The South German Horse

The South German Horse

The South German horse – a strong and agile creature – is descended from the Austrian Noriker. The Noriker
was introduced to Bavaria in southern Germany towards the end of the nineteenth century.

The breeders of Upper Bavaria wanted to create their own stamp of horse and so began adding Holstein and
Oldenburg blood to their stock. Meanwhile, the breeders from Lower Bavaria experimented with a lot of
outcrosses using horses like the Oldenburg, Cleveland Bay, Clydesdale and Belgian Draught.

However, after a time, the German breeders resorted to using the original Noriker blood for upgrading. Now, the
South German was originally called the Pinzgauer Noriker after the region of Salzburg province from which
the particular strain of the Austrian heavy horse came. Later, the German version of the breed became known as
the South German Heavy Horse.

Today, the South German is mainly bred in Bavaria and Baden Wurtemburg. It still bares a good resemblance
to the Noriker, although it generally is not as tall the other breed. It is a very well-proportioned horse with
a calm, docile nature. It is often seen at parades and shows and occasionally at work at agriculture. It stands
around 15.3 hands and comes in the colours of brown, bay and chestnut.



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