Breed History

The history of the Swedish Warmblood horse is long and honored. For over 400 years the Swedes have been breeding riding horses.  As early as the 12th century, when the Flyinge National Stud was a fortress and breeding center, horses were bred for quality and rideability.  The Royal Stud of Flyinge was established in 1661. It was the wishes of King Charles X to produce quality cavalry horses at this breeding facility. Now in it's fourth century of breeding riding horses, the Flying National Stud continues today as one of the oldest, active national studs in the world.  It is a premiere breeding and research facility that continues the tradition of producing superior riding horses that have earned international acclaim in a variety of equestrian disciplines.

The Flyinge breeding program has always strived for superior temperament, excellent movement and conformation, and versatility. Over the course of their many years of breeding quality riding horses, the national stud has produced many Olympic athletes.

In 1912, at the first Olympic Games, Swedish horses took home all three individual medals in Dressage.

• The gold medal went to Rttm. Count Carl Bonde of Sweden on Emperor.
• The silver went to MA. Gustav Boltenstern of Sweden on Neptun.
• The bronze went to Lt Baron H.von Blixen-Finecke of Sweden on Maggie.

It seems that the dressage test was a bit different back in 1912.  The dressage participants were given 10 minutes to perform collected and extended paces in the three basic gaits. Piaffe and Passage were not included in the prescribed movements; instead, horses had to negotiate five jumps which ranged in height up to 1.10 meters. The last obstacle the horse jumped was a barrel rolling towards it!  If you would like to read more about the Swedes in the first Olympics, become a SWANA member, and you can read all about it in the March issue of the SWANA E-Newsletter!

Swedish horses have earned Olympic medals in many of the Olympic Games since that time. In the 1988 Seoul Games, 13 Swedish Warmbloods participated in dressage and 6 won medals. In the 1960 Rome Olympiad, the stallion Drabant had six sons participating. The tradition continues today. It is thanks to the strict guidelines of the inspection and approval process that the caliber of Swedish horses remains constant.  Today, the SWB continues to be a superior riding horse with tremendous rideability and intelligence. It is suitable for both the professional and the amateur.

Join the long-standing tradition of riding a Swedish Warmblood!