Vlaamperd

This article is about the South African breed. For the similarly-named Belgian breed, see Flemish Horse.

The Vlaamperd is a South African breed of light draught or harness horse; it is also suitable for riding and is used in dressage. It was bred in the Western Cape region of South Africa in the early twentieth century, and resulted from cross-breeding of local mares with imported European stallions, particularly Friesians. The horses are usually black, though mares may be dark seal brown. A stud-book was started in 1983.

Vlaamperd

Conservation status	FAO (2007): not listed[1]: 105  DAD-IS (2021): unknown[2]
Other names	SA Vlaamperd Vlaamse perd[3]
Country of origin	South Africa
Traits
Height	147–157 cm[4]: 511  average: 154 cm[5]: 418
Colour	black dark seal brown (mares only)
Colour	black dark seal brown (mares only)
Equus ferus caballus

History

The Vlaamperd derives from the now-extinct Hantam Horse or Cape Horse, a riding horse bred in the former Cape Province, particularly after 1814 when Lord Charles Somerset imported Thoroughbred stallions from Britain.^[6][3][7] Shortly after the end of the Second Boer War in 1902, a funeral director in Cape Town imported a few Friesian stallions.^[3] They were shipped from Antwerp in Belgium, supposedly because exports of Friesians from Holland were not permitted at the time; for this reason Friesians came to be known in South Africa as Vlaams Perde, meaning 'Flemish Horses'.^{[4]: 511 [a]} The Vlaamperd descends from the offspring of Hantam and other mares put to these stallions.^[3] There was some later influence from other foreign breeds: an Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger stallion named Kemp made a significant contribution to the early development of the Vlaamperd, as did a Cleveland Bay stallion named Scheepers in the 1940s.^[3]

In 1983 a breed society, the Suid Afrikaanse Vlaamperdtelersgenootskap or South African Vlaamperd Breeders Society, was started in Bloemfontein;^[3] a stud-book was begun in the same year.^[2]

The conservation status of the breed is not clear – population data has not been reported to DAD-IS since 1999.^[2] In 2013 there were about 200 horses.^[5]: 418

Characteristics

The Vlaamperd stands on average 154 cm (15.1 hands) at the withers. Its appearance is similar to that of the Friesian, but less heavy, with finer bone.^{[5]: 418 [8]} It has a thick mane and tail, a well-rounded croup, long legs and a high-arched neck, and steps high when in motion.^[5]: 418

Stallions are black, while mares may also be dark seal brown.^[4]: 511

Use

The Vlaamperd may be used as a riding horse, a carriage horse or for classical dressage.^{[4]: 511 [5]: 418}

Notes

1. Despite the similarity of the name there is no connection to the Belgian Flemish Horse or Vlaams Paard.^[5]: 418