The Danubian (also known as 'Dunavska' and 'Dunav') is an endangered Bulgarian light-draft breed.

Origins:
At the beginning of the 20th century, Bulgarian breeders crossed Nonius and, to a lesser extent, Don stallions, with Gidran mares. The offspring were then selectively bred for their solid conformation, light gaits, and overall strength. The result was the Danubian, a strong and energetic breed that excels in harness and farm work.

Current state:
The second half of the 20th century brought great changes to the equestrian world. First, the mechanization of agriculture in the 1960s, left draft breeds redundant because they were no longer essential for farming. Second, the increasing popularity of the Olympic games increased the demand for show-jumpers and hunters.

Because of these circumstances, many breeders began to cross Danubian horses with Thoroughbreds, rather than with other Danubians, in order to produce show-jumpers (see the 'Anglo-Danubian' for more information.) As a result, the number of Danubian horses decreased to a point where the breed became endangered.

Today, there are efforts in Bulgaria to conserve the purebred form of the Danubian horse. While this breed is still endangered, its numbers are slightly increasing.

Conformation:
The conformation of Danubian horses is a heavy one, but not as heavy as that of heavy drafts.

Danubian horses have long heads with a straight or sub-convex profile, a thick and muscular neck which is high-set, sturdy legs that are clean from feathering, a wide and muscular body, and a rectangular frame.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Danubians in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 15.4-16.6, 16.0 (0.2), 0.05.
Sprint: 51-65, 58 (3), 0.52.

Accel: 0.92-1.10, 1.01 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 1.05-1.21, 1.12 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 5.01-5.40, 5.20 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 3.21-3.87, 3.55 (0.12), 0.02.

Turning: 52.55-64.81, 57.91 (2.65), 0.52.
Reverse: 2.4-2.9, 2.7 (0.1), 0.03.

Stamina: 52.09-55.81, 53.63 (0.86), 0.17.
Reaction: 0.77-0.85, 0.81 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Colors: usually black or brown, more rarely bay or chestnut. The coat is always dark.

Additionals: sooty.
white markings on the face and legs can occur but are usually small in size and, in the case of leg markings, restricted to the lower legs.

Height: 15.2hh* to 16hh.
*: most Danubian horses are 15.3hh or 16hh tall, but some can be as short as 15.2hh.