The Polish Coldblood (Polish: Polski koń zimnokrwisty) is a modern Polish breed of draught horse of medium to heavy weight. It was formed in 1964 when the various regional draught breeds or types were merged into a single stud-book. Those local types derived from cross-breeding of local mares with imported stallions of heavy draught breeds, principally of Ardennais, Belgian Draught and Swedish Ardennes stock.
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In the twenty-first century the horses are used for tractive power and are reared for horsemeat, particularly for the Italian market.[4]
History
editIn 1964 the various regional draught breeds of Poland were merged into a single stud-book, the Księga Stadna Koni Zimnokrwistych I Pogrubionych.[5]: 258 Among these were the Garwolin, the Kopczyk Podlaski, the Koszalin, the Lidzbark, the Łowicz-Sochaczewski, the Sokółka and the Sztumski.[6]: 3 [7]: 496–497
In 2024 the total number of the horses was some 121000–126000 head, substantially lower than in 2002, when it was almost 330000. The registered breeding stock consisted of approximately 8000 brood-mares and 2000 stallions.[2] In 2024 the conservation status of the breed was "not at risk".[2]
A separate stud-book was established in 2013 for the Arden or Polish Ardennes, bred at the stud-farms of Bielin in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and Nowe Jankowice in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It derives from Ardennais and Swedish Ardennes stock imported since the later nineteenth century and is bred principally as a harness horse.[7]: 496 [8]
Characteristics
editThe Polish Coldblood is a heavy horse, with weights usually in the range 600–800 kg, though some can weigh more than 900 kg. The height at the withers usually falls between 148 and 160 cm.[3]: 120
Use
editThe regional draught breeds of Poland were used principally for tractive power in agriculture. In the twenty-first century the horses are commonly reared for horsemeat, particularly for the Italian market.[2][4]
References
edit- ^ 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 d Breed data sheet: Polski koń zimnokrwisty / Poland (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2024.
- ^ a b c Malgorzata Dzierzecka, Marcin Komosa, (2013). Variability of the proximal phalanx in warmblood and coldblood horses – morphological and structural analyses. Belgian Journal of Zoology. 143 (2): 119–130. doi:10.26496/bjz.2013.130.
- ^ a b Rasy koni rejestrowane przez PZHK (in Polish). Warsaw: Polski Związek Hodowców Koni. Archived 22 August 2018.
- ^ A. Stachurska, A. Nogaj, A. Brodacki, J. Nogaj, J. Batkowska (2014). Genetic distances between horse breeds in Poland estimated according to blood protein polymorphism. Czech Journal of Animal Science. 59 (6): 257–267. doi:10.17221/7496-CJAS.
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- ^ [Komisja Księgi Stadnej polskich koni zimnokrwistych; Biuro Polskiego Związku Hodowców Koni] (2018). Program Hodowli Koni Rasy Polski Koń Zimnokrwisty (in Polish). Warsaw: Polski Związek Hodowców Koni. Archived 19 March 2022.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Breed data sheet: Arden / Poland (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2024.
