Spotted horses were bred in Denmark as long ago as 1671, when there was a very popular stud called “The Tiger Horses”.   At this time the spotted horses were almost solely for the use of the royalty and nobility.  Fewspot or  ‘white born’ horses were used as carriage horses (it was difficult to get horses with matching spot patterns) and were also used as the mount of the monarch in Coronation ceremonies. Spotted, as well as fewspot, horses were used in the Court riding academy of Christiansborg Castle and proved themselves well not only as a classical riding horse, but in driving as well.  Unfortunately, after a peak in production and quality in 1750,  this Royal breeding line came to a sad demise as the colour disappeared, this was likely to be due to the grey gene.

In 1812 spotted horses returned to Denmark, not with descendents of the original “Tiger Horses” but with a new bloodline. Villars Lunn, owner of the  “Knabstrupgaard”, a manor situated in Holbæk, Nordsealand, bought a mare from a butcher named Flæbe.  The mare was also called Flæbe. The mare was probably of Spanish origin, but she had the stamp of an English hunter type. The butcher had bought the mare from a Spanish cavalry officer stationed in Denmark during the Napoleonic wars.

Flæbe was unusually marked for horses of the day. She was dark red (Danish = Zobelfuchs) with white mane and tail, and her body was  covered extensively with small white snowflakes. She also had brown spots on her white blanket. She was a quality horse, with exquisite beauty.

There is great speculation and much disagreement regarding the origins of the Flæbe mare.  One possible theory is that she originated from Meklenbourg in Germany, where the Spanish were stationed before they came to Denmark. Another theory is that she travelled with the Spanish all the way from Cordoba in Spain.

One of the requirements of horses used for breeding at the Knabstrupgaard was good performance.  Horses had to have shown great stamina and good temperament under heavy work loads. For horses at that time, that often meant being ridden or driven for long hours over rough terrain.   The Flæbe mare was in service at Knabstrupgaard as a light workhorse (carriage driving as well as farm work) from May 1812.

Titular Councillor of State, V. Lunn, wrote in his memoirs how Flæbe showed her value in 1816:

He was run over by a carriage and it broke his leg, so the doctor was required immediately. A farm worker took another team of horses from the yard and drove to the local doctors home at Holbæk, but the doctor wasn’t there. From there he drove on to the vicarage at Buttrup, where he collected a doctor called Reinhardt. He then drove back to Knabstrupgaard.

The total journey was 30 km (over 18.5 miles), and took 105 minutes. One of the horses was damaged for life, but the other, who was the Flæbe mare, was back at work in the fields the following day. This was no mean feat, as at that time she was 15 years old, an age where modern day horses are often regarded as veterans.

Flæbe offspring

Flæbe was once covered by a chestnut Frederiksborg stallion, and the colt foal she had as a result of this in 1813, was named the Flæbestallion.  It was this colt, Flæbestallion, that was the foundation sire for the new spotted breed. As a result of his birth,  Flæbe became the “breed mother” of the Knabstrupper horse. Flæbestallion also had an unusual coat colour and was often described as having a special metallic glow with many different colours in his coat.

All of Flæbe’s progeny displayed fantastic spotted colour, not once did she give birth to a solid foal, even to a solid stallion.  So it stands to reason that she carried the spotted genes and is responsible for the myriad of coat patterns seen in the Knabstrupper breed.

Another colt out of Flæbe was Mikkel, born in 1818. He was by his half brother the Flæbestallion.

Mikkel was famous for his horseracing performances. He always worked, and pulled a carriage the 6 Danish miles (41 km.) to the racecourse before he raced.  He was only defeated once in a race in Copenhagen during which he was injured -  he was 16 years old.

The races that Mikkel won were seen by many people and gave the Knabstrupper horse the reputation of being a latter day “performance horse” of great stamina and capacity. Mikkel is probably the most famous horse in the history of the Knabstrupper breed.

At that time the Knabstrupper horses were known for their liveliness and energetic action, but they were not temperamental. They had no malicious tendencies or vices. They were never housed in stalls and were mostly kept outside, which explains their hardiness and reputation for being ‘good doers’. Knabstrupper horses lived, and still live in modern times, to very great ages.

The Knabstrupper as a Cavalry Mount

Danish officers often used Knabstrupper horses as mounts during the war 1848-1850 (Schleswig war). Unfortunately, because of their eye-catching colour, they we easy targets for enemy snipers.