Belgian Sport Horse
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.jpg) Uchin van de Centaur in 2012 | |
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| Country of origin | Belgium |
| Distribution | southern Belgium, Wallonia |
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The Belgian Sport Horse, Dutch: Belgisch Sportpaard, French: Cheval de Sport Belge, is a Belgian breed of warmblood sport horse. It is one of three Belgian warmblood breeds or stud-books, the others being the Belgian Warmblood and the Zangersheide. It is bred for dressage, for show-jumping and for three-day eventing.[4]: 164
History
The Belgian Sport Horse has its origins in the early twentieth century, when warmblood horses were bred by cross-breeding imported Selle Français and Thoroughbred stallions with local animals of the Belgian Draught breed, with the intention of producing cavalry horses.[3]: 444 Later influences were from Selle Français, Dutch Warmblood and Hanoverian. A breed society, La Société d'Encouragement pour l'Elevage du Cheval d'Armes, was established in 1920;[5] from about 1930 the principal aim was to breed horses for leisure use[3]: 444 and the name Société du Cheval de Demi-sang Belge was adopted.[5] In 1967 it became a royal society, with the name Société Royale du Cheval de Demi-sang Belge.[3]: 444 In 1991 the society adopted the name Studbook SBS or SBS Studbook.[5]
In 2007 the conservation status of the breed was listed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as "not at risk".[1]: 9 No population data has been reported to DAD-IS since 2013, when the total number for the breed was estimated at 12000–19000; its conservation status in 2025 was "unknown".[2]
Characteristics
The horses stand on average some 162 cm at the withers. The coat is solid-coloured.[3]: 443
Use
Like most warmblood sport horses, the Belgian Sport Horse is bred for performance in the three classic competitive disciplines, dressage, show-jumping and the three-day event.[4]: 164
References
- ^ a b Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Breed data sheet: Cheval de Sport Belge / Belgium (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
- ^ a b c Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). Horses of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691167206.
- ^ a b c Historique: Du Cheval d'Armes aux réseaux sociaux (in French). SBS Studbook. Archived 19 April 2025.