Origin: Northern and eastern Netherlands.
Color: Black, bay or brown, often with white markings on the face and legs.
Avg Height: 15.2 to 16 hh
Avg Weight: 1320 to 1540 lbs
Build: Clean legged, this breed has a refined head carriage on a longish neck and a deep body with a strong back, flat croup, and high set tail. Long head with a straight face and long ears. Neck is of medium length and well muscled, wide at the base. Withers are prominent and long, the back is long, and the quarters are powerfully muscled. The chest is wide and deep with great depth to the girth. The legs are short, well muscled, and strong with excellent joints and well-shaped hooves.
Temperament: Very docile animal.
Main use: Sport/hobby, tractive power.
Special abilities: Like the Dutch Gelderland, the Groningen has today been absorbed for the most part into the Dutch Warmblood breed. The powerful quarters of the Groningen have contributed greatly to the jumping power of the Dutch Warmblood and the Groningen is designated a basic type in the Dutch Warmblood studbook.
History: The Dutch Groningen, basically an offshoot of the German Oldenburg, was formerly a very popular breed. It was found not only in Groningen, but also in Friesland, Drenthe, and number of other provinces. However, because farming has now become a highly mechanized industry in the Netherlands, there has been a marked decline for horses of this type and breeders are now concentrating on producing riding horses. To this end Groningens are being crossed with Holstein, Trakehner, and other stallions. As there are no longer any purebred Groninger stallions available, these crossings will eventually result in the disappearance of the original type.
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