Spotted coat coloring was often seen in very primitive horse breeds and there are frequent depictions surviving from many hundreds of years ago of spotted horses. And excellent example of this is seen in the cave paintings at Vallon-Pont-D'Arc, France, which clearly show some spotted horses and, incredibly, have been dated as 20,000 years old. However, the Knabstrupper breed developed in Denmark in the year 1808, from a spotted mare called Flaebehoppen. Flaebehoppen was of Spanish origin, and the influence of the Spanish ancestry can be seen in the Knabstrupper today.
Flabehoppen was bought by Judge Lynn, and taken to his Knabstrupper Estate, where the breed was then developed. In 1808, she was bred to a Frederiksborg stallion. From this was founded a line of spotted horses largely through her grandson, Mikkel. Mikkel is now credited as being one of the foundation sires of the breed. During the 1880s, the Knabstrup Estate was dissolved, and the numbers of the Knabstrupper horse began to decline until the intervention of a Danish veterinarian in 1933. He founded an association for the preservation of the spotted horse, which led to a revival of the Knabstrupper's numbers. The association bred many notable Knabstrupper specimens, one of which was a stallion called Max. He was famous for, in 1938, kneeling in from of Christian X, King of Denmark.
Knabstrupper Horse Evolution
The early Knabstrupper horses were tough, sturdy, and workmanlike in appearance, while today the Knabstrupper has quality and is similar in appearance to the Appaloosa. The Knabstrupper horses are renowned for their intelligence, and were widely used in the circus for performing tricks. Due to their broad backs, they were also used for gymnastic displays. They make very good riding horses, since they have stamina, endurance, good paces, and are quick learners, while also being suitable for harness work. The early Knabstrupper was very good in harness and was more draft-like in conformation.
Knabstrupper Horse Conformation
The modern Knabstrupper has a smallish, attractive head with the typical sclera around the eyes, and mottling on the muzzle. The neck is generally short, thick, and slightly arched, the shoulder quite upright, the back sometimes long and straight, with good width. The hindquarters tend to be muscular and the legs short and strong. They are always spotted in color, and stand approximately 15.2 hands high.
References: - The Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies. Tamsin Pickeral.
