s. |
As many adult amateur riders tire of struggling with
oversized mounts, GRP’s offer a wonderful alternative
for the smaller adult dressage rider. Of course they
also make wonderful mounts for children aswell.
Currently there are no affiliated German registries that
are inspecting ponies in Australia, but the Australian
Sports Pony Registry has aligned with the ACE group and
are now having Australian bred GRP's and Sports Ponies
inspected.
Although GRP’s are relatively new to Australia, they are
quickly gaining momentum. If searching for a prospect
or mount you first must decide whether you wish to
import or buy domestically. Although there is vastly
more selection in
Germany,
several Australian breeders are taking the leap into the
world of GRP's.
When buying a GRP keep several factors in mind. As with
any horse or pony, quality, soundness and suitability
for purpose are the first factors to consider. With
ponies, size does matter. The Australian height limit
for dressage on ponies is 149cm including shoes.
When reviewing a pony’s registration papers, consider
what registry the pony is approved with and the scores
it received at its inspection. Premium status or SPS
mares in a pedigree are always a plus, but not a
guarantee of quality.
Like warmblood bloodlines, there are several very
important stallions and dam lines in GRP’s that take
time to learn and appreciate. Luckily Australia now has
several wonderfully bred imported stallions representing
these lines. |
