Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger
1898 lithograph depicting an Ostfriesen
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| Country of origin | Germany |
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| Traits | |
| Distinguishing features | Heavy warmblood type of all-purpose breed, suitable for leisure riding and driving. Typically black, dark bay, or brown, with easy-going temperaments. |
| Breed standards | |
The Alt-Oldenburger and Ostfriesen are representatives of a group of horse breeds primarily from continental Europe called heavy warmbloods. The breed has two names because the same horse was bred in two regions in the most north-western part of Germany: East Frisia and the former grand duchy of Oldenburg. The name "Alt-Oldenburger" - alt meaning "old" - simply distinguishes this horse from its descendant, the modern Oldenburg, which is bred for sport.
The AO/OF is bred by preservationists to fit the pre-World War model. Unlike the registries of the sport horses that followed them, their studbook is partly closed. However, external evaluation and performance testing of the breeding stock is still a key element in these registries. To understand the history of the Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger, an understanding of the people who bred them is helpful. Traditionally, the region settled by the Frisians was highly agricultural, based on the fertile though marshy soil. Though Hanover is geographically close by, its terrain is more hilly and their cultures were far apart. Furthermore, the region of Oldenburg was passed back and forth between Denmark and Germany. This unique cultural mixture gives the region a distinct identity all its own. The story of the Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger is that of horse breeders responding to a dynamic market.
The damp, low-lying region of Germany which lies between the Weser River and the Ems River is called Ostfriesland ("East Friesland"). It borders the Netherlands, and is part of a greater region traditionally known as Frisia. Frisia is characterized by the languages and dialects of the peoples who settled it, but also by its low-lying, coastal geography. In the west, it includes what are now the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen; centrally, the Oldenburg region of Lower Saxony, and its northeastern region includes much of what is now Schleswig-Holstein to the border of Denmark. Frisia is the region best known for heavy warmbloods.
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