Hanoverian Horse Breed: Facts, Temperament, Height

Want to learn more about the Hanoverian horse breed? Well, you couldn’t have found a better place. At Horsy Planet, we’re all about horses, and this article deals with one of our favorites: the Hanoverian horse – an elite horse breed with excellent showing & riding skills.

Well, let’s ride.

A Quick Sneak Peek Into Hanoverian Horse’s Origins

Originating from 17th century Germany, the Hanoverian horse is one of the best jumping breeds that has performed in several international horse competitions.

The Hanoverian horse is a product of Neapolitans, Cleveland Bays, Thoroughbreds, Holsteins, and Andalusians – some of the top warm-blooded horse breeds. It was bred because a versatile horse was needed that is powerful, athletic, and light

A side and contributing reason was that farmers needed help plowing the fields and driving the carriage to go to the town. The Hanoverian horse was the perfect answer.

Breed Traits of the Hanoverian Horse 

Hanoverian is a German warmblooded horse breed that is calm, strong, and robust. They’re intelligent, reliable, gentle, quick learners, and athletic. Their gentleness makes them an excellent companion to equestrians of all levels, whether novice or experienced. 

This elegant horse breed has a robust body and strong back and limbs, making them perfect for sports. Hanoverian horses are found primarily in black, brown, bay, gray, and chestnut color.

You can easily identify a Hanoverian horse by its look, its physical characteristics. Here’s what a Hanoverian horse looks like – you will be able to spot one easily!

Appearance Of Hanoverian Horses 

A Hanoverian horse has a straight outlined head with clear eyes, small ears, a long neck, and a fairly muscular build. Also, the Hanoverian is famous for its sloping shoulders as these horses are used mainly for sports purposes.   

Let’s look at the physical characteristics of Hanoverian in detail. 

Color

The Hanoverian comes in solid colors like bay, brown, black, grey, and chestnut. You won’t see much white color on them. If any, these horses have white marks on the face or different white patterns on their body such as blaze, star, or stripe.

Sometimes you may encounter a Hanoverian with the bottom of their legs and the knees marked with white color. However, similar horses with cream-colored coats like Buckskins or Palominos are not considered Hanoverians

Size 

Hanoverian horses weigh between 750 and 1,100 pounds on average. Typically, the Hanoverians weigh below 1,500 pounds as they are lightweight horses. An adult Hanoverian weighs up to 635 Kilograms, which is around 1,400 pounds. 

Height 

The Hanoverian horse is tall. Where the height of an average horse ranges between 15.3 hands (160 cm) and 17.2 hands (178 cm), the Hanoverian measures anywhere from 16 to 16.2 hands (64 to 66 inches). A horse’s height can be measured by taking hand measurements.

Head 

Unlike dish-faced Arabian and other horse breeds with distinguished characteristics, the Hanoverian horse has a plain, firm head. But, the breed has expressive eyes with small ears and a medium-sized head.

Body

Hanoverians are known for their sloping shoulders and strong hindquarters that make them powerful and robust. Their legs are straight, sturdy, and have short bones. Likewise, their coats. Hanoverians have thick mane and tails. 

They have gracefully thin necks that give them strength and are attached to a deep, broad chest. Hanoverians have a medium back, proportionate to their body (meaning neither large nor short) and have a broad sloping croup. Their strong backs make them ideal for performing in events and for riding. 

What Is the Hanoverian Horse Temperament Like? 

The warm-blooded Hanoverians are remarkably calm and docile in nature. What makes Hanoverians stand out is their sensible, intelligent, disciplined, and most importantly, willing learner personality. These characteristics together make the Hanoverian a great companion, too.

Their disciplined and skill learning trait helps you during work, training, and riding. Their quick-learning abilities make them easy to train and low maintenance. There’s no comparison of the Hanoverian breed among other warm-blooded horses when implementing what they have learned.

When it comes to friendliness, the Hanoverian horse breed is highly social, active, and playful. They have an inclination towards doing activities regularly. As a result, they can easily develop negative traits when left alone on their own or placed in a small area or stall for a long time. 

Regular human interaction is essential for this breed to keep its positive personality traits. If you fail to maintain regular human interaction or a stall mate, the elite Hanoverian temperament traits can fade away.

For beginners, the Hanoverians’ intelligence may turn out to be challenging, especially if you let them on their own in a stall to figure out new skills. They are incredibly cunning and can learn skills like opening locks, latches or figuring out any other defect in a fence.   

How Are Hanoverian Horses Used? 

Initially, the breed was used for multiple purposes – to drive carriages, plow a field, cavalry, and ride horses. But in the modern age, the Hanoverians are mainly used for riding purposes. Besides, it’s considered a good companion horse, too. 

Today, the Hanoverian horse breed is widely used in dressage events and there have been seven medal-winning Olympic teams, in total. Four have won silver medals and three won the gold medals. 

Quite the elite breed, right? Well, that’s not all. Hanoverians have won several medals at the World Equestrian Games quite regularly. And, have also participated in international showjumping events like the Show Jumping World Cup for three consecutive award-winning years. Just like we said: they’re athletic & headstrong.

Hanoverian horses have great success at eventing as well. The World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses has ranked Hanoverians studbook on the third number for eventing in 2008.

Another way of using Hanoverian horses is show hunters. The steps or pace of the horses are judged based on the rustic obstacles. The United States Equestrian Federation has placed the Hanoverian sire among the top ten horses

Many famous Hanoverian horses have won several titles in show hunting events. This includes the Large Junior Hunter title, the Horse of the Year, Regular Working Hunter, Working Hunter of the Year, Amateur-Owner Hunter, and others. 

Hanoverian Horse Breeding & Healthcare 

Purebred mares and stallions from top breeds were crossbred to produce the Hanoverian. It’s a horse breed with a strong temperament, and patience, is fast, and can do agriculture work. It is also used for riding and is a sport horse. 

So, to be placed in the studbook, the mares and stallions must match the standards of an athletic horse. And for that, the individual mare/stallion must pass a test. The test’s aim is to prevent the horses with genetic defects from passing on their genes.

Infertility is unusual in Hanoverian mares and stallions. But still, research conducted on stallions has helped identify the new gene causing infertility in stallions. As a result, Hanoverians are bred with utmost care.

Grooming Requirements For Hanoverian Horses 

Like any other horse breed, Hanoverians prefer regular grooming. Daily maintenance of your Hanoverian will keep their coat clean and healthy, and your equine will look elegant, especially if you take him to public performances or sports competitions. 

With a horse grooming kit that includes a brush with soft bristles, a hoof pick, a brush with stiff bristles, and a curry comb, one can easily & efficiently maintain a Hanoverian. 

Here’s a little step-by-step procedure of grooming a Hanoverian horse:

  • Firstly, use the hoof pick to clean all the dirt and debris from horse hooves – you should check for any injuries as well. 
  • Secondly, use the brush with stiff bristles and the curry comb to remove any dirt, debris, and loose hairs from the entire horse body.  
  • Thirdly, comb the entire body again and the face with a soft bristle brush to ensure that all the dust has been removed. 
  • At last, comb through the tail and mane.

And voila, you have a perfectly groomed a Hanoverian horse. It seems like a lot, but your Hanoverian will only get so dirty once you make such use of them. For most domestic stables, the maintenance is pretty low.

Hanoverian Horse’s Diet 

On average Hanoverian breed horses consume more feed than other horses because of their large body size. They feed on high-quality forage such as fresh grain, grass, and dried hay. (By the way, these foods are a necessary part of the horse diet.)

Nutritional supplements can be added to Hanoverians’ diets when needed, too. To ensure they stay healthy, a supply of fresh drinking water is usually an obligation for Hanoverian owners to arrange. 

Moreover, the diet can be enhanced according to the specific Hanoverian horse needs. For instance, you can add vegetable oil to grain or cereal depending on the factors like the horse’s size and age, how good the Hanoverian is performing, and its growth rate. The key to a healthy Hanoverian is always to feed as per an individual’s need and never feed more nor less. 

FAQs About Hanoverian Horses

Let’s answer some of the most asked questions about Hanoverian horses.

Are Hanoverian horses good for beginners?

Hanoverians are multi-talented animals that are good for beginners as they are quick learners, strong, and athletic. Besides, they are known for being sensible, intelligent and for their willing behavior that helps novice horse owners in teaching them new skills and training.

How fast is a Hanoverian?

The Hanoverian horse can run at speeds ranging from 20 to 30 kilometers per hour. This horse breed isn’t intended for racing. Instead, Hanoverians are mostly used in show jumping events. They have powerful limbs, strong bones, and a muscular body best suited for performing in show jumping events. 

What does a Hanoverian horse look like?

Hanoverians are graceful, strong, and robust horses with alert eyes, average-size heads, small ears, and long necks. They have muscular bodies, sturdy legs, strong hindquarters, sloping shoulders, and a thick tail and mane. 
Typically, Hanoverian comes in solid color coats such as black, bay, brown, chestnut, and gray. Moreover, they are trainable and have strong athletic movements that make them perfect for jumping and eventing.

Are Hanoverian horses calm?

The Hanoverian horse is a versatile, big horse with incredible athletic ability, calm nature, and a comfortable gait. It is good enough to compete at the international horse events, plus has the temperament to drive a family carriage to the town.

Are Hanoverian horses good jumpers?

Hanoverian horses are an ideal breed to participate in show jumping and are perfect for dressage. They are smart and powerful beasts. They are on the list of the top show jumping breeds in international horse competitions. This elegant horse breed has even won a number of World Cups and Olympics medals on different occasions. 

Summary

So, did you learn anything valuable today? The Hanoverian horse breed is a well-built, beautiful, and headstrong breed. It’s multi-talented and can be used for various tasks. From farm work to driving a carriage, from riding to military uses, the Hanoverians are willing to take on the challenges.

If there’s something about Hanoverians that you think we missed or something that you’d like to ask, be sure to reach us out in the comments below. We love talking about horses. Till then, happy riding!