Georgian Grande Horses are considered "The Perfect Blend". This unique breed blends the elegance, grace and presence of the American Saddlebred with the bone, size, and temperament of the draft horse. The overall breed standard is as follows:
The Georgian Grande horse has the elegance and noble bearing of the saddlebred perfectly blended with the size, good bone and calm disposition of the Friesian or draft. It carries itself with an attitude that eludes description, some call it "presence, class, or style", but this superior air distinguishes every movement of the Georgian Grande. They are extremely versatile and good at multiple disciplines, their movement is that of upper level dressage. They excel in driving as well as jumping, on trails they are dependable, quiet and calm. They grow big and stay sound. They possess strength, beauty and good mind! (taken from International Georgian Grande Horse Registry website .)
This breed was officially founded by George "Bob" Wagner, Jr. in Piketon, OH. From the beginning, the Georgian Grande breed began to show its athleticism and superiority in the sport horse world, and Mr. Wagner's farm is now listed by USDF as the #2 producer of dressage horses in the USA! Georgian Grandes now have their own breed classes at Dressage at Devon, as well as the Ohio State Fair, and their popularity is exploding.
Interestingly enough, my experience in this cross began back in the late 1970s, when I started breeding my own American Saddlebred mares to my grandfather's registered Belgian stallion. "Rex" was a well-balanced, leggy, lean type of Belgian, and these foals quickly filled a demand for elegant driving horses. We participated in many parades and exhibitions each year both riding and driving buggies and light wagons, and our American Saddlebred/Belgian crosses outsold our Belgian purebreds all over the region. However, in a few short years I moved across the country for college, sold all my saddlebreds, and the memories of our own "special blend" of horses began to fade...
Imagine my delight when I heard about the Georgian Grande breed 20 years later! Using knowledge gained from that long-ago time, we took the plunge and started breeding this special blend again. Our first forays into the offical breeding of this magnificent breed are forward-moving Friesian crosses. Please see our For Sale page to experience this unique breed for yourself!
