The Dutch warmblood horse’s ancestry dates back to the Netherlands prior to World War II. At that time, there was the Gelderlander, an elegant horse of medium stature that was bred as a carriage and draft horse. There also was the Groningen, a larger, heavy-set horse used primarily in agriculture. The modern Dutch warmblood evolved from these two native Dutch breeds, along with some imported breeds. After the war, cars and tractors largely replaced the Gelderlander and Groningen horses. So horse breeding goals were redirected toward producing pleasure sport horses. People still wanted a horse that was strong and obedient enough to assist with farm work, yet they also preferred it to be stylish and elegant for carriage use and riding. This gave rise to the highly versatile Dutch warmblood. Today, the Dutch warmblood is registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (the Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands) (thesprucepets.com).