Swiss Warmblood

The Swiss Warmblood was created in the mid-twentieth century by merger of the Einsiedler – which had been bred for centuries at the Benedictine Monastery of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz – with the Swiss Halfblood and with traditional local breeds including the Ajoie, the Erlenbacher and the Entlebucher. Those individual breeds effectively ceased to exist and are now listed as extinct. A stud-book was started in 1950. In the 1960s use was made of a number of foreign stallions, among them three Anglo-Normans named Ivoire, Orinate de Messil and Que d'Espair, the Holsteiners Astral and Chevalier, and a Swedish Warmblood called Aladin; thereafter the stallions used were mostly Swiss. From 2010 to 2012 the number of annual registrations in the stud-book was approximately 750. In 2017 the total population was estimated at , with 750 breeding mares and 77 stallions. In 2023 the conservation status of the breed was listed in the DAD-IS database of the FAO as 'at risk/endangered'. == Characteristics ==

The Swiss Warmblood is usually chestnut, less often bay; black and other colours may also occur. Heights are usually in the range . == Uses ==

The Swiss Warmblood was bred as a sport horse. It is usually trained for show-jumping or for dressage; it may also be driven in harness. == References ==