By Charlotte Dekker / KWPN
Photography: Dirk Caremans and Krisztina Horvath

The KWPN harness horse enjoys unprecedented popularity as a driving horse, for more than 63% of the singles results are linked to a KWPN horse which is registered in the harness horse breeding direction; the same is true for more than 72% and 70% of the respective pairs and four-in-hand results.

Harness horses account for the lion's share of entries of KWPN horses which actively compete in driving. However, a significant percentage of international KWPN driving horses are registered as riding horses, as there was no distinction between dressage horses (which clearly score well in driving) and jumpers until 2006.
If we also consider entries in major championships, the KWPN studbook – and its harness horse specifically – are very well represented. For example, at the last major four-in-championship alone, the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tyron, almost half (47.4%) of the participating horses were KWPN harness horses; and more than 57% of all entries were KWPN horses. These data reflect a more than 25% increase in KWPN horses compared to the 2010 World Equestrian Games and demon-strate that they have become increasingly more popular with national and international drivers... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber

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