The Alt-Oldenburger and Ostfriesen are representatives of a group of horse breeds primarily from continental Europe called heavy warmbloods.

The breed has two names because the same horse was bred in two regions in the most north-western part of Germany: East Frisia and the former grand duchy of Oldenburg.

The name "Alt-Oldenburger" – alt meaning "old" – simply distinguishes this horse from its descendant, the modern Oldenburg, which is bred for sport.

This unique cultural mixture gives the region a distinct identity all its own, and horse breeders there responded to a dynamic market.

Count Anton Günther returned from a trip lasting several years with a number of horses he admired in Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Poland.

[3] While the breeding of horses in Ostfriese and Oldenburg was driven primarily by the nobles, without the aid of a studbook registry, the world's first ever stallion Körung occurred in the region.

While the breeders at Celle developed a more refined cavalry mount around 1800, those of the Frisian marshlands sought out Cleveland Bays and Yorkshire carriage horses in greater numbers.

The results were solid, good-natured heavy coaching horses,[5] which were molded into a stable mare base by the mid-17th century.

Both employed rigorous selection along similar breeding goals, though up until the 20th century, few breeders kept pedigrees, and many mares and stallions were unregistered.

They were exported even to the southern reaches of the German-speaking region; Oldenburg stallions populated the freshly rebuilt Bavarian State Stud of Schwaiganger from 1870 on.

The type was described as possessing a distinct outline, strong foundation and a friendly, expressive head, not to mention the "certain elegance about the whole appearance."

So to adapt, starting in 1920 the direction changed radically: a heavy warmblood of great economy with a good walk, calm temperament, which matures early and utilizes its feed well.

They were subsequently bred to have greater depth, breadth and strength, at the expense of the dryness, nerve, expression and gait qualities for which they had previously been selected.

Other regions began to breed heavy warmbloods: Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and Silesia.

Fearing that the Thoroughbred would detract from the amenable nature of their horses, the Ostfriesen breeders chose to use Arabian blood instead.

Beginning in 1948, such stallions were made available to the breeders, who scarcely used them, being hard-put to change their beloved horses so drastically.

Unfortunately, they had missed the mark: the market demanded a light, elegant, but tall riding horses, and the Freisen-Arabs were smaller than their warmblood mothers.

Meanwhile, the Oldenburg horses were being systematically redirected by the use of Anglo-Norman stallions like Condor, Thoroughbreds like Adonis xx, and Anglo-Arabs like Inschallah AA.

In 1983 a group of supporters formed a special breed association under the jurisdiction of the Weser-Ems Studbook, approving stallions that were half-Hanoverian, half-Ostfriesen or Alt-Oldenburg.

Even after 20 years of hiatus, the goal is to produce a heavy, quality horse, responsive with an exceptionally good temperament.

The breeding objective these days stretches back before the horses were called to haul tractors and artillery, to when they were heavy, elegant, and impressive Karossiers.

The physique should speak of a moderately elegant horse of great depth and breadth, well-sprung ribs and a strong hind end.

The limbs should be correct and dry with great bone strength, very strong joints suited to the horse's size, ending in the all-important well-shaped hooves.