Nordanner Conformation

So you are interested in learning more about the majestic Nordanner, eh?
Well, you have come to the right place! 

Let us start with talking a bit about the Nordanner's particular conformation. 
As you can see in the image at the left, we have an ideal candidate for what a good Nordanner looks like. 
Overall, a Nordanner is a baroque-type breed. They are well-muscled with plenty of bone and large, hard feet. They sport thick, cresty necks with an upright shoulder and head carriage. They are also rather compact, with a short but well-defined back. This build makes a Nordanner a superior candidate for carrying heavy armor and gear for miles. 
While your average Nordanner is a bit on the heavier or cold-blooded side, they do have a naturally active movement, and are a surprisingly powerful but graceful animal. They are also quite agile, making them excellent in combat scenarios during dragon hunts.  This agility also helps them excel in a wide variety of disciplines and events -- from dressage, to barrel racing, ranch work, or even racing on the flat! 
Despite being compact and powerful, the Nordanner is not without refinement in the breed. They do have a variety of different body types, specially bred from certain lines to preserve those types. You can read more about these types below, but for now let's talk more about the features of a Nordanner.

They have a well-defined straight profile.  Due to the influence of the many breeds in their background, it is also not uncommon to see a Nordanner with a slight roman-nosed profile. Their eyes and nostrils tend to run a bit larger than your average horse, as they were specially bred for combat in a wide variety of climates.
​One feature a Nordanner does not possess is a convex or inwardly-curved profile similar to an Arabian or light-horse breed. 

The coat of a Nordanner is smooth, short, and shiny when the horse is in good condition. They do  easily grow a thick coat in the winter as well, and often do not need the help of blankets to keep them warm. However, some owners choose to blanket their horses to keep their coats short for show or other purposes. 

Nordanners sport a variety of coat colors and patterns, to read more about these you will need to head over to the Design Guides linked on the How To: Designing and Submitting Your Foal journal in the group.
Nordanner Basic Stats

Height range: 14.3 - 18 HH
Average Lifespan: 28-30 years.
​Coat Color Variations: See Design Guides
Temperament: Depends on the horse, but generally brave, intelligent, personable, and easily trained. 
Body Types: Baroque Type -- Ranging from Modern, Medium, Classic (see below).
Disciplines: All


​Because of the good hair genes that a Nordanner possesses, you can do a wide variety of hair styles to compliment their good looks. Your Nordanner can sport fancy braids, a clean show cut, have their hair long and loose, or whatever the imagination can come up with. However, the Nordanner is well-renowned for one specific style -- the war cut. If you aren't sure what this looks like, please see the image provided. 
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A Nordanner war cut consists of shaved feathers (if the horse has them), a short tail, and a cropped mane. The forelock is either left long, or cut short depending on owner preference. This hair style was developed to prevent the horse's hair from getting caught up during battle, but it also doubles as fire safety when hunting dragons.
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In review, the war cut is a short and practical hair style that also traces back to the breed's original roots and purpose. It is a cool way to follow tradition!

Nordanner Body Types


​All Nordanners descend from a few select breeds. Because of this, there are varying body types that your Nordanner can take after. 
If you are interested in knowing more about how these different body types came about, you can scroll down a bit further on this page and read the Nordanner Origins section. 
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The image provided are three examples of well-known body types: Modern, Medium, and Classic.

While the Classic body type is the one that is reflected on the import lines, your horse can be any body type on their registration image, or somewhere in-between the three types. 

Classic
The original build that Nordanners descended from. Large, sturdy stock well-suited to carrying heavy armor, gear, and an armored rider into battle -- but also practical for farm work, general riding, or shows.

Medium
With the rise of skilled magic changing how armor functioned, and also with changing preference, a lighter body type was developed. 

Modern
As with all things that evolve, so does magic and preference. Over time, an even lighter body type was selectively bred from Nordanner stock. 

All three body types still meet the breed's base conformation, and all three types can range from 14.3 - 18 HH.  

Nordanner Origins
The Nordanner that you know and love today is descended from the war horses of Skagenrak, but where did those horses originate?

The answer was in crossing very select individuals from the Ardennais, Andalusian, Friesian, Lusitano, Mustang, and Noriker horse breeds. The goal was to create a breed with flashy movement and good agility, but also the strength required to carry heavy armor. These early war-horses were much heavier in build than your modern Nordanner, yet still have the same refined beauty.
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Of course when selecting individuals for breeding, early breeders selected horses which possessed the right level of intelligence, personality, and trainability that make a Nordanner such a fantastic mount for hunting dragons. 
As the magic of the realm grew stronger, so did the market on items crafted with magic, including armor for horses. This armor was much lighter, reducing the need for the more draft-type of war horses. As a result, some Nordanners were selectively bred to be much lighter and more agile, leading to the modern body type. 

This was not the only instance of selective breeding -- other body types have sprung up as a result of this selective breeding, and now a pure Nordanner may look vastly different depending on the purpose it was bred for. You can have a classic heavy draft, a lighter Baroque type, a flashy Spanish type, or even a good compact all-around horse! 

No matter your horse's particular body type, you can rest assured that they will excel in any challenge you put them up against. 

The Histories...or so it is said...

Very little is known of the breed prior to when they came through the portals into their new homeland, and accounts of those early days were lost as well.
However, we do know a few of the most infamous events. These times have been labeled by the Royal Historians as Before-Modern-Era, also known as BME. 

2400 BME:
  • A war-horse type was frequently used by nobles, royalty, and wealthy citizens in the kingdom of Skagenrak. It was not yet named as a breed, nor did it have a breed registry. 
  • Approximate time of a death plague that swept the kingdom, killing thousands. Many of the horses became feral or wild, and the crown went nearly bankrupt trying to recover from the kingdom's loss.
2399 BME:
  • Queen Mary Ann VI of Skagenrak opened the export of the country's now-common war horses to other countries to help the crown recoup losses. This plan worked, and the kingdom rebounded and flourished as these war horses became surprisingly popular outside of Skagenrak. The Queen would later have to regulate the export of war horses in order to preserve the bloodlines, and eventually cut off nearly all exports as the death plague threatened to become a world-wide pandemic. 
1539 BME:
  • King Normann III of Skagenrak declared the war horses of Skagenrak to be their own breed, and gave the breed its official name -- Nordanner. 
  • Official exports of the breed began. 
  • The magic of the realm also reached a critical turning point. Gifted individuals were becoming more common and more powerful. This led to some choice marriages within the Royal line to secure greater magic users for the crown. 
  • Skirmishes between Royal Houses of different lands accompanied the rise in magic users. From this point forward, the entire realm lived in a constant state of tension and war until one Royal House at least took control of the realm.
5 BME: 
  • The reigning Queen was informed of a spreading deterioration Skagenrak. Reports had originated from other lands of the magic failing, and the parts of the realm disappearing. Dragons and creatures of the old realm began to die off as a result of this deterioration. 
  • Seeing the crown's weakness, war once again broke out, leading to the death of the reigning Queen. Her place was taken by Queen Alora, a noblewoman and magic user more powerful than any other. She was rumored to be blessed by the Gods and Goddess themselves, as no other person in the kingdom could rival her power.
0 BME:
  • The rapid deterioration of Skagenrak led to a mass-exodus event, where the peoples of Skagenrak fled their home realm to a new one, which was named Aleria after Queen Alora.
  • This mass exodus, along with events that have happened after, can be read about on the Lore page. 
10 ME (Modern-Era):
  • Corruption spread by Vramien overtook the kingdom of Aleria, taking the life of Queen Alora and forcing a second mass-exodus of their homeland. They settled on a continent not far away named Kisarana. Aleria from this point forward has been known as "The Lost Kingdom". The crown was not left without an heir though, as Alora had one daughter, Nadja. 

New Homeland: Looking to the future

Kisarana is a land full of rich resources, varied terrain, and most importantly promise for the future. However, the threat of Vramien still looms over the young Queen Nadja, her people, and the horses they so love. 
​It seems that our story is not yet over...

Will you join us on our journey?
Art on this page by: Luise A Eriksen, TheLastHuzzah with edits done by Crows-CrandySkulls, and Memuii (top to bottom)  See Nordanner Credits for current import lines credits.
​Header art done by: Memuii