The Jutland horse is a powerful and extremely strong coldblood horse whose ancestors go right back to the Middle Ages, when it was used as a warhorse.
Around 1850, breeders began to actively move towards the heavy draught horse that is the Jutland today. In 1852, the stallion Oppenheim was imported from England. He was a Shire- Suffolk crossbreed who, in spite of his short life (6-7 years), sired a large number of foals, all of which possessed the qualities that were required. Six generations later, in 1893, the stallion Aldrup Munkedal was born, and today he is regarded as the foundation stallion of the race. He lived for 16 years and sired more than 1500 foals, 454 of which were recorded in the herdbook. Nearly all breeding animals now living can be traced back to two of Aldrup Munkedal’s sons, “Høvding” ('Chief') and “Prins af Jylland” ('Prince of Jutland').
According to the breeders association, the Jutland horse should be medium-sized and compact with a deep body and a broad chest. It should have a medium-sized, clean-cut head with sharply defined features, a well-raised, well-set neck and a short, strong back. It should also have energetic, regular movements when walking and trotting, and, last but not least, an alert and willing temperament. The most common colour is chestnut, often with light-coloured forelock, mane and tail. Brown and black Jutland horses are rare. An adult Jutland weighs 700-1000 kg.