Horses

The Kinsky horse or "Equus Kinsky" as it is now known is?a rare Czech warmblood horse, formerly popular but now one of the most threatened species in the world.

Physical Characteristics
Standing on average 1.58 to 1.75m(15.5 - 17.2h)high, the Kinsky horse is a great deal of thoroughbred influence.? Coats can be palomino, chestnut, fox, brown, and more rarely, cremello, perlin and smoky cream.? Their coat has a bright gloss, so all colors appear golden.

Character and Use
The Kinsky horse is a well balanced and friendly horse, they are good natured and friendly towards people.

They are a utility sport horse, suited to all types of riding events(dressage, western style, eventing, steeplechase and fox hunting) as well as driving. They have competed in Dressage and show jumping at international levels.

Origin and History
The first recorded reference to the breed "Kinsky horse" or "Equus Kinsky" is in 1838 when a stud book was created. Prior to this time they were known just as "?the special horses bred by Counts Kinsky?."

The Kinsky horse was developed by the Kinsky family, most notably Count Oktavian Kinsky.? The family had for years bred thoroughbreds as racehorses and steeple chasers.

In 1628, the Kinsky families were ordered develop their stud farm and breed horses for the Emperor's cavalry. Horses with the highest stamina, courage and people loving personalities riders were preferred, especially those with the splendid golden color. At some point in the 18th century these "nameless breed horses" were noticed for their outstanding quality.

In 1776, bloodstooc from England was introduced to further improve quality. Count Oktavian Kinsky expanded the Chlumec castle stud and started today's studbook in 1838. The count was a keen horseman and bred his horses to hunt and jump, and tested his horses over exhausting steeplechase events.

Count Charles Kinsky rode the Kinsky mare Zoedone in winning the Grand National in England in 1883 though the mare did not finish the race in the following year and retired to stud.

Today's Kinsky Horse
By the close of the 20th century, the Kinsky horse breed had been almost completely assimilated into the Czech warm blood horse breed. The Kinsky horse is no longer considered threatened as it has received royal protection but with less than 1,000 members of the breed surviving world-wide it remains one of the rarest horse breeds in the world.? Their beauty is their downfall, with high prices being paid for Kinsky Horses around the world draining breeding stocks.