Knapstrup Horse

The Knabstrup originated from Spanish horses dating back to the Napoleonic Wars. The Danish butcher Flaebe bought a spotted mare who possessed great strength and was extremely fast and he named her Flaebehoppen. Her next owner, Judge Lunn, founded a line of spotted horses by breeding her to Fredriksborgs and named them Knabstrup after his estate. The spotted horses were less substantial than the Fredriksborg but were sound and tough and their unusual markings made them popular with the circus. In America a Knabstrup horse, wearing a protective harness, performed with a large Bengal Tiger riding on its back. Crossings back to the Fredriksborg reduced the number of pure bred Knabstrup.