page_title: Holsteiner
section_title: Uses
hierarchical_section_title: Holsteiner / Uses
caption_attribution_description: Hinrich Romeike (GER) tackling the lake at Badminton
context_page_description: The Holsteiner is a breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a dominant force of international show jumping, and are found at the top levels of dressage, combined driving, show hunters, and eventing.
context_section_description: Although Holsteiners make up only 6% of the total European horse population, they represent a large proportion of successful show jumpers in particular. Holsteiners are also excellent show hunters and hunt seat equitation horses in North America, and there are numbers of Holsteiners on the international scene in dressage, eventing, and combined driving.
  The Holsteiner studbook was ranked No. 3 in international show jumping by the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses in 2008. Furthermore, the 2008 WBFSH rankings of top 30 sires of show jumpers were dominated by Holsteiners: No. 6 Caretino, No. 8 Libero H, No. 11 Cassini, No. 13 Calido, No. 17 Carthago, No. 18 Contender, No. 19 Corrado I, No. 20 Calvados, No. 28 Corland, No. 29 Acord II. Olympic medalists in show jumping, bearing the Holsteiner brand include Cedric and Carlsson vom Dach (team gold, Beijing), In Style (team silver, Beijing), Nobless M and Cantus (team bronze, Beijing), Fein Cera (team gold, Athens), Cardento and Magic Bengtsson (team silver, Athens), Cöster (team bronze, Athens), Cento (team bronze, Athens and team gold, Sydney), Calvaro V (team silver, Sydney), Classic Touch (individual gold, Barcelona), Orchidee (team gold, Seoul), Robin (team gold, Munich), and Trophy (team gold, Munich and team silver, Montreal).
  In North America, Holsteiners are often employed as top-quality show hunters. Of the top 20 sires of hunters listed by the USEF in 2008, Holsteiners were again dominant: No. 1 Cheenook, No. 3 Cassini I, No. 6 Acorado I, No. 9 Come Back II, No. 11 Acord II, No. 13 Coriano, No. 15 Carano, No. 16 Hemmingway, No. 19 Burggraaf. The 2008 No. 1 Regular Working Hunter was Cunningham, a Holsteiner.
  Holsteiners that reach the upper echelons of dressage are less common, but do exist. Successive generations of selection for jumping power have given most Holsteiners a powerful "engine." The studbook was ranked No. 8 in international dressage by the World Breeding Federation for Sporthorses in 2008. Cheenook, mentioned above as the No. 1 sire of USEF Hunters in 2008, competed up to Intermediare I dressage and participated twice in the German Federal Dressage Horse Championships. Holsteiners currently competing in international dressage include Liebling II (Lorentin I), Amicelli (Amigo), The Lion King B (Landos), Lanzaro (Lavall I), Samsung Cinque Cento (Cambridge), and Jamiro Rosso (Caletto). Holstein's impact on dressage is not limited to these horses. The No. 6 sire of international dressage horses, Flemmingh, had two Holsteiner parents: Lacapo, a Landgraf son, and Texas, a Carneval daughter. True to his ancestry, Flemmingh is known for producing knee action. Also on the list of top sires of FEI dressage horses are No. 14 Contango, who stands in the United States, and No. 25 Carpaccio. Like Cheenook, Carpaccio was also sired by Caretino. Holsteiners to prove themselves at the Olympic level include both the gold medal in the individual competition at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, won by Granat. The Marlon xx son, Montevideo, was a member of the gold medal-winning dressage team in Los Angeles.
  Most Holsteiners with the speed to succeed in eventing have a Thoroughbred sire. As a studbook, they are ranked No. 6 based on performances in international eventing. This point was highlighted in 2008 when Marius, a Holsteiner by Condrieu xx, won the individual gold medal in Beijing. Holsteiners Madrigal and Albrant have won individual bronze and team silver, and team silver, respectively. Holsteiners currently competing in FEI eventing include Sundancer (Sunset Boulevard xx), ADM. V. Schneider (Sir Shostakov xx), So Lonely (Salient xx), Master Boy (Martel xx), and Coolroy Piter (Caretino).
  A small but significant number of Holsteiners continue their historical roles in harness by competing in the sport of combined driving. The 1976 World Championship in Combined Driving was won by Emil Jung and 4 Holsteiners.
caption: Seen here at Badminton in 2007, the Holsteiner Marius and his rider Hinrich Romeike went on to win the gold medal in eventing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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