World Breeding News - Issue 266 by breedingnews

BN #2645 – €8

FeBruary 2019

Breeder interviews

Stallion profiles

Bloodline analysis

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ISSUE # 266 – FEBRUARY 2019

C ON TeN TS

8 – MaLe Or FeMaLe: WHaT WOuLD yOu CHOOSe?

Modern reproductive techniques have gone through major developments over the past 50 years. Soon, breeders will be able to acquire frozen straws with the sex of the seed guaranteed in order to inseminate a mare. What does this mean for the breeding industry?

EQUITECHNIC

www.equitechnic.fr

10 – STaLLION HIT ParaDe: NeW GerMaN BreeDING VaLueS

The German FN breeding values have been released, again in the new format of one set of standings based on open competition results, and one on the young horse classes. So the 2017 Nürnberger Burg-Pokal winner, Escolar (Estobar NRW x Fürst Piccolo) heads up the FN ranking with a value of 174, but with a relatively low reliability figure of 90%.... 26 – BWP Jury SeLeCTS 55 STaLLIONS FOr THIrD PHaSe OF aPPrOVaL

32 – ICSI: aSSeSSING THe PrOS aND CONS OF WHaT We NOW KNOW!

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or (ICSI), is an advanced reproductive procedure used in mares as the only reliable means to produce ‘test tube foals,’ or in vitro embryos. Pioneered in equines in the late 1970s and early 80s, this technology did not become truly commercially viable until the late 1990s to early 2000s. CORRESPONDENTS IN THIS ISSUE: CELIA CLARKE

CHRISTOPHER HECTOR

February 2019

aLSO 19 21 22 24 28 31 34 35 36

IN THIS ISSue

Writing history in Herning: 40th anniversary of the DWB stallion show a French breeding revolution for 2019: Redesigning SF stallion selections Matthews Hanoverians: Flying the Verband flag Loriston-Clarke wins lifetime achievement award: Twice! remarkable winner in NZ World Cup series: Windermere Cappuccino (Corofino II) CWHBa: Dutch stallion owners stamp their mark in Holstein: During the January selection Breeding/rider relationships: According to Rudiger Wassibauer British Futurity 2018 hits the ground running: British Breeding evaluations’ winners

D e Pa r T M e N T S 5 7 38/39 40

editorial: Sex, seed, and.... So...? Briefs and last-minute news WBFSH News Calendar of events

PHOTOGraPHS (COVer aND PG. 3) COVer PHOTO – THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORS DON SCHUFRO (1993/OLDBG: DONNERHALL - FIESTA X PIK BUBE I) – PUBLISHED COURTESY OF BLUE HORSE APS. CONTeNTS PHOTOS – PG 3 (TOP TO BOTTOM): EQUITECHNIC LOGO; QUICK STAR/MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM (PETER LLEWELLYN); BELGIAN WARMBLOOD LOGO; ICSI

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Launched in January 1977, BREEDING NEWS FOR SPORT HORSES is published every month by Breeding International Ltd., and is available exclusively online. From January 1, 2019, the publication’s title was changed to WORLD BREEDING NEWS FOR SPORT HORSES to reflect the new partnership between the WBFSH and BN. Twelve issues each year are uploaded to our website before the last day of every month. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, by any means, without written permission, is strictly prohibited. Copyright The editorial policy of Breeding News seeks to publish a wide variety of views, although publication does not imply endorsement by the publisher, or any individual associated with the publication in any way. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher and editor cannot accept liability for any errors which occur. Unsolicited articles, photographs and letters on any suitable subject may be submitted on spec by email to editor@breedingnews.com. It is implicit that digital images accompanying articles are either copyright free, or that permission for publication has been granted by the photographer. BREEDING NEWS FOR SPORT HORSES publishes the BN WORLDWIDE SPORT HORSE STALLION DIRECTORY every year and will be available exclusively online as an interactive database from 2019.

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February 2019

Timeo hominem unius libri

eD ITOr Ia L Sex, SeeD aND.... SO!

In polo the players prefer females, in harness geldings, in dressage stallions have a good reputation and, in showjumping, if there are fewer mares than geldings and stallions combined, when they are good, they are often exceptional. Modern reproductive techniques have continued to develop over the last 50 years, lowering or removing the gap between breeding time and sport, thereby allowing breeders to assess their choices and prove their decisions. Of course, this refers to artificial insemination, the preservation and the transportation of chilled or frozen semen, embryo transfer, oocyte flushing, in vitro fertilization, cloning.... For males, the resulting evolution of these various techniques is to separate the place and/or time for semen collection from the time and/or place for inseminating a mare. So, a stallion’s semen can be collected during the winter for use, worldwide, in the following breeding season. Likewise, embryo transfer allows a mare to simultaneously fulfill a sporting and a breeding career, or for a broodmare to produce several foals in one season. It should be noted that the Thoroughbred world has officially forbidden these evolutionary techniques by virtue of a simple prevailing principle, which is to leave breeding for nature to do its best, a beautiful and rich process, trusted for the better, and with an end result that is certainly more rare and expensive. Two opposing concepts and two economic models which, at the end of the day, generate different sets of values: First, when applied to sport, the process must be increasingly efficient, innova-

tive, inventive in order to survive; Second, and conversely, a perfectly conservative process that must be extremely rigorous to ensure that impeccable orthodoxy never slips. So, there would never be a question of using sexed sperm in the Thoroughbred world, which would allow a breeder to choose in advance the sex of the expected offspring. This question is by no means innocent! Let’s tell you: We have a scoop! From the beginning of this year, within the sport horse industry, the imperative race for progress will soon allow a breeder to choose (with 95% certainty) the sex of a future foal, thanks to the artificial insemination of sexed seed. And YES, they will soon be for sale – the straws of the best sires on the circuit! LOL: Blue for future colts and pink for the fillies? More seriously what will be the market trend demonstrate with this new opportunity? More males straws? Or females? Will the male straws be more expensive than those of the females? How will the global impact of this new technique affect the marketplace? Marc Spalart, boss of Equitechnic, based at Corbon in Calvados, the carrier of this new offer, thanks to a partnership with the American specialist for sexing bovine seed, Sexing Technologies, does not linger over the questions raised by this new step forward in science. His job – is it not to meet the expectations of the breeders of today and of tomorrow? To bring technical answers and services to professionals? In this case, the sexing of seed is undoubtedly a big step forward. An enormous step given all the consequences that have yet to be measured. A topic for debate for some. Nothing to consider for others. But, for sure, it’s something we’ll follow very closely. Xavier Libbrecht

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February 2019

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B r IeFS

As a renowned stallion station in Europe, Blue Hors tested all their ‘active’ breeding stallions for WFFS (Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome) in May 2018. As the 25-year-old Blue Hors Don Schufro was no longer being collected for fresh semen he was not among the tested group. Since then, several horses closely related to Don Schufro tested as carriers of the WFFS gene, indicating that he may be a carrier himself. According to Esben Møller, “We support openness and transparency and accordingly chose to have Don Schufro tested. It turned out – almost as expected – that he tested positive. Our knowledge about the horses’ WFFS status is an additional breeding tool which has become available that enables breeders to avoid mating of two carrier individuals. Therefore, we recommend the breeders to have their mares tested prior to the breeding season.” Two five-year-old gelding sons of the New Zealand imported Oldenburg Donnerubin (Donnertraum x De Niro x Rubinstein) are at the top of the NZ Futures series, which is restricted to horses aged between four and 10 years, with riders who have no grading points at Level 8 or above. Donnerubin stands at Chevaux Dansants Stables and has all-European Oldenburg/Hanoverian bloodlines, with the mighty Donnerhall on both sides of his pedigree. His son who leads the Futures series is a New Zealand Warmblood, Lindisfarne Danseur (Donnerubin - Vienetta x Voltaire II), bred by Rosehill Sport Horses near Auckland and ridden by owner Rosanne Rix. Donneroyale (Donnerubin - Aloha x Aljano), another NZ Warmblood, is in second place, and lying third is another five-year-old, the Hanoverian mare Ganache MH (Gymnastik Star - Desiray x Dream Boy) bred by Matthews Hanoverians and ridden by Kathryn Corry. Lindisfarne Danseur and Donneroyale are also at the top of the North Island Super 5 League (Levels 1-9) on 50 and 47 points respectively. Third place in this is held at present by another from Matthews Hanoverians, the elegant Danza MH (Dancier - Belle du Jour x Brentano II). The South Island Super 5 is a two-way battle between Windermere Johanson (Johnson N.O.P - Miss Phillips xx x Kilimanjaro xx) with Melissa Galloway on 28 points, and the Hanoverian mare Rossellini (Rotspon - Argentille Givenchy x Argentille Gullit) with Barbara Chalmers on 27. It’s interesting that Melissa Galloway’s World Challenge-winning PSG horse, Windermere JObèi W and Windermere Johanson are both by Johnson from Thoroughbred mares; obviously a good match! Both were bred by David Woolley. Rossellini was bred by Diana de Silva. Windermere Johanson and Rossellini are also at the top of the South Island Musical Freestyle series, while the North Island series is led by Andreas (Anamour - Blue Willow x Dynamit), a gelding bred by Brenda Bishop and owned and ridden by Vanessa Way. His sire, Anamour, also sired the dam of the horse who is lying second: Don Amour MH (Don Frederico - Adelheid x Anamour) bred by Matthews Hanoverians and ridden by Wendi Williamson. In third spot is another Hanoverian gelding, Dancealong (Dream Boy - Waltzingtanz x Wolkentanz II) bred by Pat Dalrymple and ridden by Susan Tomlin. S.R.

The Olympia-Halle in Munich-Riem was sold out during both days of the licensing and the auction of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Süddeutsche Pferdezuchtverbände (Working Group of South German Breeding Associations), when a total of 78 stallions were presented – with 40 passing the first hurdle. One of the highlights of showjumping breeding was a four-year-old son of Cupie (Coupie - Karla x Konkorde), bred by Monika Grötzner from Lehrberg. Her broodmare, Karla, has already produced five off-spring successful in high-level sport, as well as the winner of the 2019 jumping generation. Carsten has already caught the eye of many stables, and was impressive in Munich, where he sold to the Spitzenhof stud of Klaus Issak for €70,000 (US$ 79,831). A black diamond who wasn’t for sale was the dressage winner by De Kooning, out of a Destano mare, bred by Konrad Mensch from Erolzheim. The major highlight was the Buckingham son (out of Sunshine x Sir Donnerhall), who went under the hammer for €300,000 (US$342,135) to a buyer who prefers anonymity. The highest price for two jumping stallions was €100,000 (US$ 114,045) for sons of Calido I (out of Valesca A x Cristo) and Diamant de Semilly (Diamant de Semilly - Vivian II x Cassini I). For the same price a dressage son with great movements by Millennium (out of Sulola Lou x San Amour) is now in the hands of Sissy Max-Theurer. There was a special interest from aboard, and three stallions will fly to the United States, one to Australia, while and nine found new homes in Austria and Switzerland. The average price was €49,741 (US$ 56,727) and €36,269 (US$41,363) for the licensed and unlicensed stallions, respectively. S.G. The first horse presented in the inaugural Hanoverian auction of 2019 claimed the highest price when the typey bay Der Keiler (Don Index - St.Pr. Weige II x Werther) went under the hammer for €88,000. Bred and exhibited by distillery owner Carl Graf von Hardenburg, Der Keiler was described as “an extravagant dressage youngster with absolute top standards. The elegant movements, rideability and behaviour of Der Keiler speak for themselves.” He was sold to a top Belgian dressage trainer who has been a regular Verden customer for 25 years. Second in the price stakes was a brilliantly moving dressage talent, Fürst Benno (Fürst Belissario - Walessa x Worldly), bred by Klaus Kropp, who will make his new home in Spain following a telephone bid of €75,000. Clemens (Coupe d'Or - Opium x Drosselklang I), bred and exhibited by Gestüt Sprehe GmbH, was the highest-priced showjumper. The bay, who already has victories and placings up to 1m30, will also be heading south, to a showjumping stable in Spain, for €29,000. Clemens was assessed as having a “good attitude, cleverness, and great capabilities.” A total of 34 horses achieved prices of €15,000+, with an export rate of almost 50 percent: 37 horses finding new homes abroad, and eight going to new owners in Belgium. Der Keiler (Photo: Tammo Ernst)

Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

Male or female? What would you choose?

XAVIER LIBBRECHT

Modern reproductive techniques have gone through major developments over the past 50 years. Apart from the English Thoroughbred studbook, which only permits natural covering internationally for its mares, the authorities representing other race horses (Arabians, Trotters...) or sport horses (the Olympic disciplines), have opened all or part of their studbooks to artificial inseminationor for the transportation of the seed, to embryo transfer and, for some, flushing of oocytes, in vitro fertilization, or even cloning.

or stallions, the major advantage of these various techniques is to separate the moment and/or the place of semen collection and/or the place of insemination of the mare. A stallion can thus produce semen for freezing during the winter months, for shipping all around the world the following Spring. With regard to females, embryo transfer allows a competition mare to simultaneously pursue both a sporting and a breeding career, or for a particular broodmare to produce several foals in one season, according to market expectations and the most fashionable pedigrees. In brief, everything is more or less controlled according to the desires of the breeders/investors about which we know, as bankers, that there is a holy horror of uncertainties and risks. Yes, everything is finally predictable in sport horse breeding, or almost… With the exception of the sex of a future foal.

The end of the game of chance! Until now, it has been necessary to wait for a transrectal ultrasound at the beginning of the third month of gestation and a transabdominal ultrasound on the fifth month in order to know the sex of the foal. It’s information that could be conservatively considered ‘quite interesting’, for both the breeder and the owners of the mare, and also for a potential buyer who wishes to invest in specific genetics, provided that the unborn foal is, according to his/her objectives, a male or a female. This information is only ‘quite interesting’ because, unfortunately, at this point, it is too late to turn back. The first company to work on this topicject in Europe, Equitechnic, based in Corbon, Calvados, is now in a position to offer the ‘decision makers’, the career of a producer, the opportunity to choose, prior to insemination, the future sex of a product. A reminder: To allow a breeder to choose the sex of a future foal, it is necessary to return to the moment of conception – the insemination, therefore, of the mare. As with all mammals, fetal sex is determined by the sexual chromosome that is carried by the sperm at the time of

February 2019

fertilization. If the spermatozoa carries the ‘Y’ chromosome, the fertilized oocyte will give birth to a male. If the spermatozoa carries the ‘X’ chromosome, the mare will give birth to a filly. Considering the standard number of sperm collected at each harvest (three to seven billion, on average), or the number of sperm contained in single straw (50 to 500 million), it will be born, with no interference in the process, statistically, from both males and females. These global statistics are not predictable! Breeders worthy to be called such, have known and/or experienced a mare that has produced four or five males consecutively, and vice versa. To avoid this reoccurence, the only solution is to sort the sperm in advance, before inseminating the mare. It should, of course, be understaood, that this work requires the appropriate equipment. Having signed a partnership with Sexing Technologies – the American specialist in sexing bovine seed – Equitechnic acquired in Autumn 2018 the first machine that allowed the testing of seed from 16 French and foreign stallions from eight different studbooks.

It is enough to place an order The technique relies on the molecular weight of chromosomes: ‘Y’ being lower by three to 4.5 percent, than the weight of ‘X’ chromosomes in mammals. Sperm cells are thus passed one by one through a flow cytometer which diverts cells in order to separate the male sperm cells from the females. The process is neither genetic engineering, nor vitro fertilization, nor is it a genetically modified organism, because the process simply sorts sperm cells prior to insemination. Here, it is wise to mention that, considering the speed in which cells are analyzed (70,000 per second), and the total number of sperm cells necessary to inseminate a mare (several million), the sex ration will never be 100%. This current technique allows the production of doses with a 95%, which means that foal can be born a male coming from said female straws. Yes, you understood correctly that the ‘decision-maker’ will soon be able to acquire frozen straws with the sex of the Timeo hominem unius libri

seed guaranteed in order to inseminate a mare. Yes, it is a major scoop! Things have not been evolving for very long. According to Marc Spalart, researcher and manager of Equitechnic, “As with all frozen sperm, all stallions do not produce the same success in terms of the sexing of their seed, but this initial work allowed us to reach a sufficient mobility of the seed to begin the first artificial inseminations.”

And the results occurred very quickly. Of the first seven mares inseminated from the sexed seed during the day, five were noticed as being pregnant in 14 days, then at day 25 of gestation, one among them presented with twins – so a total of six oocytes fertilized from eight recorded ovulations (75% fertility).

Considering these first results, a further four mares were inseminated with sexed seed that had been produced 24 to 48 hours prior to insemination. Of these four mares, two were pregnant after 14 and 25 days of gestation, including one with twins, which represented a 60% success: Three gestations out of five ovulations. Naturally, these results are very encouraging and will allow Equitechnic to offer this service for the 2019 breeding season for on-site stallions producing fresh and cooled semen. At the same time the tests are going to continue with the frozen seed because, as mentioned earlier, the primary objective is to quickly produce a frozen straw of sexed seed. ■

Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

Stallion hit parade: New German breeding values

CHRISTOPHER HECTOR

The German FN breeding values have been released, again in the new format of one set of standings based on open competition results, and one on the young horse classes. I suppose there is nothing like a young horse to head the young dressage horse values. So the 2017 Nürnberger Burg-Pokal winner, Escolar (Estobar NRW x Fürst Piccolo) heads up the 2018 German FN values with a value of 174, but with a relatively low reliability figure of 90%.

nce again, I draw on my friend Thomas Hartwig and his encyclopaedic knowledge of Westfalian breeding: “We have seen in the last two or three years a very interesting comeback of the famous E line. The founder of the E line in Westfalia was Ehrenschild (Eindruck II x Adlerschild), a stallion from the Hanoverian State Stud in Celle, who came in 1960 to the town of Melle which is right on the border of Westfalia and Hanover, and the Westfalian breeders used him. He was a big, heavy horse but typical of his time, remember he was born in 1956 and came to Melle in 1960 – for this time he was a typical horse. “He sired the Westfalian stallion, Ehrensold (Fronvogt), whose son was the very famous Ehrentusch (Rheingold). We saw a lot of very good children of Ehrentusch, and a lot of them have the same characteristics, they all want to work, they all had very good hind legs. They were not beauty queens, or kings, but perfectly usable, and not only dressage horses but also showjumpers. You might remember El Paso from Paul Schockemöhle and later Eddie Macken. In the 80s and early 90s, Ehrentusch was very favoured but then a lot of people said, ‘Oh! Ehrentusch’s children, are not beautiful enough’, and his popularity slipped down. “Then one of the most famous breeders, Norbert Borgmann, the father of Stephen who runs the stud today, used Ehrentusch with his very perfect mare, Florance (Ferragamo x Florestan), and produced Estobar, later Estobar NRW. He sold at the auction in 2006 for the unbelievable price of over half a million euros. “From Estobar we saw his really best son, Escolar, two times a winner at the Bundeschampionate as a three- and fouryear-old stallion where he received several tens for gallop and trot. Now we can see the first children of Escolar. The oldest are four, but in the first season he covered only a handful of mares. The first crop we can really see are the three year olds and they have had a lot of success in Westfalia, and in the Bundeschampionate. The champion of the three years old geldings and mares is an Escolar – Eternity – who was shown by the stable of Andreas Helgstrand. “This story is a good example of two things. The first is, how great the danger is that a very valuable line can be forgotten, because if Norbert Borgmann hadn’t done his own thing with Florence, we would have had no Estobar, no

10 February 2019

Escolar, and no one would today speak about the E line. The second is that a lot of the strengths that were first seen with Ehrenschild, we can see three, four, five generations later. The very good hind legs, they all want to work, mostly not such beautiful horses but really horses you can use for working and working at a higher level, because they want to work.” Since his win in the Burg-Pokal, Escolar has gone on to commence a very promising Grand Prix career. In November of this year, Hubertus Schmidt and Escolar won the Munich Indoor four-star CDI Grand Prix Friday in the stallion’s Big Tour debut, a day after riding the horse’s younger brother, Escorial, to victory in his first international Grand Prix at the same competition. Schmidt and Escolar scored 75.435% for victory in the Grand Prix Special. The second highest ranked stallion on the new FN standings is not quite so famous: Fürsten-Look has a value of 170, with an even lower reliability score of 74. The youngster is by Fürstenball out of a Londonderry x Weltmeyer mare. His main claim to fame was third place in the dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses (WBCYH) in 2018 after winning the qualifying round. But there he is, the second highest rated sire of young horses. Once this sort of nonsense infected the whole of the FN values, now it seems confined to the sires of young horse competitors, which may be considered an improvement. It will be interesting to see how Fürsten-Look fares in the coming season after he has been revealed as a WFFS carrier. Don Juan de Hus (Jazz x Krack C) comes in third on 168. The stallion was sixth at the 2013 WBCYH, but 'hoof cracks' prevented his GP debut. He died in 2017, but not before he sired a couple of young horse stars. His son, Don Martillo (Benetton Dream FRH) won the five-year-old WBCYH in 2017, but seems to have disappeared since then. Another son, d'Avie (Londonderry) won the six-year-old championship the following year, but also seems to have disappeared, while the interestingly bred, Dorien Grey de Hus (out of a Poetin clone) placed fifth in the five-year-old age group. Fürstenball (by Fürst Heinrich and out of a Donnerhall mare, fourth on 162 – with an impressive reliability of 98%), is another who disappeared after his successful young horse career. It is a relief to find Damon Hill (Donnerhall x Rubinstein) Timeo hominem unius libri

in fifth, with a breeding value of 160 and 96% reliability. He truly is the odd man out, since he was not only a young horse star, winning both the five- and six-year-old world championships, but went on to be a World Cup and Olympic Games star, and he has sired some nice young horses, although we are still waiting for one to emulate the sire and cut it in the big sport. As usual my pal, Ludwig Christmann, the head of the Hanoverian Verband's Department of International Affairs, suggests that I am being unfair: “To defend the breeding values, when you look at the data that is behind the breeding values, Fürsten-Look's oldest offspring are three years old, so this is only data from five mares in the mare performance test, this is the minimum for a stallion to be published – there need to be five offspring, either in competition, or stallion testing or in mare performance tests. So this breeding value of FürstenLook comes because he was a super successful horse, he was Bundeschampion, and he was third in the world championships, as a seven-year-old, he already won on S level, so his breeding value now reflects more his own performance than the performance of the offspring.

TOP 10 DRESSAGE STALLIONS FN Breeding Evaluation – Young Horses 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9= 9=

Escolar (Westfalian) Fürsten-Look Don Juan de Hus (KWPN) Stanford (Rheinland) Vivaldi (KWPN) Fürstenball Damon Hill (Westfalian) Follow Me (Oldenburg) Quotenkönig (Westfalian) Sezuan (Danish Warmblood)

174 170 168 164 163 162 160 159 158 158

FN Breeding Value Assessment – Competition Horses 1 2 3= 3= 5 6 7 8 9 10= 10= 10=

Breitling W Don Schufro (Oldenburg) Damon Hill (Westfalian) Fürstenball (Oldenburg) Jazz (KWPN) Lissaro Vivaldi (KWPN) Vitalis (KWPN) Rock Forever I (Westfalian) Dressage Royal (Oldenburg) Florencio I (Westfalian) Lord Loxley (Rheinland)

166 165 164 164 163 161 157 156 152 150 150 150

Dressage stallions registered in the 2018/2019 season of Stallion Book I of the Hanoverian Verband, with a breeding value of 132, or young horse tests of at least 134, and/or a Hanoverian breeding value of at least 128 (best 5%)

Then there is Don Juan de Hus, which is not so crazy, asd he has produced super horses like Don Martillo.” ◆ We have to go down the list to fifth before we get Damon Hill, that’s the first stallion in the list who has actually done a Grand Prix test... “But as you know, there are two lists, and this is the list for stallions with performers in the young horse classes, and this does not include the Grand Prix, so this is just based on young horse classes and performance tests, so I think the ranking is not so bad. If a stallion has a breeding value of 147, then he belongs to the best one percent, and if a stallion has 148 or 149 or 150, this is not so important, so I think you should go a little bit away from the detailed ranking if the stallions are only two or three points apart from each other. Next year you get more information and a new breeding value, but it is already a strong statement when you have a breeding value of 140 or more.”

Top 50 in ‘open’ competitions Enough of this nonsense! Let's look at the German FN’s top 50 sires of horses in open competition to see if we can find some reality. And we do, heading the standings for the second year running is Breitling W on a score of 166. Once again we lament the failure to measure success over the number of foals, since Breitling produced an extraordinary number of Grand Prix competitors out of a very, very limited number of mares. Why? Because he was far from fashionably bred, by Bismark out of a mare by Maat I, and he was not really the modern, super-elegant type. Still the chestnut stallion was a good Grand Prix performer with Wolfram Wittig (who championed him throughout his career) and, with Wittig’s half-Thoroughbred mare, Diego, produced an astonishing seven internationallevel dressage competitors. Wolfram Wittig who ‘made’ the chestnut stallion, is, not surprisingly, delighted to see Breitling ranked number one again: “We are delighted that his children have been so successful. And now Kira (Wolfram's long-term, coming up to 20 years, pupil, Kira Wulferding) has another very good one, five years old, owned by Victoria Max-Theurer, and it is an upand-coming young horse.” ◆ Do you know how many mares he covered – he must have the highest ratio of foals to Grand Prix competitors of any stallion? “I think so, but we don't have all the information, but I know his average must be very very high. The most mares he ever covered in one year was about 80 when he was placed at Schockemöhle's, that was the maximum.” ◆ And some stallions covered 800 in one year... “What is important is not to sell the semen.What is important are the products, and what is so good about him is that he produced useful horses.” ◆ For a long time people would say, oh, the Breitling progeny Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

are successful because they are ridden by Wolfram and Brigitte, but now there are more and more horses that are being successful, with riders whose surname is not 'Wittig'... “We have very, very good mares in breeding at my place. At the moment it looks to me as if our German breeding system just produces modern horses, not power, not potential, just modern horses, and for me, a horse is really modern if there is a blue ribbon on its head.” ◆ When we look at the top horses in the sport - like Valegro, he's not such a 'modern' type - like your Breitlings... “No, but they are useful with a strong character, very good temperament, a very high level of rideability, this is what we are looking for. The next thing is that it takes a long time, the horse is seven or eight when you ask ‘is he good enough for Prix St Georges or Grand Prix’, but at the moment in Germany, we are producing the foals to sell as foals. They need the dark colour, that is important...” ◆ Flick their front legs with nice little tight backs... “And we are not asking for good haunches for a good canter, and that is what is most important, canter quality.” ◆ Who bred Breitling, you or your father-in-law? I see different versions... “He took the mare to be covered so his name is written on the paper, but at the time, I was sending all our mares to Bismark (Bolero x Duellant). This year we have a seven-yearold who is by Boston (Jazz x Flemmingh) out of a Bismark mare, the Bismark mare was born in 1991. Brigitte competed the Boston in three competitions, Prix St Georges for two victories, and one second place. She has also been successful at Prix St Georges with another Boston, this time out of a Breitling mare. At the moment we are breeding with five Breitling mares.” ◆ What stallions are you looking at this year? “I was taking Foundation (Fidertanz x De Vito), he's a very good stallion, then we have also used For Romance (Fürst Romancier x Sir Donnerhall I), Kira was in the Nürnberger Berg-Pokal final with him. This year I am also using Baron (Benicio x Sir Donnerhall I), more B line – back to Bolero. For me it’s important that I am independent with my mares, because the mares really have very good gaits, big fundament, big frame, so I don't need a big stallion, and for me, 60% is based on the mare. I can make up my own mind when choosing the stallions.” ◆ So you are doubling up on the ‘B’ line? “I'm not intelligent enough to use the alphabet, I got stuck on the second letter. Once I used Carabas (Carnaby GL x Roberto), and bred Cayenne W (Bismark), a world champion, so I did get as far as the third letter.” ◆ You didn't get to ‘D’ and Donnerhall... “It didn't work, even with DiMaggio it didn't work and I

12 February 2019

liked DiMaggio (Don Primero x World Cup I), but it didn't work, I couldn't get our mares pregnant. That was the problem.”

‘D’ line means Don Schufro Not everyone has Wittig’s problem with the D line, because there in second on the rankings with a breeding value of 165 is Don Schufro (Donnerhall x Pik Bube I) who first headed the FN values back in 2001. A Grand Prix star himself, Don Schufro had by the end of last year sired 232 competitors with winnings of €663,987, with the highest money going to Isabell Werth's megastar, Weihegold (out of Weihevoll x Sandro Hit). It has just been announced by Blue Hors that Don Schufro, who is no longer a breeding stallion, is a WFFS carrier, which raises the question: Would it have been a good thing if the mare owners had known that 20 years ago? Third to Damon Hill, who we've already discussed in the other list on 164, tied with another who has also featured earlier, Fürstenball. In fifth place we have the doyen of Dutch dressage breeding Jazz (Cocktail x Ulster) with a breeding value of 163. Then the list starts to get loopy, as on a breeding value of 161, we have Lissaro (Lissabon x Match AA) who was such a success as a sire that he is now a competition horse with a young rider! A truly great sire in Diamond Hit (Don Schufro x Ramino) scores 140 behind such breeding ‘legends’ as Lord Loxley I (Lord Sinclair x Weltmeyer – 150), three on 148; Dancing Dynamite (Don Bedo I x Fidermark NRW); DiMaggio; and Real Diamond (Rohdiamant x Weltmeyer), two on 147; Bordeaux (United x Gribaldi) and Flanagan (Fidertanz x Rubilo); Freudenprinz (Florestan x Franciso – 146); Dark Fire (Donnerhall x Feiner Stern – 145); and Donnerbube (Donnerhall x Pik Bube I - 144). Once again, Ludwig Christmann comes to Lisssaro's defence: “He has not been such a failure as a stallion, although he is definitely not a typical flashy foal producer. The first horses were produced in Westfalia, now we are getting the first horses Lissaro produced in Hanover and I have talked to many people who have ridden Lissaro offspring, or who bred Lissaro horses, and they are all very positive. Celle stands his son Labbadio (Dancier) who was third at the Bundeschampionate for four-year-old stallions last year, and he recently had the top mare in a mare performance test in Verden, from 40 mares, to mention just two positive examples.” ◆ I've seen some of them and they look like lovely scopey horses but not with the movement to be top dressage horses – I always thought he should have been an eventing sire because he had nice movement plus he could jump. I think they missed the market with Lissaro trying to sell him as a dressage sire... “If a stallion wins the dressage at the Bundeschampionate three times and is reserve world champion, then of course you market him as a dressage stallion. As an eventer stallion, of course he would need blood mares because he himself is a substantial horse. He has produced some jumpers as well, so he Timeo hominem unius libri

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is a versatile horse. “We have discussed this question and there are some rankings that are super and some that are a little questionable, but I do not think it is impossible to make.” ◆ Will the FN rankings be better with access to international results, at the moment they are just based on German results? “International results, yes, that would then include all the horses that are sold to America or elsewhere overseas and become successful on FEI level. There are changes being discussed. “Also the criteria for the breeding value is placings in competition and, here again, some changes are being discussed. There is research that looks more to the level of the competition and this, in my opinion, needs more consideration. But of course you cannot say anything against Breitling, Don Schufro and Damon Hill.” ◆ When I look at the breeding values in Holland and in Germany, the breeders don’t pay any attention to them. You can have a horse at the top of the breeding values and still noone breeds to it... “I think the younger generation of breeders consider the

TOP 10 SHOWJUMPING STALLIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7= 7= 7= 10= 10=

FN Breeding Evaluation – Young Horses Diacontinus Stakkato Gold Perigueux Stakkato Cornet Obolensky (Belgian Warmblood) Cachassini (Holsteiner) Chacco Chacco Grey Top Stanley Catoki (Holsteiner) Heartbreaker (KWPN)

165 159 156 156 154 153 153 153 153 150 150

FN Breeding Value Assessment – Competition Horses 1 Heartbreaker (KWPN) 176 2 Galoubet A (Selle Fr.) 167 3= Diamant de Semilly (Selle Français) 164 3= Kannan (KWPN) 164 5 Quick Star (Selle Français) 161 6 Stakkato Gold 160 7 Carvallo BB (Holsteiner) 157 8= Lupicor (KWPN) 156 8= Toulon (Belgian Warmblood) 156 10 Chellano Z (Holsteiner) 154

Showjumping stallions registered in the 2018/2019 season of Stallion Book I of the Hanoverian Verband, with a breeding value of 136, or young horse tests of at least 134, and/or a Hanoverian breeding value of at least 141 (best 5%) 14 February 2019

breeding values more than the older generation.” ◆ But still we are not getting any strong correlation between very good breeding values and lots of mares... “I think there were some stallions that were 'discovered' through the breeding values. Stakkato Gold is one example – he was a relatively unknown stallion, then he was the highest in the breeding values. We started to do some research, and said, ‘okay, he has really produced some fantastic offspring’, and now he is considered truly one of the hottest of the younger jumping stallions.” ◆ But there are so many factors that are so difficult to control. Stakkato Gold benefitted in that he stands at Sprehe, and they have a very effective marketing program and have a large following of mare owners... “He also had a good background from his own performance and a good pedigree.” ◆ His best performance was a placing in a nine-year-old class at Neumünster... “But the pedigree is fantastic. By Stakkato, and the mother, by Werther, has competed internationally. And he was successful in the young horse classes, he won a big youngster championship in Munich and then he was injured. I think he would have made a good career as a sport horse, when you look at the data, it is all positive. The breeding values discovered him and now he is one of the most popular stallions in Germany.” ◆ I understand that this year's Hanoverian Stallion Book suggests that Totilas is not such a wonderful sire of dressage horses... “Totilas (Gribaldi x Glendale) has a dressage value of just 100 points on the results of the Hanoverian mare tests (100 is the base, anything below 100 is negative, and above positive, so Fürstenball who heads the Hanoverian standings, scores 150 – it takes a value of 120 to join the 'topliste' – CH). I am always careful before I say that a horse will not be a good sire, there are some stallion sons of Totilas that are very promising, of course out of super mares, like the Dutch stallion Governor, out of the sister to Parzival. And then there is Total Hope with Schockemöhle, he is out of Weihegold, there is another one Thiago out of the Grand Prix mare Wahajama standing at Schafhof stud. I have seen these sons and they are very talented for collection and so I am sure Totilas has produced some horses for the big sport. His breeding values, so far, are mainly based on the results in young horse classes and performance tests, and we have to observe how the horses will develop, when they are getting older.”

FN jumping breeding values Time to look at the FN’s jumping breeding values, and heading the list of sires of young horse class competitors is not Stakkato Gold, he’s second with a breeding value of 159, but Timeo hominem unius libri

the Diarado (Diamant de Sémilly x Corrado I) son, Diacontinus (out of a Contendro I x Argentinus mare) with a value of 165. Independent databases tell us that he has only two sons who have competed at the one-metre level in four-year-old young stallion classes in the Netherlands: Diadition (For Edition) who has won three times, and Diaro Gin (Silvio x Espri) who placed 54th and 61st at two of those three competitions. Once again, Ludwig Christmann: “On the breeding values, Diacontinus is the highest ranked of the new stallions. He is by Diarado, but he is a different type from Diarado and he has produced very good foals.” ◆ Diarado himself has been a flop in the competition arena, even coming from a stable that has produced top competition horses, he is not even competitive in 1m35-1m45 classes... “But now he has produced some very good horses: Don Diarado, a Diarado son, for example, was named in the German team for WEG with Maurice Tebbel. But you have to be careful. Take For Pleasure, for example, the breeders thought he was a super horse himself but not a producer, and he didn't produce the horses for our young horse classes because they are not jumping in the desired style – they would never win at the Bundeschampionate – but they are careful, they are scopey, they are sound and now he belongs to the top sires in the world. The For Pleasure bloodline is very important for Hanover, and the world.” In equal third on 156, we have two horses that made their name with Eva Bitter, her grand old campaigner, Stakkato (Spartan x Pygmalion), and her more recent Grand Prix ride, Perigueux (Perpignon x Stakkato). Bitter herself says Perigueux is not really a 1m60 horse: “I won a few Grand Prix. His level is up to 1m50 and there he does a perfect job. He is special, he always wants to give his best. He did 1m60 classes a few times, but this is not what he should do every weekend. He’s not the horse with the greatest scope, there are many horses with more scope, but what he’s won already, so many big classes where he was clear, this is something special already.” ◆ What are the qualities he is giving to his progeny? “They are so careful, they are so quick. Also they want to do good, they always want to work with you. They are interested not phlegmatic.” ◆ How did you get Perigueux? “I got him from the Hanoverian Stud, and I think it was a little that the rider before me didn’t believe in his scope. It was the end of the young horse classes for him, where they are just about style, and he had to go in the normal classes, like 1m30, and maybe they didn’t believe he had enough scope. It was difficult in the beginning because he was so hectic, and then his stride got smaller and smaller. But even then the horse wanted to do the best he could at a show and that made it easier to get him right. “Sometimes you have horses with all the scope and all the

quality, but somehow they don’t work with the rider, they are always against, and then it is not possible to make a good horse.” In fifth place on the jumping values we have an acknowledged super sire, Cornet Obolensky (Clinton x Heartbreaker) with a value of 154. Then four horses tied on 153: Cachassini (Cachas x Cassini I); Chacco Chacco (ChaccoBlue x Stakkato); Stanley (Stakkato x Loredo) and Grey Top (Graf Top x Singular Joter). Christmann is enthusiastic about the Celle-based Grey Top: “Grey Top is very promising. He did not jump 1m60 himself, but the State Stud has a disadvantage against the private studs, it is not a competition barn. There is a different task to fulfill, and it is not so easy to combine both. But when you look, Grey Top has produced around 600 foals for us, for 186 horses that are successful in competition – the oldest can only be on the third level – and there are 64 progeny already at 1m30, and that is a very high number. He has already produced the double Bundeschampion for eventing, Gentleman, who is a fabulous horse. We get good feedback from the riders, they are rideable, they are sound and they also have decent movement. I think he can be a good stallion to continue the Grannus blood, and the 'G' line.” As usual around this time of the year, Dr. Ludwig Christmann provides me with an English translation of his annual review of both the FN and Hanoverian breeding values. Here it is, enjoy:

Diacontinus in the lead The end of the year is the time for summaries. That also applies to the breeding of horses. The year is being analysed and breed values are estimated with the help of an elaborate formula. The crucial word here is program. Through the breed value estimation, stallions are filtered out of an enormous amount of data. These stallions are expected to be of special value for the breed in certain well-defined criteria. The German Equestrian Federation (FN) calculates the breed values for the disciplines of dressage and jumping. The breed value estimation of the Hannoveraner Verband also offers breed values for criteria regarding the exterior. The result of the breed value estimation for jumping is very gratifying from a Hanoverian perspective. Hanoverians dominate the breed value estimation for young horses; seven out of the top ten stallions carry the Hanoverian brand. Celle’s state stud sire Diacontinus was the highest estimated stallion. He pushed Stakkato Gold back onto second place. The breed value estimation is a dynamic process. Every year new results are entered into the pool of data. A shift in the results of young producers is normal and to be expected. Last year, the data for Diacontinus was still relatively sparse. The breed value is solely based on the stallion’s own performance and on the results of a few mares that completed the mare performance test. This year, the number of performance-tested mares increased to 30, and, 38 descendants competed in jumper-horse classes from the Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

first vintage of four-year old horses. Several of them even won jumping horse classes at 1m20. Young jumpers at that age could not achieve more. There certainly is hope that these young jumpers will advance and rise to do well as the demands increase. Diacontinus is out of the proven breeding program of Klaus Juergens in Sehnde. This son of Diarado x Contendro represents the successful damline of Pension, which also produced Perigueux’s sire Perpignon. Diacontinus’s fullsister Diarada KJ successfully competes at 1m40 with the breeder’s daughter Katharina Jürgens. In 2012, she was the champion mare in the jumping discipline at the Herwart von der Decken-Show. His other breed values also are positive. His FN-breed value for dressage, 128, is far above average. Diacontinus’s descendants are correct horses with good conformation and good toplines. They are of athletic type as the positive breed values from the mare inspections reveal. An interesting fact: A half-brother to Diacontinus by Stakkato was highly successful in jumping horse classes before he became a dressage competitor. Now, Kerstin Simbuerger successfully competes him in dressage classes at advanced level. Stakkato Gold is certainly well known as a member of the top group in the breed value estimation. By now, this son of Stakkato, who is stationed at Stud Sprehe, has made a name for himself as a top international producer. Week after week his offspring confirm his reputation on the big showgrounds. His daughter Sansibar, by Stakkato Gold x Wolkenstein II, is one of the current examples. With Philipp Weishaupt she was a member of Germany’s team, which won the tough Nations’ Cup at Spruce Meadows in Calgary. She furthermore won another international class in Spruce Meadows at the highest level. All statistics concerning Stakkato Gold’s heritability are impressive. The FN computer recorded placements in jumping classes for 170 descendants, including 51 – almost one-third – at the S-level, even though Stakkato Gold was not used much during his first years of breeding. This record leads to the high breed value of 161 for competitions, which makes him the top German stallion in this breed value estimation. Stakkato Gold originates from the successful breeding program of Arend Kamphorst at the Dree Boeken breeding farm in Prieros. His heredity is also very well secured on the damside of his pedigree through the internationally successful jumper mare Werther roeschen, by Werther, whose dam descends from World Cup-champion AchillLibero H. Fifth-ranked Perigueux (Perpignon x Stakkato),

16 February 2019

another stallion from State Stud Celle, follows in third place. Eva Bitter delivered inspiring performances aboard this wiry, typey chestnut stallion, who proved his jumping talent at the highest level. The results from mare tests contribute the most to his high breed value of 156 – 57 daughters convincing with very good performances. He certainly must be viewed as a jumping specialist. The 2008-born Prinz out of a dam by Escudo (bred by Volker Ebeling) is his descendant with the most winnings. Since October, Hans-Dieter Dreher has been successfully competing with him in international jumping competitions.

Interesting newcomers Lord Fauntleroy by Lord Pezi x Contendro out of the breeding program of ZG Kern in Neuhausen, BadenWürttemberg, is viewed as one of the interesting newcomers from the Hanoverian perspective. In 2011, the typey bay stallion was one of the striking jumper stallions at the licensing in Verden. In 2014, he won the Hanoverian jumper horse championships. Now Gilbert Böckmann competes the stallion (owned by Wolfgang Brinkmann, Herford)

Quick Star in the FN Breeding Value Assessment for competition horses Timeo hominem unius libri

internationally. Last spring, he won the Nations’ Cup in TOTALS OF THE BEST (PUBLISHED STALLIONS) Uggerhalne, Denmark, with the German team. Lord Integrated Breeding Value Estimation (FN) Fauntleroy has not been used much for breeding. Hence his No. of stallions 10% 5% 1% positive breed value of 149 is even more exciting. Dressage (Young Horses) 4,284 125 134 148 The top ten-list of the Dressage (Competition Horses) 1,819 124 132 147 breed value estimation Jumping (Young Horses) 3,687 127 132 147 1,824 129 136 149 regarding jumping Jumping (Competition Horses) competitions reads like a who’s Hanoverian Breeding Value Estimation who of international jumping horse breeding. French and 821 122 128 142 Dutch stallions dominate this Dressage Jumping 821 135 141 149 list. The question whether the 821 122 131 145 database of these producers is Foundation 821 122 129 147 comparable to the one from Riding Horse Points stallions which are used in estimation – young horse classes – is estimated at the very Germany is certainly legitimate. Most descendants of these high breed value of 159. He was bred out of a dam by ‘international stallions’ were either imported or they Donnerschwee, originates out of the Hanoverian damline of competed in German horse shows with foreign riders. The Sakaza I, and stands at the dressage horse training center more ‘normal’ horses are missing, which every top producer also sires. These are the horses, which obtain average results on Löningen. The mare performance test results of 10 horse shows. daughters produced the data for his high breed value as well as the results of two sons in their 14-day-tests for stallions and Breitling W holds the lead seventeen descendants, which competed in dressage horse classes at the A-level. Eleven of them won a ribbon. Seven-year-old Hanoverian stallion Fürsten-Look is Well-known horses head the breed value estimation for Fürstenball’s highest ranked son, bred by Johannes Sabel out dressage competitions. Breitling W by Bismarck x Maat (bred of St.Pr.St. Lady Diamond by Londonderry. The information by Hermann Niehus, Rahden), the Hanoverian Stallion of the for the breed value estimation from descendants is, as Year 2014, obtained the highest breed value of 166 followed by expected, rather sparse, since his oldest children are only Don Schufro, Damon Hill and Fürstenball. Two points three years of age. He reached the minimal requirement of separate each of these stallions. This fact underlines that all five descendants for publicizing his breed values because of four stallions can be valued as almost equal with respect to performance-tested daughters. The results from riding horse their breed values, even though they are very different horses. classes are not considered; the minimum age for dressage The breed value estimation of the Verband spells out the classes is four years. Fürsten-Look’s high breed value is hence differences very well. strongly influenced by his very own performances. As a fourBreitling W, Don Schufro and Damon Hill have already year old, he won the Hanoverian Championship in Verden turned into legends. All three belonged to the group of the with Isabel Bache (later Freese) and became national world’s best dressage horses during their time. While the champion in the same year. In 2018, he successfully competitive careers of Breitling W and Damon Hill were more participated in the world championships for seven-year old in the forefront than their breeding careers, Don Schufro dressage horses. He won the introductory class and finished earned his far-reaching fame as a producer. the final by winning the bronze medal. Fürstenball, on the other hand, stands for the next Another son of Fürstenball ranks quite high with a generation. This son of Fürst Heinrich x Donnerhall is only breed value of 157. It is the stallion Finest (bred by Andreas 12 years old. The dressage Bundeschampion from 2011, who Trompeter, Sottrum), who stands at the W.M. stud. His stands at stud at the Schockemöhle station, is one of the estimation is also foremost based on the results of daughters, most popular young stallions in Germany. The breed values which completed the mare performance test, and on his own reflect this. The breed value for type shows that he reliably performances in the stallion test and in competition. A produces horses of the desired type, with beautiful heads considerable increase in descendants, who successfully and good frames. The dressage breed values verify three compete and/or complete mare and stallion performance good basic gaits, including an excellent walk and tests, is to be expected during the coming years for these outstanding rideability. He has already produced sons, which young stallions, which might result in changes regarding the set about following into his footsteps. There is Follow Me stallions’ breed values. from the sire’s first year of breeding, whose breed value Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

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18 February 2019

Both top lists – competitions and young horse classes – reflect that there is movement in the genetic basis in the breeding of dressage horses in Germany. For many years, the trio ‘W’–‘D’–‘R’ (Weltmeyer, Donnerhall, Rubinstein) were viewed as the pillars of dressage horse breeding in Germany. This genetic spectrum has considerably broadened. The line of Donnerhall continues to be very influential, especially through Donnerhall’s sons and grandsons like De Niro, Desperados, Dancier, Don Nobless, Diamond Hit, Don Frederico or Dimaggio. The importance of Florestan, representing the Furioso xx line, has strongly increased. Stallions like Florencio, Fürst Heinrich and Fidertanz, with their numerous popular sons and grandsons, prove this fact. The line of the renowned Hanoverian Bolero once again plays a significant role, especially via the 2018 Hanoverian stallion of the year, Belissimo M, with his sons Baron and Benicio, but also via Benetton Dream and his son Bon Coeur, who delivered such a brilliant debut on the 2018 approval in Verden. The top list of breed values also shows another trend, which became apparent at the nationwide licensings last fall: The growing importance of Dutch genetics. Five stallions of Dutch origins are now in both top lists: Jazz, Vivaldi, his son Vitalis, Don Juan de Hus, and Sezuan. The blood of the legendary Dutch producer Jazz is manifested in all of these stallions. Vivaldi (Krack C x Jazz) demonstrates a very strong influence. With respect to his type and movement, he can certainly be viewed as a stamping stallion. He produced the champion and the reserve champion mare at this year’s Herwart von der Decken Show, as well 2018’s top seller at Verden’s licensing, a two-and-a-half year old son out of a dam by Dancier. Dutch genetics add uphill movement, high knee action and a lot of expression in the dynamics of the front legs. Attention must be paid to maintaining a good walk, relaxedness, suppleness and a powerful hind leg, Timeo hominem unius libri

which should move under the centre of gravity. How that is best achieved, is the question. Obviously in combination with the D line, which we find in the pedigrees of Sezuan (via dam’s sire, Don Schufro), of Vitalis (via dam’s sire, Donnerschwee) and of the two-year old top seller (via Dancier). German dressage genetics are highly valued in the Netherlands, because they help improve the rideability.

The future of breeding and sport A stallion, who should have a great future in breeding and in sport, takes the lead in the breed value estimation for young horse classes with a breed value of 174. We are talking about the Westfalian stallion Escolar (Estobar NRW x Fürst Piccolo), who goes back to the stallion line of Adeptus xx via Ehrentusch and Ehrensold. The now nine-year-old Bundeschampion of 2012 and 2013 won the silver medal at the Nürnberger Burgpokal in 2017 and is one of Germany’s promising dressage horses with rider Hubertus Schmidt. A great number of approved stallions, highly decorated broodmares, and successful offspring in young horse classes came out of his first years of breeding. Often a single stallion makes the difference instilling new life into a line. The breed value of three-time Bundeschampion Lissaro van de Helle (Lissabon x Matcho AA, bred by Jürgen Dittmer) stabilizes at a high level. Fun Dressage bought him as a dressage horse and Valentina Pistner now rides him. The results of 111 descendants in regular competitions, 145 in young horse classes, and 47 daughters in mare tests create a broad base for his breed value. While his first generations mainly originate from his use as a breeding stallion in Westfalia, it now becomes apparent how valuable he is for Hannover. Often his descendants are imperturbable and have a dual predisposition. His son, the state stud sire Labbadio, out of a dam by Dancier, placed third at the Bundeschampionat in 2018 and is a worthy successor. ■

Writing history in Herning

THOMAS BACH JENSEN/DWB PHOTOGRAPHY: RIDEHESTEN.COM

The 40th anniversary of the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing in MCH Messecenter Herning will be a big celebration taking place 6-10 March 2019. As soon as you arrive at the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing, it’s 40th anniversary will be immediately apparent. Among many new initiatives you will notice the Stallion Licensing Museum which leads you through the period 1980 - 2019.

his offers the joy of time travel through the stallion licensing, accompanied by visual experiences in the form of photos, videos and item exhibits, such as gala costumes, challenge trophies and much more. A remarkable journey from black and white photos to computer-animated effects. Throughout the 40 years of the stallion licensing, young stallions have taken their first steps in the spotlight, some have been celebrated as premium stallions, while others have been decorated with the challenge trophies. Annually since 1998, a stallion has been appointed as Danish Warmblood’s ‘stallion of the year’, and each year they have been immortalized with an oil painting. In Herning the paintings of the first 21 title winners will be exhibited for the world to see, as easels holding the stallion portraits will form a Walk of Fame avenue during he stallion licensing. Similarly, the names of the most prominent breeding stallions and sport horses will have their names engraved in a star in the floor, says director Casper Cassøe Krüth.

Record-breaking ticket sale Already last autumn the tickets sales for the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing exploded, and in early 2019 it has been confirmed that ticket sales are more than 30% ahead of usual by this same time. This is a very promising trend for the event's 40th anniversary. This year, an extra row of seats will be set up in front of the grandstand in the Boxen, where the arena has been extended to accommodate two additional grandstand wings, plus the VIP area has been expanded by an additional 11 tables, making a total of 171 VIP tables – welcoming some 1,300 guests to the Gala Show. For over two months there have been no tickets

available on the lower grandstand, and tickets for the Gala Show have also sold particularly well.

Cathrine Dufour will be Busy Lizzie Since 1999, Danish Warmblood has created a tradition of hosting a special Thursday evening event at the stallion licensing that focuses on the training of horses and riders, and this year Danish Warmblood has landed an agreement with Olympic rider Cathrine Dufour. She will be the 2019 clinician, bringing three horses, including her two Grand Prix rides, Atterupgaard's Cassidy and Bohemian, as well as a younger horse. “I want to ride either Cassidy or Bohemian in the clinic, and the third in the CDI classes,” she says. Dufour is very much looking forward to the clinic in Herning, but she is also a little nervous and excited: “I know the job and have held several clinics at home, but the big arena in Herning is impressive.” She will select two of her students to join her in Herning and to show how she works with them and their horses. Dufour will herself ride one of the younger horses, as well as a demonstrating with one of the Grand Prix horses. While the latter may be easy, she doesn’t have much microphone teaching experience, so is excited about the outcome. It’s no secret that Dufour attracts a good audience, and in addition to hosting the clinic, she has two horses in the young horse championship, so this top athlete will be very busy. “I love to ride in Herning, where people are just so sweet. I have had some of the best and wildest experiences in my career in Herning, so I am really looking forward to entering the arena”. ■ Photos (from top down): The DWB breeding committee look forward to inspecting many promising young stallions; Catherine Dufour; 2019 Gala Show with triple world young horse champion mare Fiontini and Severo Jurado

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February 2019

NEW SELECTION FOR 2 & 3 YO STALLIONS The selection circuit for 2 and 3 year old males is changing this year. We wanted to provide the most suitable solution for growth, training and selection of young stallions. ,Q WKLV ZD\ DQG DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH ÞUVW OHWWHU RI WKH KRUVHpV QDPH

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2019

Autumn

QUALIFIERS

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2YO Choice n°1

3YO Choice n°2

2YO Choice n°1

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3YO Choice n°2

Autumn

QUALIFIERS

End of the year

TESTING & STALLION APPROVALS

Beginning of the year

2020

FINAL & STALLION APPROVALS Autumn

Autumn

QUALIFIERS TESTING & CONFIRMATION OF APPROVALS

Autumn

QUALIFIERS

End of the year

TESTING & STALLION APPROVALS

Beginning of the year

2021

FINAL & STALLION APPROVALS Autumn

Autumn

QUALIFIERS TESTING &C CONFIRMATION O APPROVALS OF End of the year

TESTING & STALLION APPROVALS

More details will be published p on our website (date of o the 2019 qualifiers...).

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Auctions & 2019 se electio on

Accustomed of traditional onal circuits, c the sales agencies and the Stud-book will ll communicate mmunicate the mode of selection for the next 2019 sales! Stay attentive!

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CON NTACT : benoit.chaigne@sellefrancais.fr

a French breeding revolution for 2019!

JEAN LLEWELLYN (TRANSLATED FROM AN SF COMMUNIQUE)

The Selle Français studbook is about to launch a breeding revolution with the redesign of its selection system for young SF stallions. Their communique explained that this rethink for their two- and three-year-old stallion circuit is being motivated in order to meet breeders’ expectations, and especially to closely follow the psychological development of horses. Henceforth, the traditional qualifying tour for stallions will take place in the Fall, rather than in Spring.

ll young stallions will now be evaluated young males will be evaluated from half October and throughout the month of November on the usual format of selections in the region, which should be six in number. The integers will thus be able to benefit until then from the benefits of the spring grass and thus optimize their growth during the beautiful days. This evolutionary initiative also meets a need for the professionals who prepare these horses for the selections and the final. Very caught by the Spring breeding season which is in full swing, and the valuation circuits for four- fiveand six-year-olds, breeders and riders will benefit from a calendar more suited to the requirements of their profession.

Breeders will now have the choice of entering their horses in the qualifiers in their second or third year, according to their goals and beliefs. This new circuit will be pivotal to the important event at the beginning of the year that became the Salon des Étalons Saint-Lô. This major international breeding showcase will highlight the Selle Français championship and approved youngsters, and ensure their immediate promotion at the launch of the new breeding season. At the same time, the reformation of the calendar aims to promote trade by creating an investor-friendly purchasing window, and to allow farmers to sell their products earlier. Following these changes, in the spring of 2019, breeders are invited to note the dates of the selections organizes by the sales agencies to present their products. ■

In practice... For more information, the Selle Français studbook team is at the From 2019 for three-year-olds ‘G’: At the end of the service of breeders. Contact: Benoit Chaigne qualifying tour, around 50 of the best colts will be retained to Tel: 33 (0)1 46 12 34 06 / benoit.chaigne@sellefrancais.fr participate in a performance test that will be held in early December. Thirty of these will then be approved following this period of evaluation. For the two-year-old ‘H’ generation, the best of the 2019 Fall qualifiers will find themselves in a ‘new formula’ final that will be held during the Saint-Lô Stallion Show in February 2020. A total of 30 finalists will be invited to the stallion championship. Their approval will then be confirmed at the end of the performance test that will take place at the beginning of October 2020. Note: During the SF qualifiers and for the final (‘H’ generation), the candidates will be evaluated on their model, paces and free jumping (no working under saddle). The young males will, however, be judged under SF stallion champion 2017: Eldorado d’Elle (2014: Qlassic Bois Margot - Niade d’Elle x Richebourg), bred by Haras d’Elle saddle during the performance test. Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

Matthews Hanoverians: Flying the Verband flag

SALLY REID

PHOTOGRAPHY:

NZ HANOVERIAN SOCIETY, PIXEL ROMA

This season’s Dressage Waitemata Championship Show in Auckland saw the Verband motto ‘Erfolg in aller Welt’ (‘Success all over the world’) in living, breathing action, and was and a glowing endorsement of the skills of long-time breeder Judith Matthews. Horses from her Matthews Hanoverians stud won a fistful of titles, including the Grand Prix, Freestyle and overall championship.

his particular trio of sashes went to Wendi Williamson’s Don Amour MH (Don Frederico - Adelheid MH x Anamour). This 11-yuear-old gelding is a half-brother to Williamson’s super-talented Dejavu MH, a World Cup contender who was lost to colic last year. His dam line includes the NZ champion and St.Pr.St. mare Wel Kantje (Weltmeyer x Pik Bube) and a number of other Staatsprämie mares, including Pikantje (Pik Bube x Lombard), from Claus Schridde’s Hannover Stutenstamm 1189102. Another top prospect from Matthews Hanoverian, the mare Belladonna MH (Brentano II - Grandessa x Gymnastik Star) won the Level 7 title at Waitemata for owner/rider Julie Flintoff. Belladonna was 2017’s Level 5 Horse of the Year and is looking supremely competent as she moves up the grades. The Level 6 champion was Decadance MH (Dacaprio Adelheid x Anamour) who has won a fabulous number of titles in her short career, including New Zealand performance-bred mare of the year as a four-year-old in 2014, and five-year-old dressage champion in 2015. Decadance won both the PSG and Freestyle at Waitemata. She is owned by Judith Matthews, who gave the ride to Wendi Williamson after the untimely death of Dejavu. Decadance MH is a half-sister to both Dejavu MH and Don Amour MH.

Bon Jovi MH (Bonifatius - StPrSt Wel Kantje x Weltmeyer) is another who did well for Matthews at Waitemata, finishing reserve champion in Level 5. Don Amour MH’s full brother, Don Vito MH (Don Frederico - Adelheid MH x Anamour), won Level 4 honours at the show, and Level 3 was won by the enormously promising Fanfare MH (Furstenball - Danzare MH x Dancier) ridden by Casey Burton. This young mare was the four-year-old champion last season, and the top-scoring studbook mare of the 2017 Hanoverian classification tour under Dr. Ludwig Christmann. She also took her mare performance test, finishing as an elite mare candidate with eights overall, second only to her close relative, Decadance MH! With a score of nine, Fanfare MH, her dam Danzare MH (Dancier - St.Pr.St. Wel Kantje x Weltmeyer) and full-sister Felize HM (born 2015), were New Zealand’s top mare family at the 2017 classifications. Danzare (now deceased) received an overall eight for her own classification in 2013. Georgia MH (Gymnastik Star - Rain Dance x River Dance) was the Level CN/CN1/C2 champion at Waitemata, while Baretta MH (Belafonte - EM Anteaga MH x Anamour) was champion at L1 CN/C1. Both these young geldings were ridden by Reece Downham. Incidentally, Baretta’s dam, Anteaga MH, has elite mare (EM) status here, which equates to St.Pr.St. The Waitemata Show is just one of several this season that have been dominated by Matthews Hanoverians. Horses carrying the MH brand also won champion and reserve champion at Bay of Plenty, Northland, Taihape and the North Island Championships.

The Wel Kantje factor

Graffiti MH (Graf Top I - Elodie x Earl), Melody Matheson’s superimpressive nine-year-old 22 February 2019

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St.Pr.St. Wel Kantje (Weltmeyer - Pikantje x Pik Bube), whose name crops up in so many of the MH pedigrees, was bred by the Baumgart family of Shwartze Hof in Verden. She was the first imported mare for Matthews, and her legacy is enormous. “In fact,” says Robin Potter of the NZ Hanoverian Society, “all of the top Matthews Hanoverians stem

Decadance MH, ridden by Wendi from Wel Kantje: either sons, daughters or grandchildren or, as in Fanfare's case – the best one so far – great-grandchildren.” MH horses have won the young dressage horse title six times, and all are from the Wel Kantje line.

And they jump… Matthews Hanoverians are also doing well in the jumping rings, with two particularly notable performers. Both of these are mares: one is Melody Matheson’s super-impressive nine-yearold Graffiti MH (Graf Top I - Elodie x Earl), who is lying second-equal in the Grand Prix series and has had wins at World Cup level. The other is the lovely young Enya MH (Edward - Grandessa MH x Gymnastik Star) who is currently 10th in the six-year-old series and looking terrific, also in the hands of Melody Matheson. She is showing huge scope and a beautiful bascule to her jump, and in fact was the top jumping foal of her year. Dr. Christmann’s description of her after 2013 Hanoverian tour was, “Highly elegant with very good gaits, [...] Pedigree is very versatile, with lots of jumping blood, but sire Edward stands out as a dressage horse himself. So we were not sure whether this filly should be classified jumping or dressage.” Jumping it is, and Judith Matthews is retaining ownership of her for the stud.

Potter. “Over the years, she’s registered 139 foals, and had the foresight to import mares to strengthen her breeding programme: First, three Kinnordy mares from Australia, one by Winter-könig and two by Graf Landau.” Wel Kantje was the first arrival from Germany, followed by Williamson Diva Primero (Don Primero - Adventica x Amazonas), then Weltliebe (Weltmeyer - Duela x Dobrock). Two more German mares have since been imported: Hann.Pr.A. Saphira (Soliman de Hus - St.Pr.St. Wisconsin x Wesley), who was bred by Detlef Ruddatt of Gerkenhof, and purchased from the Elite Foal and Broodmare Auction in 2014; and Ruby Tuesday (Royal Classic - StPrSt Dame Rouge T x Don Frederico). According to Potter, “These two bring new and modern bloodlines into the country. “Judith has made an immense contribution to furthering the Hanoverian cause in New Zealand.” ■

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A mounting legacy “Judith has been breeding Hanoverians since 1993,” says Robin

St.Pr.St. Wel Kantje (Weltmeyer Pikantje x Pik Bube), ridden by Judith Matthews Timeo hominem unius libri

www.swisshorse.ch February 2019

Loriston-Clarke wins Lifetime achievement award, twice

CELIA CLARKE PETER LLEWELLYN

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Putting worrying thoughts of Brexit (deal or no deal), WFFS, the death of the Tripartite Agreement and complex new zootechnic regulations temporarily behind them, the British sport horse and pony breeding industry gathered for the British Breeders’ Awards Dinner on January 12 to honour the best achievers of 2018. For Jennie Lorison-Clarke, it was a double celebration as she was awarded her second Lifetime Achievement Award.

is annual get together, started by Desi Dillingham of the British Horse Foundation over 25 years ago is now an absolute fixture for many breeders, producers and owners in the UK and -- as noted by the joint comperes for the night internationally reknowned eventing breeder Vincent Jones and popular young event rider Harry Meade -- many of the same faces appear again and again, both as winners and supporters. As an event designed to increase the coffers of the The British Horse Foundation -- and, by association, the several worthy causes it supports, including the British Horse Feeds/ British Futurity wwhich presents these awards – the evening always includes raffles and both silent and open auctions that precede the celebratory dinner and the very comprehensive selection of awards. These cover not only the Futurity itself but also age and discipline awards for young horses and ponies up to the age of seven, and an increasing number of awards presented by various studbooks to promote their own successes as well. That being said, the most coveted award of the evening, which remains a closely guarded secret until the end of the prize giving ceremony, is the Stallion AI Services Meritoire Lifetime Achievement Award. This year’s very deserving but rather surprising winner (as it’s specifically a Lifetime Achievement Award, and she’s received it on a previous occasion), was the internationally successful dressage rider, trainer and owner of the renowned Catherston Stud, Jennie Loriston-Clarke. She is such a significant figure in British and international sport horse and pony breeding and production, that it would be negligent for the wider world of the breeding industry not to recount more fully her long list of achievements as outlined by Tullis Matson, Managing Director of Stallion AI services when handing her the award: “She has for her entire life lived and breathed horses and ponies. As an young child she was riding ponies of all types in all disciplines, and as she grew older, with the help, advice and knowledge from her parents, learnt to see through the outside coating of a horse, be it poor or over produced, to the underlying structure and strengths, nature and character, to what the movement was and could be. She has been regarded at an honest judge and evaluator for virtually

24 February 2019

every type of horse or pony in this country and abroad, from Hacks to Hackneys, Shetlands to sport horses, natives and unicorns! She has often bred horses for the generation before they became popular, and has continued to breed outstanding horses for the top-class competition world as well as for the true amateur market. From her own foundation stallions she has bred so many graded and champion stallions and mares that have continued to feature in so many successful competition horses competing today. “The Foundation stallions for the Catherston Pony Stud must have been the 10-time champion palomino pony stallion Bubbly, and the Thoroughbred stallion Xenocles, whom this lady rode and won at both three-day eventing and Grand Prix dressage, followed by Catherston Night Safe who has sown his seeds worldwide! “The next era was the introduction of Dutch Courage, Britain's leading international dressage horse from 1978 to 1985, having won the national dressage championships six times, dressage horse of the year five times, as well as winning a bronze medal at the world dressage championships at Goodwood. His legacy is that he produced this lady’s Olympic ride Dutch Gold, Catherston Dazzler, who was the Grand Prix ride for two of her daughters, Catherston Dutch Bid, with whom another daughter led the British young rider dressage team to their first team silver medal. The latest stallion from the Dutch Courage pedigree is the SHB premium- Jennie Loriston-Clarke riding Catherston Dazzler – CHIO Aachen 1995 graded stallion

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Catherston Oakley, who will compete this year and stand at stud in 2020. “To the modern day, and the good fortune in Timolin coming to Catherston as a weanling to grow up with other colts, and the syndicate that purchased him to remain here, his supreme success in the BEF Futurities, and in producing such lovely youngstock who themselves are already setting records with first to third places in the Futurity foal classes and first to third in the Futurity yearling classes, as well as champion of the sport horse classes at the Royal Bath & West Show in 2016. Timolin is now also proving himself to be an exceptional eventing – at intermediate level – and dressage horse, winning at Prix St Georges level dressage. “This lady may have hung up her own boots, but together with her husband has also bred the next generations of riders through their daughters and granddaughter who, in competing for Great Britain at the junior European dressage championship in 2015, made history by becoming the only family to represent their country in dressage through three generations. “A life truly lived to the full, even if it wasn’t twice over.”

Results Baileys Horse Feeds/British Breeding Futurity Awards • Foal (showjumping): Esme X (Goodyear VDL - Cadanza Paardensmidse Z x Cadence van’t Gelutt Z; breeder/owner Aileen Stormonth) • 2yo (eventing): Cundlegreen Garanwyn (Felinfach Tory Boy Sammy Jo G x Concorde; breeder/owner Vanessa Francis) British Eventing Young Horse Breeders Medals • 4yo: Lianne Verity for Myspires Another Star (Myspires Revolution Another Gamble) • 5yo: Candice Williams for Quintessential III (Quaid I - Escarda) • 6yo: Julie Knight for Weston Goodfella (Zola AK - Rousseau).

British Eventing Wide Awake Trophy • Mr Chunky (2005/SHBGB/g Jumbo - Avin Fun Bar x Sergeant Drummer xx; breeder Sue Trump) The British Horse Foundation Award • Classic Moet (2003/SHBGB/m Classic xx - Gamston Bubbles x Bohemond xx; breeder Mrs. Hepworth) British Dressage Young Horse Awards • 4yo: Hawtins Lirica (Lemony’s Nicket - Elite Hawtins Delizia; breeder Judith Davis, Hawtins Stud) • 5yo: Kiss and Tell (Kardinal Wutaire van de Zuuthoeve; breeder Rebecca Hoare) • 6yo: Hawtins San Floriana (San Amour - Elite Hawtins Floriana x Florestan I; breeder Judith Davis, Hawtins Stud) British Showjumping Young Horse Awards • 5yo: Bianca du Rouet (Staatinus Brilliant Lady; breeder Helen Rees. • 6yo: Shooting Star (The Voss Marianne; breeder John Whitaker) • 7yo: Cristo Beech (2011/AES/st It’s the Business - Ragua x Cantero; breeders Geoffrey Glazzard and Derek Morton). Horse & Hound Outstanding Mare Award • Rubinsteena (Rubinstein I - Dujana; owner Sarah Oppenheimer) The Anglo European Studbook Award • Suma’s Zorro (2004/AES/m Douglas - Vixen’s Frolic x Horos xx; breeders Marily Power and Susan Lanigan O’Keeffe, Suma Stud) The British Hanoverian Horse Society Awards • Dressage: Hawtins Delicato (2008/ BHHS/g Diamond Hit - Elite Hawtins Ravenna x Regazzoni; breeder Judith Davis, Hawtins Stud) • Eventing: Hester (2011/BHHS/m Heinrich Heine - Blue Anna x Blue Henry; breeder Lucy Nelson) • Showjumping: Contendros Quest (Contender I - Revanche 64; breeder Nicola Williams) ■

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February 2019

BWP jury selects 55 stallions for third phase of approval

JO DE ROO

In total, 120 three-year-old stallions were inscribed for the second phase of the BWP stallion approval. Out of this group the jury selected 55 candidates to participate at the third phase that will take place March 14-16, at Zilveren Spoor in Moorsele. In this third phase we will also see stallions older than three years, more specifically 19 BWP-registered showjumping stallions, one BWP registered dressage stallion, plus nine showjumping and six dressage stallions that are non-BWP registered.

uring the second phase we enjoyed great quality and, as a result, several stallions were sold, not only during the BWP Top Stallion Auction, but also before and after the approval. Coincidentally, the auction also recorded a new record price. In comparison to the 2018 edition, there are some changes in 2019, such as more inscribed candidates (155 in 2019, 139 in 2018), the four-year-old stallions will be presented during the third phase (2018, during the second phase), and they are obliged to participate in two heats of the stallion showjumping competition. Additionally, the 2017 BWP Young Breeder Award winner, Tim Van Tricht , has started as a trainee with the BWP stallion selection committee (he will replace Herman Bode), and only those stallions that were selected to participate in the third day of the second phase were permitted to be sold at the live BWP Top Stallion Auction (in 2018: the second day of the second phase) as well as the online auction. Finally, further changes include two new auction advisors, Sven Bols and Tom van de Vijver, and the third phase will take place in Moorsele, instead of Meerdonk. For the third phase, the jury selected eight dressage stallions – including two sons of Heros Begijnhoeve (Vivaldi - Menja x Havidoff) – and 47 showjumping stallions. When we analyze the sires of the latter group, we see that four of the five inscribed sons of Windows van het Costersveld/aka Cornet Obolensky, are selected. Casall and Comme Il Faut (Windows van het Costersveld) each have three selected sons (out of a total of four presented candidates); Cicero van Paemel Z three out of five; the Diamant de Semilly sons Dominator 2000 Z and Elvis ter Putte two out of three apiece; Kannan and Mosito van het Hellehof (Elvis ter Putte) two out of four; and Quint van het Maarlo Z two out of two. With regard to the dam lines of the selected stallions, we can say that nine stallions belong to a BWP performance line, with three being part of the very popular and strong BWP line 34.

26 February 2019

From speaking to several Dutch stallion keepers at the selection show, names such as Henk Nijhof Senior and Egbert Schep were searching showjumping quality, and confirmed that there was plentiful choice. According to Nijhof; “At the beginning of the second day I noticed that the showjumping qualities and the conformation of the candidates were rather common instead of superior, but then the quality improved. We saw many top horses with top showjumping qualities, and extremely well bred. I think I’m going to sell some stallions as I’m already the owner of a son by Mr. Blue whom I own together with Kees van den Oetelaar, and there are more stallions that I want to buy.” Later, we heard that Nijhof and Kees van den Oetelaar became co-owners of Q’Chacco Blue van Essene (Chacco Blue - Folie van Essene x Nonstop, bred by Carlos de Cock). This stallion jumped very consistently, with quick forelegs and an outstanding hindleg technique. Nijhof wasn’t the only one convinced by the quality of the showjumpers. Egbert Schep, one of the four members of the KWPN board of directors, said: “In Belgium one really can breed showjumpers. I already have more than 10 favourite stallions on my list. Right from the beginning, the Belgian breeders started rapidly to focus on performance.” This certainly seems to be a wise decision and a good policy.

Belgian stallion marketplace The stallion approval, however, is more than an approval. It is also a marketplace. Stallions were sold, not only during the BWP Top Stallion Auction, but also during or after the approval. During the evening of the second day we met, for instance, Rudy De Cooman. This breeder presented two stallions, Quinto-Brick-DC (Cera d’Ick - My Lady Carthago x Mylord Carthago) and Quinto-Yesse DC (Kafka van de Heffinck - Caloubette Fravanca x Darco), both belonging to BWP performance family 88. Before the close Timeo hominem unius libri

of day two, both stallions had been sold. De Cooman said: “I didn’t expect that so much business would be done during the approval. I met several people who wanted to buy a stallion. The business that I saw was for the purpose of making money. This kind of business is done by professionals. Niels Bruynseels bought Quinto-Brick-DC, and my other stallion, Quinto-Yesse DC, was also sold.” However, it was Stud 111 that bought the most expensive stallion during the BWP Top Stallion Auction. From time to time the speaker of the auction announced the names of some of the buyers, including Kurt Asselberghs, a well-known breeder and also the co-owner of popular stallion Iron Man van de Padenborre. On this occasion, Asselberghs purchased Dobro (Darco - Carvalla x Windows van het Costersveld) for €46,000, while Erik Laenen bought Dom Perignon Z (Dominator 2000 Z - Lary x Lucky Boy), and Quick-Star ter Putte, a son of Cordess 2 out of a full sister to Elvis ter Putte, sold to Sweden for €46,000. Studfarm Zangersheide is the new owner of Quickly van’t Zorgvliet (Flipper d’Elle - Verona x Skippy II) who belongs to BWP performance line 81 – the family of, for instance, Dorée and For Joy van’t Zorgvliet. Hilton Stables, owned by De Pelsmaeker, paid €44,000 for Que Si Que Non van’t Meulenhof, a son of Herald III out of former Grand Prix dam Narcotique de Muze IV, who belongs to BWP performance line 34. Narcotique produced several outstanding showjumpers, amongst them Jenson, Denzel, Darcotique and Iron Lady van’t Meulenhof. All the aforementioned stallions were selected for the third phase. Stephan Conter, of Stephex Stables, bought Oak Grove’s Heartthrob, one of the two stallions that sold for more than €100,000. Heartthrob is a son of well-known progenitor, Heartbreaker, while his dam, Annatou Z (Artos Z) is out of former top Grand Prix dam Rinnetou Z. Heartthrob was also third-phase selected. Annatou Z is exclusively used as a broodmare at the Eichenhain stud farm in Germany and, thanks to embryo transfer, became the dam of two foals in 2016 – a colt by Comme Il Faut and a filly by Quickly de Kreisker. In 2017 she had three further colts: two by I Love You and one by Argento. According to Anke Kehl, the general manager of Gestüt Eichenhain: “Heartthrob is an electric horse and has a great zest for work. Last year, he was approved in Hannover but we presented him also to BWP because we wanted to try something else and already own several Belgian-bred horses. Now, more Belgians know our studfarm and it was interesting to participate in this stallion approval. Within a few weeks we will also present a stallion at the KWPN stallion show – a son of Comme Il Faut.” Gestüt Eichenhain bought Annatou Z because of her pedigree. “Her youngest descendants were born in 2017. Last year she didn’t have any foals, and again this year she will have no descendants. Annatou was born in 2001, and because of her age we don’t use the embryo transplantation technique every year. That’s not our policy. From time to time such a dam deserves rest,” Kehl said. Qatar van’t Paradijs was the most expensive stallion of

the auction, bred by Johan Rooms and his wife Ann Van den Branden, by Mosito van het Hellehof. Qatar’s dam, Cartagena Indias Ecaussinnes, has produced several approved stallions, including Manchester van’t Paradijs and Oslo van’t Paradijs. In 2015, Manchester was laurelled as the champion of the BWP stallion approval and was subsequently sold at the BWP Top Stallion Auction. Subliem and Ultra-Top van’t Paradijs, Agatha and Venezia d’Ecaussinnes, Jeunesse (Yves Vanderhasselt) and many other successful showjumpers belong to Qatar’s dam line. Harrie Theeuwes, the founder and owner of Stud 111, is the new owner of Qatar van’t Paradijs. Theeuwes had some good reasons for buying Qatar, saying, “In the past I rode, for instance, Subliem van’t Paradijs amd won the Belgian championship for young horses in Gesves. Since this victory I have been following this performance family and, of course, we all know that the Rooms family always breeds valuable horses. I was also mad about Manchester van’t Paradijs when he participated at the 2015 stallion approval, as his performance in free jumping during the second day was better than the first day. At the time, I hesitated to buy him and later regretted this decision, so now I’ve bought Qatar. We recently sold our approved stallion El Barone 111 Z, and it was thanks to this sale that it’s a little bit easier to buy a really good stallion. Via his dam line, Qatar goes back to Flammes des Empires, an outstanding dam. In terms of quantity it’s not a large line, but the horses that belong to this performance family jump very well,” and the fact that Kashmir van’t Schuttershof is also present in Qatar’s pedigree, makes it complete. “Kashmir is such a good stallion. In the past I rode him several times in the heats of the Belgian young horse cycle. He gave me a feeling that few horses have given me. Extremely good.” Talking about his plans for the future, Theeuwes said: “It’s our aim to use Qatar as a stallion. If he’s approved, he will be marketed at Roshoeve as we frequently collaborate with the managing director, Erik Laenen. It’s difficult to predict whether Qatar will become a great performer at the highest level, but we see that he has a lot of talent. When my brother Vic and I saw Qatar’s first free jumps, we were mad about him.” Theeuwes was certainly satisfied about the second phase: “There were many good showjumpers. In my opinion, the Belgian breeders are doing very well, not only in BWP but also in Zangersheide. It’s nice to see the efforts of Judy Ann [Melchior]. It’s a pity that we don’t have one general studbook in Belgium, because we would then be the number one worldwide. That is sooner said that done. Meanwhile, the whole world knows that the best showjumpers are bred in Flanders. For the second phase we presented five stallions, and four of them were selected for phase three, so we’re satisfied. It’s great. We have several good stallions and they showed their qualities. I can understand the decision that the jury didn’t select one of our stallions. He was not cooperating and his mind was abroad!” ■ Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

remarkable winner in the NZ World Cup series

SALLY REID PHOTOGRAPHY: CORNEGE PHOTOGRAPHY, WINDERMERE EQUESTRIAN BY

New Zealand’s 2019 World Cup winner is a remarkable eight-year-old gelding, who lowered just one rail in all his rounds. Windermere Cappuccino is a son of the imported Corofino II. The six-leg NZ World Cup series is a little different from its European and North American counterparts, in that most riders compete on a single horse. This season’s field – again, so different from the Northern Hemisphere leagues – consisted of 25 riders and 30 horses. Most were Warmbloods, three were imported stallions and eight were mares.

ith the exception of the third leg, which went to an Australian Thoroughbred, Belischi HM xx, all legs in the series were won by sport horses from international Warmblood families. They were: NZ Sport Horse gelding Ulysses NZPH (Cabdulla du Tillard x Twist Kerellec), who has full Selle Français bloodlines; Windermere Cappuccino (Corofino II x Voltaire II), a New Zealand Warmblood gelding; NZ Sport Horse mare Mea I (by Ngahiwi One Eye, who is by Corland VDL) and the Holsteiner mare LT Holst Andrea (Casall x Lavaletto).

The series final

round of the final, but a beautiful, fast and accurate clear in the second. Cappuccino, who’d made the long road and ferry trip from the South Island for this competition, contested only four of the six legs, winning two and finishing second in the other two, and taking only that solitary Woodhill rail over all eight rounds. He’s a horse worth watching very closely (more about him later in this report). Third place in the final went to the big, handsome 10-yearold German Sport Horse, Quainton Labyrinth (Lancelot Quainton - Caraby x Carnaby), bred by Quainton Stud in Buckinghamshire, UK. This gelding, who is ridden by Clarke Johnstone, finished second in the final last year at his first World Cup start. The very popular Popeye (Cardento - Cufflink x Lio Caylon), who set a cracking pace but paid for it with a rail in each round, finished fourth for his owner/rider Tom Tarver. His breeder is unrecorded. In fifth place was the Hanoverian mare Graffiti MH (Graf Top I - Elodie x Earl), a horse who is an absolute pleasure to watch. She had an uncharacteristic eight faults in the first

However, it was the German-bred LT Holst Andrea (Casall Ask - Palaune x Lavaletto) who won the last of the six legs, held at Woodhill Sands in Auckland in January. The very talented 10-year-old Holsteiner is ridden by Brooke Edgecombe of Waipukurau, who jointly owns her with LT Holst stud founder Ewen McIntosh. She was the only horse to jump clear over both rounds. Ewen McIntosh imported the mare six years ago from her breeder, Hans-Joachim Gerken of Hammoor. She was in foal to Quinton I at the time and that foal, LT Holst Elizabeth, is now a multiple winner in the age-group series. Andrea herself has been a consistently good performer, and was the ESNZ’s leading mare in last season’s jumping series. Her win in the final meant she finished second overall in the World Cup series. The horse who finished second in the final was the series winner, Windermere Cappuccino (Corofino II - Vespa x Voltaire II). This New Zealand Warmblood gelding and his rider Tegan Fitzsimon had a very Windermere Cappuccino (Corofino II x Voltaire II) in the hands of Tegan Fitzsimon, rider and co-owner unlucky four faults in the first

28 February 2019

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round, but soared to an immaculate clear in the second with her rider, Melody Matheson of Hastings. She was bred by Judith Matthews of Matthews Hanoverians and has been exceptional from the word go, with age-group and HOY titles to her name. Rounding off the top six was another spectator favourite, the licensed Hanoverian stallion, Euro Sport Centavos (Escudo I - Anabell x Argentinus), ridden by Claudia Hay. He was bred in Germany by Heinz Schütte. The series leader going into the final competition was the brilliant but volatile Veroana (Indoctro - Strawberry x Ramon Off). Although he jumped most fences with dazzling scope, he had a disappointing 12 faults in the first round and dropped to third in the overall standings. Veroana was last year’s Horse of the Year, and is a force to be reckoned with in the hands of his very talented young rider, Briar Burnett-Grant.

Broodmare Vespa, with her Heartbreaker son, Windermere Lionheart

The series winner Since his first appearance as a five-year-old in the 2016 national age-group series, Windermere Cappuccino has had win after win… after win. His latest (and greatest) victory is the World Cup deries. He’s just eight years old, a fraction under 16 hands high (162 cms), and over the past three years has jumped his way steadily upwards, claiming the five-year-old, six-year-old and seven-year-old national jumping series with ease. It’s probably worth mentioning that he was also 2018’s seven-year-old horse of the year, and had Grand Prix wins at that age. Now, with the NZ World Cup series added to his cv, he is not just meeting but far exceeding expectations. Windermere Cappuccino is ridden by Tegan Fitzsimon, who co-owns him in partnership with his breeders, the hardworking Parkes family: Anne and Rodney and their daughters Melissa Galloway and Sarah Parkes, of Windermere Equestrian in Marlborough. This boutique establishment has become known for producing excellent dressage horses, with two standouts by Johnson on the circuit at present, and an exciting young mare by Zonik. Windermere Cappuccino, however, was always destined for a jumping career. He was born in 2010, one of the stud’s early progeny. “We didn’t breed him for dressage; we originally bought two mares, one by Don Bosco for dressage breeding and one by Voltaire II, Vespa, to breed jumpers,” says Melissa Galloway. “My sister Sarah had seen Katie Laurie riding Corofino II and absolutely loved him; she picked him for Vespa. So, massive credit to her for choosing such an amazing combination! “She and I broke Windermere Cappuccino, ‘Vollie’ in. I taught him flat work and Sarah taught him to jump. He always had a great, bouncy canter and a super spring over the jumps, but we had no idea he was going to be as amazing as he has

turned out. It really was Tegan [Fitzsimon] who was able to see his incredible potential, which is why she asked to go into a partnership with him.” The Parkes have bred five foals from Vespa (Voltaire II Karaka II x Western Bay xx), but, says Galloway, “Only two ended up making it to being ridden; Windermere Cappuccino and Windermere Lionheart, who is my sister’s five-year-old. He’s by Euro Sport Heartbreaker and is looking to be a really great jumper as well, which is very exciting. She’s successfully competing him at 1m10 and in the five-year-old series. “Unfortunately, Vespa had to be put down a few years ago, due to a paddock injury, so we are very blessed to have the two amazing horses from her doing so well. We are incredibly proud of the stunning horses she has bred.” Vespa herself was bred by Sarah Inglis, who competed in dressage on the mare’s dam, Karaka II (Western Bay xx - Wild Rose x Wolfsburg). Karaka II, bred by Ron and Margaret Trotter, has some particularly interesting blood through her own dam, Wild Rose (Wolfsburg - Elmfreundin x Elm). This German-bred Hanoverian is from the Platina mareline Stutenstamm 2191206, Schridde 254. Her grand-dam is the StPrSt mare Domfee I (Dominus) whose full sister, Domfee II, jumped at 1m60. Wild Rose was bought by Ron and Marg Southern, founders of Spruce Meadows in Canada, who bred from her before sending her to the Trotters in New Zealand. Her other progeny in this country include Lucinda (Silent Hunter xx) and Vimac (Voltaire II), both successful dressage competitors. Vespa’s sire, the outstanding KWPN stallion Voltaire II (Voltaire - Daydyne ster prest x Nimmerdor) died last year, leaving innumerable winning progeny in all disciplines here, but most notably in jumping and eventing. He also sired the very successful stallion son, Double J Repicharge, whose offspring are excelling at showjumping. Windermere Cappuccino’s own sire, the German-bred Holsteiner Corofino II (Corrado I - StPrSt Valeska IV x Fernando, brings a massive amount of talent into his son’s pedigree. On the stallion side are the mighty Corrado I from Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

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Stamm 6879, Cor de la Bryère and Capitol I. Corofino II’s dam, the staatsprämie mare Valeska IV (Fernando - StPrSt Option x Lord) is from Stamm 318d2 with its string of licensed stallions – three of which are her sons: the full brothers Corofino I and Corofino II, and the licensing winner Camiros (Contender). Corofino I is the sire of many great jumpers including Olympic and WEG competitor Russel II. Other jumping champions in Corofino II’s – and of course Windermere Cappuccino’s – family include Crawford, and the super Coriano Z who is by Corrado I out of Valeska IV’s dam, Option. Corofino II received a 10 for jumping at his 1998 30-day test in Schlieckau. The stallion was bred by Hobe Bernhardt and had a successful Grand Prix career in Europe before being purchased from the Holsteiner Verband and imported to New Zealand as a 12-year-old by Jenny McIntyre of Global Performance Horses. “We were so lucky to be able to buy a stallion that was licensed, is from one of the best stallion families, and who has such a great record,” McIntyre said at the time of Corofino II’s arrival. “This should be great for New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere.” It certainly has been, and Corofino II has twice won the country’s leading sire award at the young horse show. He could well take that honour again this season. One very exciting mare daughter, Fleur DeLacour (Corofino II - Jazz x Lio Caylon) is currently second in the fiveyear-old series, and a gelding son, Casanova Xtreme (Corofino II - JK Good Looks x JK Lucas) is third. The lovely mare Chic Xtreme (Corofino II x Grosvenor xx) is sixth equal, and another gelding son, Avenger Xtreme is ninth. The six-year-old series is led by another gelding son, Campari (Corofino II - Lillana x Littorio), who also is with Cappuccino’s rider Tegan Fitzsimon. Malarkey (Corofino II - Estina x Heartbreaker) is lying sixth equal with Double J Image, who is by Corofino’s Timeo hominem unius libri

sire son Double J Repicharge. So… the Parkes family’s home-bred gelding has a pedigree to live up to, and he’s doing that in style. “I still can’t quite believe what eight-year-old Windermere Cappuccino has achieved in his four World Cup starts this season,” Tegan Fitzsimon posted on Facebook after their series win. “Eight rounds and just one rail down. I am so proud of what he has become.” Windermere Cappuccino will not travel to Europe to contest the 2019 World Cup Final, but might cross the Tasman for some Australian competitions with Fitzsimon. Meanwhile, the offers are pouring in from prospective international buyers. Watch this space.

Another world star from Windermere But wait, there’s more from Windermere Equestrian. Another gelding belonging to the Parkes family has come out on top of another FEI world series: this time, the Dressage World Challenge for Prix St Georges. The horse is a beautiful chestnut son of Johnson, Windermere Jobèi W (Johnson NOP - Miss Pompeii xx x Pompeii xx), bred by David Wooley at D'Via Sport Horses, and ridden by Windermere’s Melissa Galloway (née Parkes). Galloway and this talented NZ Sport Horse also topped the Zone 8 rankings, putting the New Zealand team into first place by a good margin from Australia, Chinese Taipei, South Africa and Hong Kong. The team finished second overall to Chile in the World Challenge. All other horses on the NZ team were Hanoverians: the Int I gelding Rosari Don Carlos (Don Frederico Anastasia x Anamour), bred by Fiona McCrostie, and ridden by owner Kieryn Walton; Lucarne Dolley’s Prix St Georges gelding Ardmore (Anamour KH Delay x Dynamit), bred by Justine Hodson; and the 10-year-old Hanoverian mare Belladonna MH (Brentano II Grandessa x Gymnastik Star) bred by Matthews Hanoverians and ridden by owner Julie Flintoff, also competing at PSG. ■

CWHBa: The past and future

CHRIS GOULD PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF USDF, USEA, AND OWNERS BY

The CWHBA recently announced that Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS) testing will be available in Canada for 2019 through our test lab partners Maxxam. Now, Canadian horses can be assessed for WFFS and parentage verified without the need to send samples out of the country. Results will be recorded in the CWHBA database and be available online. At present WFFS testing is voluntary for CWHBA entered breeding animals.

n spite of the fact that February is still a cold and snowy time of year, Canadian breeders are eagerly anticipating a new breeding season. The positive trends that are being felt world wide are also being sensed in Canada. Buyer interest is up as are breeding numbers. An option that many breeders utilize is the online CWHBA Stallion Service Auction. This year it runs February 17-24. An impressive line-up of approved and licensed stallions, including the 2018 Stallion Performance Test Champion Bon Baloubet (Bon Balou), have been nominated. Top international bloodlines are represented, such as Indoctro, Kannan, Connaisseur, Escudo I, Stakkato, Florestan, His Highness and many, many more. Successful bidders have the bonus feature of complimentary entry into the 2020 Foal Futurity.

Celebrating the past season For Canadian breeders the United States is, as expected, their biggest export market. Canadian Warmbloods often enjoy success south of the border. Shining bright in 2018 was four year old USEA Future Event Horse East Coast Champion, Star Quality CSF (Schwarzenegger - Garcia x Gervantus II), bred in British Columbia by Tracy Anderson and owned by Cristeen Miller of Ohio, USA. Enlighteningh (Polansky Flemmingo 777 x Flemmingh) an Alberta-bred six-year-old, is one of 95 Canadian Warmbloods nominated for USDF dressage awards. Owned and competed by Anne St. Martin of New Jersey, he competed at first level with impressive year-end mean scores of 75.867 and 77.418 in the open and musical freestyle divisions.

The last big indoor show in Canada is the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Alberta held in November. Among many Canadian Wa r m b l o o d s competing was WKM Xenia (Cat Weasel Z - WKM Roxy x Nickelson B), bred by WKM Stables of Manitoba. Owned and ridden by Brennan McCullagh, Xenia won phase two of the Under 25 National Championship. Trainer Mac McQuaker noted; “What a great way to finish the year. And Reserve Champion for the show. Very proud of Brennan’s accomplishments this year but the Royal was a real experience.”

The coming season... For Canadian competitors looking forward to a new show season, the Manitoba Royal Winter Fair, held in late March, is a great place to start. Last year was a stellar competition for Wachter Horses home-bred WH Coconut (Carthago Sun III Ciris x Charmeur) who won three Grand Prix classes, including the prestigious Atco Cup ridden by Lynne Stephenson. With foaling season and show season just around the corner, Canadian breeders are starting to get spring fever. ■ Photos: (Anti-clockwise from top left) WKM Xenia ridden by Brennan McCullaghStar Quality CSF with owner Crissteen Miller, rider Laura Kosiorek-Smith and judges Robin Walker and Peter Gray; Enlighteningh ridden by Anne St. Martin; WH Coconut ridden by Lynn Stephenson;

Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

ICSI: assessing the pros and cons of what we now know!

CINDY REICH

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or (ICSI), is an advanced reproductive procedure used in mares as the only reliable means to produce â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;test tube foals,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; or in vitro embryos. Pioneered in equines in the late 1970s and early 80s, this technology did not become truly commercially viable until the late 1990s to early 2000s. I wrote my first article about ICSI for Breeding News 22 years ago!

riginally, ICSI was developed to allow mares that were no longer able to carry a foal or to produce an embryo to continue to produce offspring by bypassing the uterus and oviduct. The mares oocytes could be retrieved from her ovaries directly and fertilized mechanically in a laboratory and the subsequent embryo transferred into a surrogate mare. ICSI also was used to increase production of stallions. Stallions who were no longer very fertile, or stallions who were deceased and had a limited amount of frozen semen could benefit from the procedure.

How does ICSI work First of all, ICSI and the associated oocyte retrieval is a delicate, invasive procedure of high difficulty, and it takes a long time and a lot of practice to become proficient. Therefore, the procedure is only going to be as good as the veterinarian or technician doing it. The goal is to retrieve the oocytes from the follicles in the mareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ovaries with the use of a long needle inside a transvaginal guided ultrasound probe. While one technician holds the ovary against the l vaginal wall rectally, the ultrasound probe is inserted vaginally. The needle passes through the vaginal wall, into the ovary, and follicles are detected via ultrasound and

aspirated through the needle, collecting the oocyte inside. The oocyte is put into a special media and matured for a short amount of time (longer if immature oocytes are collected) until ready to be fertilized. With the use of a micro-manipulator and a specialized microscope, a single sperm cell is selected from a sample (fresh or thawed) via micropipette and, under the microscope, injected into the oocyte. If fertilization occurs, the dividing cells are matured in another special media in an incubator until it develops into an embryo suitable for transfer. In the early days, the young cell mass was transferred into the oviduct of the surrogate mare, surgically. This resulted in good pregnancy results, but the fact that it had to be done surgically (through the flank of the surrogate) made it more invasive, and surrogates could often only be used twice at best. Further research and development resulted in the fertilized oocyte maturing in an incubator long enough to be transferred non-surgically, like a normal embryo transfer.

What are the advantages? 1. Clearly, being able to produce offspring (originally) from a valuable, older mare, gave these mares a chance to continue to add their valuable genetics to more offspring. These mares either could not produce a viable embryo or had oviduct or uterine problems that necessitated having to collect her oocytes. 2. For younger mares or competition mares, ICSI can be scheduled at will (as opposed to embryo transfer), and even be done in the non-breeding season. 3. Unlike embryo transfer, you immediately know once the ICSI procedure has been completed and fertilization occurs that you have an embryo. While the developing cells can arrest or die between fertilization and day

ICSI 32 February 2019

Timeo hominem unius libri

Oocytes six or seven, it is likely that you will have an embryo to transfer. In embryo transfer, you must breed the mare, then flush her, and hope you got the embryo if there was one. The lack of available drugs to superovulate mares means conventional embryo retrieval can only offer zero to perhaps a maximum of two embryos per recovery attempt. 4. The oocytes themselves can be frozen, once recovered, and thawed at a later date to fertilize and transfer. 5. The embryo can be frozen and transferred at a later date. 6. Oocyte recovery can be done approximately every 10 to 20 days, generally without complications.

What are some of the risks? I spoke with both Dr. Elaine Carnevale, one of the leading pioneers in ICSI procedures in mares from Colorado State University, USA, and with Dr. Joy Altermatt, of Veterinary Reproduction Innovations of San Luis Obispo, California. I have worked with both Dr. Carnevale and Dr. Altermatt on and off for over 20 years. I am currently using Dr. Altermatt for a breeding program I manage in California, and from two mares (20 and 21 years old, respectively), last year she produced 10 ICSI pregnancies (combined) from four different stallions. I asked what some of the more common and not so common risks were for doing ICSI in mares. Dr. Altermatt stated that the most serious risk would be if a major artery (ovarian, uterine or even the aorta) was inadvertently lacerated with the aspiration needle. If that were to occur, the mare would hemorrhage internally and possibly die. It is also possible for an abscess to form on an ovary (uncommon) and, if it were to rupture, could cause peritonitis or other complications. If that were to occur, the best option would be to remove that ovary. As a precaution, Dr. Altermatt will routinely use broad-spectrum antibiotics

prior to the procedure. Another uncommon risk is that sometimes an ovarian hematoma can occur. As with any procedure involving rectal manipulation, the risk of a rectal tear can occur in a mare, also with the potential of peritonitis as a result. Apparently there has been discussion in the sport horse world regarding mares who underwent ICSI procedures having bleeding from the ovaries during gestation, possibly causing death. Both veterinarians thought that would be a highly unusual complication and, furthermore, could only occur shortly after the oocyte retrieval session or in a pregnant mare if the donor mare for the oocytes was also used as an auto-recipient. Dr. Altermatt said that the possibility could exist that if adhesions formed from the procedure, and as the pregnancy advanced and pulled on the adhesions putting undue tension on surrounding vessels, it could cause bleeding, but it would be a very unusual complication and she has never experienced it in her practice. She said it would be important to determine the origin(s) of the bleeding, at what point in the pregnancy did bleeding occur, and whether advanced age was a confounding variable in these incidences Dr. Carnevale stated that some facilities are leaning towards retrieving every follicle in the ovary, which can sometimes number in the dozens, potentially increasing the chance of bleeding due to the increased number of punctures. She characteristically only aspirates mature or near mature follicles, thus decreasing the chances of tissue damage or bleeding as there are fewer punctures. She has never seen this complication in her career. Again, if the bleeding were connected with pregnancy, it could only happen if the mare was both the donor and the recipient. Putting an ICSI embryo into a surrogate mare and achieving a pregnancy would not have any effect on the surrogateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ovaries. In summary, ICSI has graduated from a procedure to regain genetics from older mares and less fertile stallions, to a way to bank genetics from any age or type of mare, in some ways matching or exceeding the efficiency of conventional embryo retrieval The benefits would seem to far outweigh the risks, but what will we be saying about it 20 years from now? â&#x2013;

Equine embryo Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

Dutch stallion owners stamp their mark in Holstein

BY ADRIANA VAN

TILBURG PHOTOGRAPHY: JANNE BUGTRUP

A total of 17 stallions were presented at the Holsteiner January inspection, of which eight were finally approved/recognized. Additionally, four out of the eight were owned by Dutch stallion owners, including VDL, who scored a hattrick, with three of their stallions being recognized. The audience favourite was the reserve champion of last year’s OS stallion inspection: For Treasure VDL (For Pleasure - Carthana Z x Carthago, bred by G. van de Winkel). n Treasure’s pedigree you find some strong foundation Bloodline diversity

names – Ramiro, Jasper and Lucky Boy xx. The Jasper mare Granite produced three 1m40 jumping horses. Jasper himself jumped at the highest level under the saddle of Hugo Simon. At his KWPN approval he was measured at 159 cms, from his sport name ‘Little One’ originates. Van de Lageweg also presented For Friendship VDL (For Pleasure - Symphonie x Stakkato Gold, bred by Günther Soltau), a second For Pleasure son who was premiumawarded at the Hanoverian show. It has been eight years since the death of For Pleasure (Furioso II - Gigantin x Grannus, bred by Robert Diestel), but he still enjoys enormous popularity among breeders, and there has been a huge interest in the last few years to buy the last remaining semen. VDL Stud now has two interesting sons from For Pleasure in their stallion collection. The third VDL stallion, Jaloubet Z (Baloubet du Rouet) is closely related to Taloubet Z (Galoubet A - Krista x Polydor, bred by Cees Klaver). Officially half brothers, but more like three-quarters because Galoubet A also sired Baloubet du Rouet. Taloubet Z has been successful with Christian Ahlmann at 1m60 – the combination winning the 2018 World Cup qualifier in Leipzig, which was the final competition for the stallion.

“We were able to approve an interesting mix of hopeful young stallions with valuable bloodlines, and stallions with proven Holsteiner genes,” said Holsteiner Verband breeding director, Dr. Thomas Nissen. The following stallions were also approved: Contutto (Cartani - Ferinia B x Joost, Stamm 2495, Marion and Norbert Belz), who is actively competing under the saddle of Alexander Schill. The 1m60 jumping horse The Toymaker (Casall), ridden by Bassem Mohammed, also comes from his mother. The three-year-old Asterix de Couleur (Aganix du Seigneur Exceptional x Hickstead, Stamm 162, bred by Hartwig Schoof) was also recognized. This interestingly bred stallion goes back to A Cover Girl, the full sister of Carthago. The seven-year-old Cesandro (Catoo - Granada VII x Anthonys Dream xx, Stamm 8895, Klaus-Detlef Harbeck) finished sixth at the Bundeschampionat for six-year-old eventing horses. The final approved stallion is Chopin VA (Casall - Odina III x Coriano, Stamm 5064, Manfred von Allwöhrden) who is being produced internationally by Mathilda Karlsson. ■

Grandorado TN represents Nijhof Team Nijhof was represented by Grandorado TN (Eldorado van de Zeshoek Charmieque x Carolus II, bred by MTS Rietberg & D.J. Verhoeven). This eight-year-old stallion was presented under saddle by Willem Greve. Grandorado TN was performance champion at the KWPN show and won silver last year at the World Breeding Champioonship for Young Horses in Lanaken. Henk Nijhof Jnr., was satisfied with the inspection: “We have been coming here for a few years now with our stallions. For example, Verdi and I'm Special de Muze were also recognized for the Holsteiner Verband during the January approvals.”

34 February 2019

Chopin VA (Casall - Odina III x Coriano, Stamm 5064, bred byManfred von Allwöhrden) Timeo hominem unius libri

Breeding/rider relationships

BY AGATA

GROSICKS PHOTOGRAPHY: MAGDA POCZTOWSKA

The former coach of the Polish National Showjumping Team (2009 – 2014), two-time Olympic Games participant (Munchen 1972, Montreal 1976), Austrian Rudiger Wassibauer now stands behind the success of the youngest generation of Polish showjumpers including Weronika Minkiewicz, Michal Kubiak and 20-year-old Adam Grzegorzewski.

rzegorzewski took the world by storm in January during the three-star CSI in Sopot, Poland, riding his own Okarino sp (Pavarotti van de Helle - Obella x Cassini II), the stallion Just A Hero BWP (Erco van’t Roosakker - Nimfe de la Pomme x For Pleasure), and stallion Azur sp (Candiavolo Alma x Garibaldi). Interestingly, Wassibauer bred Azur himself. “The result in Sopot was incredibe because Adam won or placed in the top four in four good classes, and in the under25 Grand Prix he scored 250 ranking points. Okarino is at the moment his number one horse, Just A Hero, his new horse, is rather complicated but can jump really well. Then, of course, there is Azur. “At the moment we have a lot of very good young horses back home (which is near Opole in the south-west part of Poland); a very good young stallion from Holland – Hardcore (Cortland x Heartbreaker), who is a very good future prospect. And another really good horse who is now six, by Quality Time, as well as a lot of young horses by Big Star Junior.”

◆ What is your opinion about the popular and dominant bloodlines of showjumping horses at the shows? “There is of course Cornet Oblolensky and Champion du Lys. The story of Champion du Lys is kind of interesting. He was ridden by Ludger Beerbaum and was winning high classes, but in my opinion he was not horse with big scope. But some of his offspring are doing really well. When it comes to Corner Obolensky, there is no question about this horse. He’s one of the best stallions out there. There are lot of top bloodlines at the moment, being the sire of Harrie Smoulders’ Emerald (out of a Carthago mare). But even excellent top riders and horses can have one bad show. That’s what I always tell the young riders if they have one bad round. They must become more professional, not take everything too seriously, and get more practice instead of getting depressed. “My riding and breeding center has around 120 horses. at the moment. We started with breeding and have young mares, but we also have many horses from foreigners in training thanks to our good methods. From Axel Verlooy I have always 10 to 15 horses in training, and from Eric Levallois, Diamant de Semilly’s owner, I have 10 horses, as well as from other stables in England, Holland and Germany – so between 30 and 40 horses in training. “In terms of my young broodmares, I don’t favour specific bloodlines, I just want the good ones, but more important is the quality. A mother has to a super jumper and have a good heart. You can access really good semen form exquisite

stallions, but if you use it with a poor quality mare it makes no sense. You can have a lot of mares that were not in sport who have very good offspring. On the other hand if you see the result from the really top mares – they are the guarantee of quality. Of course, a breeder has to have a very good nose. This is why riders are sometimes very good at Rudiger Wassibauer breeding, because when they’ve ridden a mare they know exactly what she needs. Maybe a stallion with more scope or, let’s say the mare has scope but wasn’t careful, so it has to be the other way around. For me it’s important that mares have good characters and really try to work hard. From all the good old mare family lines, such as Holstein, the mares come from working horses, and farmers selected them because they were good at work, not in sport but in the field. So they took the best ones for breeding. But you can still find the roots in those families going back to good working mares. ◆ You breed your own horses and you also work with the horses of other breeders? With Adam Grzegorzewski in our stable we really want to cooperate with breeders in the future, because sometimes a breeder has no possibility to build up a horse by himself. This is not only in Poland but also in Germany – building up a young horse costs a lot of money. In Germany or Holland a breeder pays terrible money to put a horse in a professional stable. That’s why breeders sometimes don’t even do it because they never know if this is a good prospect for a horse. Breeders do a lot of work, invest a lot and, in the end, do not make a decent profit. Cees Klaver, the breeder of Taloubet and Big Star, was named ‘breeder of the year’ three times, but it was the professional stables that made millions on these horses not the breeder himself. It’s not easy for the breeders. They need to hire a top professional rider to present the horse, but if the rider sees the horse’s potential, buys him before the horse really progresses in the sport. It works if a breeder has children who are professional riders, but that doesn’t happen that often. So a breeder needs professional help from riders, and a good and fruitful relationship for both parties.” ■ Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

British Futurity 2018 hit the ground running...

CELIA CLARKE

With 398 entries across 11 venues around the UK, and a consistent panel of evaluators, the British Breeding/Baileys Horse Feeds Futurity Evaluations 2018 seem to have surmounted many of the issues that dogged past series, including the loss of funding and organizational support by the British Equestrian Federation(due to the BEF’s own internal issues), plus a loss of entries due to falling numbers of young horses being bred in the UK, as well as a growing distrust in the evaluations’ scoring system.

ith a new organisation at the helm, British Breeding not only represents breeders but also discipline specialists. Their mandate included a thorough revision of evaluator training methods and the introduction of both live streaming and linear scoring, and a new-style Futurity that not only combines its strengths of the past (discipline-based young-stock assessments completely independent of studbook breeding assessments) with state-of-the-art judging procedures. The evaluations were further enhanced by the inclusion of an end-of-series championship which were incorporated into an event called the Great British Mare Show. This was a noble attempt to address what has been an unresolved issue for some time, but now that it has been shown to work perhaps owners and breeders can look forward to a stand-alone set of championships in the future rather than the somewhat confusing format set by the currently inexperienced host organization, the British Breeders Network. The quality of entries also reflected this new found upswing. Almost 10% of the animals forward achieved the ultimate ‘elite’ classification (nine plus marks out of a possible 10), and a further 87 gained the very desirable ‘upper first’, indicating that they had the conformation, soundness, temperament and bloodlines necessary to make them serious contenders to take part in top level competition once they mature.

Results British Breeding/Baileys Horse Feeds Evaluations 2018 top scorers • Dressage foal: Crocket (Quantensprung x Jazz; breeder/owner Nicola Burton) • Eventing foal: Time To Fly (owner/breeder Sally Warner) • Showjumping foal: Esme X (Goodyear VDL x Cadence van T Gelut Z; owner/breeder Aileen Stormonth) • Dressage yearling: Summer Solstice (Silver Lining ZB; owner/breeder Tammy Ruffles) • Eventing yearling: Mesmerize-Me-Ssh (Zumanji Décor x Ed King Hill; breeder Rosalyn Serex; owner Lottie Stewart) • Showjumping yearling: Argenteus (Argento x Baloubet de

36 February 2019

Rouet; breeder Jeanette Lewis; owner Aileen Stormonth) • Dressage 2yo: Catherston Tick Tock (Timolin x Breitling; owner/breeder Jennie Loriston-Clarke) • Eventing 2yo: Cundlegreen Garanwyn (Felinfach Tory Boy x Concorde; owner/breeder Vanessa Francis • Showjumping 2yo: Masterclass (For Pleasure x Balou de Rouet; breeder Ann Bassett; owner Keith Lovelock) • Dressage 3yo: Kristiansand (Bordeaux x Rubiloh; owner/breeder Lizzie Sweet) • Eventing 3yo: Sunny Side Up (Supertramp x Grandeur; owner/breeder Karen Fryer) • Showjumping 3yo: Kylie (Galliano x Concorde; breeder Castell Sport Horses; owner Jackie Plant) • Top potential dressage horse: Crocket • Top potential evening horse: Time To Fly • Top potential showjumper, overall champion and top scorer: Esme X. Baileys Horse Feeds/British Breeders Network Futurity Championships • Dressage foal: Woodlander Querrida (Quatehit x Florencio; owner/breeder Lynne Crowden) • Eventing foal: Time To Fly (Timolin x The Crofter; owner/breeder Sally Warner) • Showjumping foal: Chicago’s Darco (Carthago x Donna Careera Z; breeder WG Stud, owner Hazel Offord) •Champion foal: Woodlander Querrdia • Eventing and champion yearling: Verona’s Buddy Be Good (Ramiro x Hamlet; owner/breeder Hannah Iddeson) • Dressage 2yo: Grand Designs (Grand Galaxy Win x Florencio; owner Sylvia Tainton, breeder Lynne Crowden) • Eventing 2yo: Diamonds Cawever (Diamond Hit x Cawblimey; owner/breeder Barbara Heaton-Smith) • Showjumping 2yo: Masterclass (For Pleasure x Balou de Rouet; breeder Ann Bassett; owner Keith Lovelock) • Champion 2yo: Grand Designs • Showjumping and champion 3yo: Kosutta’s Korolevski Tsar (Rasputin x Undercover; owner/breeder Mel GravellBarnes. ■

Timeo hominem unius libri

RIDERS CALL FOR MORE THOROUGHBRED BLOOD IN TOP LEVEL EVENTERS The HSI International Breeding Conference took place in the Keadeen Hotel, Co Kildare on Thursday, December 13, 2018. The 300 participants heard from a line-up of national and international speakers who each provided food for thought regarding breeding the top sport horses of the future. The speakers included: • Christopher Bartle, a previous winner of Badminton Horse Trials, former National Coach to the German Olympic 3 Day Event Team and currently the British Eventing Team's High-Performance Coach. • Padraig McCarthy, an Irish Olympic Three-Day Event rider and most famously, team and individual Silver Medallist at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) this year. • Jens Meyer, founder of ‘Hengststation Jens Meyer’ and breeder and producer of top level Show jumping and eventing horses. • Dr Alan Fahey, Associate Dean of International Programmes and Associate Professor of Animal Breeding in the School of Agriculture and Food Science at UCD. • Tiernan Gill, Managing Director of the Gill Group, and producer of top level horses. • Bert Van den Oetelaar, a very successful sport horse agent from the Netherlands. • William Micklem, a world-renowned coach and author and breeder of sport horses. One loud and clear message was the need for Thoroughbred blood in top-level eventing horses. Ireland’s advantage is having some of the best Thoroughbreds in the world bred and standing here. Breeding trends worldwide, however, are placing more focus on cross-bred and less interest in Thoroughbreds. If this process continues indefinitely without sufficient injection of TB, it will result in an overall Photo (l-r) Jens Meyer, Dr Alan Fahey, loss of TB influence in the overall sport horse population. The message from the top-level event riders Padraig McCarthy, Tiernan Gill, presenting and in the audience was that they are finding it more difficult globally, to find horses with Christopher Bartle, Alison Corbally and sufficient TB blood being produced and staying sound enough to compete at 3* and 43* level, and to Bert Van den Oetelaar even source these horses. This is a clear message for breeders: More Thoroughbred percentage please. The importance of more Thoroughbred blood was discussed by all the speakers during their talks. WEG team silver medallist and silver individual winner, Padraig McCarthy, said he believes a high percentage of Thoroughbred blood “must be up there to ensure top level performers”, telling the conference, “In my own breeding, we are going back to blood. Last year we went to Slyguff Stud’s Pointilliste (TB) and Nazar (TB). We saw Pointilliste at the Croker Cup at the Dublin Horse Show and thought he looked like an athletic horse. He looks like a horse that gives jump or at least does not take it away, but of course it depends on your mare”. McCarthy also discussed how he recently met top German eventer Michael Jung after his recent horse-buying trip to Monart and the Goresbridge ‘Go For Gold Sale’. “Michael told me he came to Ireland to find a horse that can win at four and five-star level and to do that, he needs Thoroughbred in the first two generations and he cannot find that in Germany”. Christopher Bartle emphasized that breeders should think ahead: “We have to learn from the past, but at the same time very much think about the future as we make our plans for the years ahead. We are not so very far away from LA (2028), which is not a long time in the life of a horse”. Bartle talked about how the sport has changed and how every discipline has transitioned from amateur to professional over the years, and also how investment and competition within the sport has changed. He noted how events such as WEG, the Olympic Games, Global Champions Tour and Badminton Horse Trials have grown in recent years. He believes that this has influenced the direction of breeding over the years and led to changes in the types horses required for each discipline. The way the sport is conducted has also changed hugely with new tests and competition formats. Importantly he questioned whether breeders affect the direction of the sport or vice versa. The annual Horse Sport Ireland Breeders Awards also took place during the conference, with awards being presented to 25 breeders whose horses and ponies achieved outstanding results throughout the year. The award winners included the breeders of the Irish Sport Horse medal winning Edward Doyle presenting Anna horses at the WFBSH Young Horse Championships at O’Byrne (on behalf of Paul Lanaken and Le Lion d’Angers 2018. Outstanding achieve- Edward Doyle presenting Edward Doyle presenting O’Byrne), breeder of Uppercourt Eamon Sheehan, the breeder Michael Hughes of the Irish Cappucino (ISH), the gold ment awards were presented to Michael Hughes of the Irish of Cuffesgrange Cavaildam Shows Association with the medal winner at the 2018 Shows Association and to James Flynn the producer of Agha Outstanding Contribution to (ISH) with the Irish Pony WBFSH Young Horse ChampiBreeder Award Breeding Award onships in Lanaken, Belgium Khan Winner Heather Honey (ISH).

Horse Sport Ireland, Beech House, Millennium Park, Osberstown, Naas, Co. Kildare Tel: +353 (0)45 850800 / Fax: +353 (0) 85085 / info@horsesportireland.ie / www.horsesportireland.ie www.irishsporthorse.com Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

WBFSH U IN THIS ISSUE

IMPORTANT DATES 2019 August 1-4

FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Championship for Young Dressage Horses in Ermelo, The Netherlands.

September 19-22

FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Championship for Young Showjumping Horses in Lanaken, Belgium

October 17-20

FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Championships for Young Eventing Horses in Le Lion d’Angers, France

October 13-15

WBFSH General Assembly and seminars, Tryon, North Carolina

■ IMPORTANT DATES 2019

■ ZEPTER WILL BE UNDEFEATABLE!

WORLD BREEDING FEDERATION FOR HORSES VILHELMSBORG ALLÉ 1 8320 MAARSLET DENMARK

SPORT

TEL: +45 (0)87 475400 FAX: +45 (0)87 475410 WWW.WBFSH.ORG

NEWS Zepter will be undefeatable! Behind any brilliant horse there is a brilliant breeder, which is also the case with the couple behind Blue Hors Zepter, who is presently making his way into the realms of the world’s elite. In 2018, Blue Hors Zepter and Daniel Bachmann Andersen entered the international dressage scene and steadily worked their way up through the FEI world dressage rankings to an impressive 18th place after only five internationals shows in Dortmund, Hagen, Uggerhalne, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt. In 2018, they celebrated several victories in Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special, the most recent being a Grand Prix at the four-star show in Frankfurt with 78.543% – beating German top riders such as Kristina BröringSprehe, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Isabell Werth, Hubertus Schmidt, Dorothe Schneider, etc. In their first World Cup-qualifier in Stuttgart, they achieved an impressive 81.190% in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Anyone can buy a foal with a champion’s title The now 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Blue Hors Zepter, is by the elite stallion and Grand Prix dressage horse, Blue Hors Zack with the mare Who’s Sunlight (by Wolkentanz II x Silvio I) as his dam. He was bred by Bernhard Sieverding in Germany and purchased by Blue Hors as a foal. Full of keen expectations about Zack’s offspring, Esben Møller from the Blue Hors stud visited Britta and Bernhard Sieverding in Twistringen on a summer day in 2008. Bernhard remembers that the sun was shining bright and his wife was serving home-baked cake on the garden porch. Møller knew he had to have the chestnut colt. “Seated at the coffee table, we reached an agreement and Esben did not have any doubts about the purchase”, Berhard Sieverding explains, adding: “He had a good eye. Anyone can buy a prize foal but very few are able to spot a future star themselves. The horses from Twistringen Bernhard Sieverding grew up on the farm where his dad was a farmer before him and where he has now run an intensive breeding programme for the last 30 years. He and Britta are now full-time horse breeders and produce 15 to 20 foals, besides investing in five to 10 good foals, every year. They breed with different mare lines, of which Zepter’s line is represented by three broodmares. They also breed on the Schockolade mare line, which has produced among others the WBCYH winner Don Martillo and the German national team rider Jessica von Bredow-Werndl’s GP-horse Ferdinand BB (Florencio I x Lanciano) also derives from Britta and Bernhard’s stud where several licensed stallions and advanced-level dres-

38 February 2019

Timeo hominem unius libri

UPDATE sage horses have been born. Foals and youngsters grow up in communal systems, and the youngsters are broken in and trained at home with assistance from the son, Andreas Müller. Several of the promising youngsters are put in training with Isabel Werth’s student, Beatrice Keller. One of the young colts for which Bernhard Sieverding has particular hopes is a two-year-old who, in many ways, resembles Zepter. He is bred from Zepter’s mare line by Fürst Jazz x Sir Donnerhall x De Niro x Wolkentanz II – and “will go all the way”, his breeder expects. The largest advertising billboard for our breeding Britta and Bernhard Sieverding keenly follow the results of Zepter, and if they are unable to be present at the large German shows, they watch Daniel and Zepter’s performances on Clipmyhorse. Esben bought Zepter as a stallion prospect. “He has always believed in the horse and he has always claimed that this horse will appear on television someday – and he was right”, Bernhard concludes. Zepter was presented for pre-selection and was passed for the stallion grading, but a broken coffin bone put an end to those plans and, instead, he spent time to heal and finish growing. Britta and Bernhard explain that, for them as breeders, it is of the utmost importance that their offspring are handed over to the proper hands where they get the best conditions and possibilities. At Blue Hors, they have managed the upbringing and education of Zepter magnificently and it is a great honour and pleasure for us that Daniel is riding our offspring. Zepter is the largest advertising billboard for our breeding, and next year I doubt that anyone will be able to defeat him, Bernhard Sieverding concludes. Left: Britta and Bernhard Sieverding on their beautiful old farm in Twistringen, Germany Beloo: The Oldenburg gelding Blue Hors Zepter and Danish team member Daniel Bachmann Andersen have made a very promising international debut in 2018. Photos: Ridehesten.com

Timeo hominem unius libri

February 2019

2019 FEBRUARY 30/1-2/2 Ermelo (NED) KWPN Stallion Show Tel: +31 (0)341 255555 Fax: +31 (0)341 255535 info@kwpn.nl / www/kwpn.nl 2 Ermelo (NED) KWPN Select Sale (Dressage) See previous entry 28 Wellington, FL (USA) WEF Sport Horse Auction Tel: +1 561 870 6587 melanie@horsemls.com www.wefsporthorseauction.coth.com

MARCH 6-10 Herning (DEN) Danish Warmblood Stallion Show Tel: +45 (0)87 47 5400 Fax: +45 (0)87 47 5410 varmblod@varmblod.dk www.varmblod.dk 9/10 Lanaken (BEL) Zangersheide Open Days Tel: +32 (0)89 730 330 Fax: +32 (0)89 718 410 studbook@zangersheide.com www.zangersheide.com 14-16 Moorsele (BEL) BWP Stallion Selections (3rd phase) Tel: +32 (0)16 47 99 80 Fax: +32 (0)16 27 99 85 info@bwp.be / www.bwp.be

APRIL 4-7 Lanaken (BEL) Z-Tour CSI2*/1*, young horses and U25 showjumping Tel: +32 (0)89 730 330 Fax: +32 (0)89 718 410 studbook@zangersheide.com www.zangersheide.com 4-6 Vechta (GER) Oldenburg 90th Spring Elite Auction 40 January 2019

with 8th Saddle Licensing Tel: +49 (0)441 93550 Fax: +49 (0)441 935599 info@oldenburger-pferde.com www.oldenburger-pferde.com

13 Bolesworth (GBR) Flanders Foal Auction Tel: +32 (0)476 25 86 47 info@flandersfoalauction.be www.flandersfoalauction.be

12/13 Verden (GER) Hanoverian Riding Horse Auction Tel: +49 (0)4231 6730 Fax: +49 (0)4231 67312 hannoveraner@hannoveraner.com www.hannoveraner.com

15 Vechta (GER) Oldenburg 66th Summer Mixed Sales Tel: +49 (0)441 93550 Fax: +49 (0)441 935599 info@oldenburger-pferde.com www.oldenburger-pferde.com

11-14 Lanaken (BEL) Z-Tour CSI2*/1*, young horses and U25 showjumping See ‘Lanaken’ above for contact info

14 Elmshorn (GER) Holsteiner Summer Auction Tel: +49 (0)4121 49790 Fax: +49 (0)4121 93629 info@holsteiner-verband.de www.holsteiner-verband.de

14 Elmshorn (GER) Holsteiner Spring Auction Tel: +49 (0)4121 49790 Fax: +49 (0)4121 93629 info@holsteiner-verband.de www.holsteiner-verband.de 18-21 Lanaken (BEL) Z-Tour CSI2*/1*, young horses and U25 showjumping See ‘Lanaken’ above for contact info

MAY 25 Verden (GER) Hanoverian Foal Auction Tel: +49 (0)4231 6730 Fax: +49 (0)4231 67312 hannoveraner@hannoveraner.com www.hannoveraner.com

JUNE 14 Elmshorn (GER) Holsteiner Sale Tel: +49 (0)4121 49790 Fax: +49 (0)4121 93629 info@holsteiner-verband.de www.holsteiner-verband.de 12-15 Vechta (GER) Oldenburg Summer Meeting Tel: +49 (0)441 93550 Fax: +49 (0)441 935599 info@oldenburger-pferde.com www.oldenburger-pferde.com

Timeo hominem unius libri

20 Verden (GER) Hanoverian Riding Horse Auction Tel: +49 (0)4231 6730 Fax: +49 (0)4231 67312 hannoveraner@hannoveraner.com www.hannoveraner.com 23 Marl (GER) Zangersheide Germany foal championship Tel: +32 (0)89 730 330 Fax: +32 (0)89 718 410 studbook@zangersheide.com www.zangersheide.com 30 Westdorp (NED) Zangersheide Netherlands foal championship Tel: +32 (0)89 730 330 Fax: +32 (0)89 718 410 studbook@zangersheide.com www.zangersheide.com

JULY 14 Deauville (FRA) Zangersheide France foal championship Tel: +32 (0)89 730 330 Fax: +32 (0)89 718 410 studbook@zangersheide.com www.zangersheide.com