Kinsky Horses

Kinsky horses stand, on average, 15.2 to 17 hands. They are known for their friendly, good nature and their ability to excel in many disciplines.

Characteristic of this rare horse breed is a glossy gold coat, although you may, if you are very lucky, see an occasional black Kinsky.

The Kinsky modern sport horse stud book began in 1838, under the direction of Count Oktavian Kinsky, whose family had for decades bred thoroughbreds for horse racing or steeplechasing. The special horses developed by the Kinsky family became known by the now protected term “Equus Kinsky”.

Image, facts and breed statistics courtesy of Wikipedia, under a GNU Free Documentation License.

Kinsky Museum and Visitor Information: Tours of the stud, the Kinsky castles, palaces, and museums featuring Kinsky horse exhibits are available. See Equus-Kinsky.com for more information.

The History of the Kinsky Horse

Kinsky Horses

The Kinsky horse legend originated in Bohemia over one thousand years ago. A hunting party led by a princess was attacked by wolves. One man stood his ground against the wolves and drove them off, killing three of the villains. For his courage, the King knighted the Kinsky man and gave him a coat of arms featuring the three wolves’ teeth as a reminder of his brave act. This Kinsky came to raise and name the famous Kinsky line of horses.

There have been many stories of the brave Kinsky horses throughout the years; these horses are characterized by their stamina and character and are considered to be one of the world’s rarest and most outstanding horses. Europeans are more familiar with the Kinsky breed than those in America because of its European roots.

Over time, the Kinsky family name and power grew as did the reputation of the Kinsky horses. They were used for many things, from cavalry to carriage horses. Count Kinsky traveled all over the country to find the best thoroughbreds possible to strengthen the bloodlines. Eventually, they began to be known as the Gold Kinsky horses because of the extraordinary gold metallic shine to their coats, although not all Kinsky’s are gold. They can be of all shades of gold and brown and there is the very rare black Kinsky, but all have the same glossy sheen to their coats.

The Kinsky horses won the Pardubice Grand National seven times in the 20th century. The most remembered races were in 1937 when the race was won by the gold Kinsky mare Norma. Countess Lata Brandisova was the rider and the first and only woman rider to ever win the European race. The breed won countless famous races all over Europe that are written in the history books of Europe where it is well loved.

The U.S.S.R. confiscated all Kinsky Estates at the beginning of the war and banned foxhunting. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of some of the family the Kinsky horse breeding standards did not suffer during this time. In this area, now known as the Czech Republic, the Kinsky horse is regarded as a national treasure.

There are less than one-thousand registered Kinsky horses today, making it one of the most rare breeds in all the world. There is renewed interest in Kinsky golden horses since the fall of the iron curtain and, for the first time, there is now a stud farm in the U.K. to breed this rare horse. Hopefully, the number of Kinsky’s will increase to the wide range and plentiful number they once were.

The Kinsky horse has an extremely long and grand history that has stood the test of time. They are balanced, good-natured and have the stamina necessary for many different activities such as Dressage, Western riding, Fox Hunting and polo. From birth, they are very friendly to humans and can bond easily to their owners. In short, they look up to their human owners and are easily trained.

About the Author: This article was written by Janine Carter, owner of Posh Pampered Pets. If you have any questions regarding Horse Supplies or Posh Pampered Pets, please feel free to call 979-221-7251 or visit us at poshpamperedpets.com.