Foals of the future

Elemental Z (Elvis ter Putte x Quality Time TN)

The KP Warmblood Stud 2022 Collection

The KP Warmblood Stud celebrates 20 years of breeding with their most ambitious crop of foals yet. With a strong focus on generational breeding, the Stud has developed a mare herd of international quality, making use of the top international showjumping stallions available to them.

THE BREEDING PROGRAMME

Their breeding programme has become even more streamlined and the selection process more stringent. Owners Kathleen and Ryan Andrews believe that, as breeders, you have to be your own harshest critics. It is convenient to blindly believe that your horses are all fantastic, yet much harder to identify and accept the traits that need to be improved upon with each future mating.

KP Warmblood Stud foals are accepted and registered with the Zangersheide Studbook, which DNA test the horses to verify the pedigrees and ensure that the stock meets the requirements for registration. The Stud recognises that the top European studbooks have excellent inspection and selection criteria, essentially doing the job for the breeders.

As a result, the stallions approved by these European studbooks have been selected out of hundreds of other hopeful stallions, and the stallions which make it into the top 20 in the world have done it via the performance of their progeny in international sport.

Glacier Z (Grand Slam VDL x Regilio)

In South Africa, the growth in showjumping as a sport has been enormous in the last decade, and riders and owners have become more clued up on bloodlines. Top stallions have become household names, and riders now recognise the importance of the breeding in determining which horses have what it takes to reach the upper echelons of the sport.

While the top horses vary by studbook and pedigree, there are no horses who are accidentally at the top. At KP Warmblood Stud, the aim is to use the stallions which produce top 100 jumpers. At any given time, the top-ranked 100 horses in the world are sired by a small number of stallions, and one will see several offspring in the top 100 by the same sires.

Once a stallion produces progeny in the top 100, he will tend to do so again and again. This means that the genuine top-producing showjumping stallions in the world belong to a rather small club. KP Warmblood Stud makes use of this fact to upgrade their mare herd and produce horses for the top of the sport with a higher likelihood of success. The Stud uses embryo transfer to allow them to compete their mares at the top of the sport whilst also producing top-drawer progeny from these exceptional bloodlines.

THE 2022 FOALS

The 2022 crop has started to hit the ground, and KP Warmblood Stud is confident that this selection of foals is the best they have produced to date.

Iconic stallions are the order of the day with the 2022 crop, with three foals by Emerald, two foals by Cornet Obolensky, and foals by Eldorado van de Zeshoek and his top son Grandorado being highlights of this year’s offering.

EMERALD VAN’T RUYTERSHOF Firstly, an Emerald van’t Ruytershof foal out of a Cardento x Chacco-Blue mare is expected. Emerald van’t Ruytershof briefly displaced Chacco-Blue as the number one sire in the world on Horse Telex rankings. At the time of breeding, Emerald was third, Cardento (an Olympic silver medalist) was fourth, and Chacco-Blue first. From a 1.50m mare line, this foal is perhaps the best-bred foal in SA!

From Emerald van’t Ruytershof, the Stud also looks forward to a foal from a Quality Time x Crusador mare who hails from their Lemon line. The root mare, Lemonchello, competed at 1.50m level and was uphill, balanced, explosive and careful. Her exceptional canter and quick reflexes make her progeny modern horses designed for the modern sport.

Another Emerald van’t Ruytershof foal is coming from the Stud’s Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Larino mare. Her dam, the Larino mare, KP Lust, is one of the Stud's bestproducing mares, always throwing towards the stallion. Her oldest progeny already compete in the open classes successfully. This Eldorado van de Zeshoek mare shows the qualities required to be a top showjumper, and she is currently being produced in the sport. The mare is made in the mould of her sire, and has already produced a classy colt by Cornet Obolensky for the Stud. Eldorado van de Zeshoek himself currently has two daughters ranked in the top 20 jumpers in the world, so this mare carries very valuable blood for the Stud.

ELDORADO VAN DE ZESHOEK While we are on the topic of super-stallion Eldorado van de Zeshoek, KP Warmblood Stud has been fortunate enough to obtain a pregnancy by Eldorado out of their top mare by Chacco Blue. Chacco Blue has topped all sire rankings for more than five years now, and the Stud made use of his semen when it briefly became available, long before he emerged as the best stallion in the world. A daughter of 1.50m jumper Lemonchello, this mare has already produced high-quality progeny by Kannan, Bentley van de Heffink, Cardento and Grandorado. A colt option only is available for the coming Eldorado foal.

LUIGI D’ECLIPSE Nt content with a single foal from the Eldorado mare for the 2022 crop, the Stud also has an exciting foal due by Luigi d’Eclipse (Catoki x Calato). Luigi is the prototype of the modern jumper, bringing his exceptional canter, elasticity of a quality rarely seen, much blood and an explosive jump. South African buyers have had much success with Catoki progeny, most notably Lisa Williams’ Campbell, who travelled to Europe to jump in the World Cup Finals. Luigi d’Eclipse already competes at 1.60m level.

Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Larino

I’m Special de Muze x Cardento

Marius Claudius x Bellini d’Or

CORNET OBOLENSKY Cornet Obolensky has sired hundreds of international jumpers, bringing explosiveness and power to the matings. This year, the Stud has an imported mare by Glock’s London and a mare by Emerald van’t Ruytershof giving foals by Cornet Obolensky. Himself a phenomenal competitor, his top 24 progeny in the sport include no less than 17 licensed stallions. Both the mares are bigger horses, promising enough size for buyers, and yet with super rideability their foals are expected to be suitable prospects for more than just professional riders.

CORNET’S PRINZ The Stud’s Larino mare, truly a foundation mare for KP Warmbloods, is expecting a foal by Cornet’s Prinz. A leading son of Cornet Obolensky, he has the added advantage of delivering exceptional type. He passes on elegance, frame, a balanced canter, respect for the fences and a stylish technique. Although he spent much time in the sport at the 1.60m level, he has also bred many top jumpers already, such as Bold Prinz and Corisanto, both 1.60m level horses. This foal could be the pick of the season for a savvy buyer.

GRANDORADO TN Having been very pleased with their progeny by Grandorado TN, Ryan and Kathleen were keen to have more progeny of this exciting stallion, who looks to succeed his sire Eldorado van de Zeshoek in future rankings. An embryo by Grandorado from the Stud’s exciting young Diamant de Semilly filly promises to be powerful, long-lined and with lots of frame.

This Diamant de Semilly mare comes from a top mare line at the Stud, which has already produced a 1.50m and two 1.40m horses, as well as a Young Horse Champion. Diamant de Semilly as a sire has been usurped only by

Chernobyl Z (Cornet Obolensky) and dam KP Semi-Lemon (Spartacus TN) Galactic Blue Z (Grandorado TN x Chacco Blue)

Coraline Z (Cardento x Chacco Blue)

the great Chacco Blue on the WBFSH rankings, having been number one for two years before sitting second for the last five years. Diamant de Semilly has produced top sires himself, most notably Emerald van’t Ruytershof, Dominator 2000 Z and Diarado. The Stud is delighted to have such a high-quality daughter of Diamant, especially as the remaining mare in this valuable mare line.

NIXON VAN’T MEULENHOF Another foal from this Diamant de Semilly mare is expected, this time by top BWP stallion Nixon van’t Meulenhof. Nixon shares the same mother as the great Emerald van’t Ruytershof, from a prolific mare line which has produced numerous 1.60m jumpers. Interestingly, it was the Diamant de Semilly mating to the dam of Nixon which produced Emerald van’t Ruytershof, so the combination of Nixon’s mother with Diamant de Semilly was worth repeating. The decision was made by KP Warmblood Stud to combine these bloodlines in this mating.

JARDONNAY VDL Another all-time legend in showjumping is the great Baloubet du Rouet. A 3-time winner of the World Cup Finals as well as Olympic gold medalist, he was ranked on Hippomundo as the best sire of mares, as well as being amongst the top five stallion on the WBFSH stallion rankings several times.

KP Warmblood Stud is fortunate to have an imported mare who competed at 1.35m level carrying the valuable Baloubet du Rouet blood via her sire Querlybet

Emerald van’t Ruytershof x Larino

Laudanum x Bellini d'Or

Quality Time x Crusador

Euphoria Z (Emerald van't Ruytershof x Larino)

Hero, a top Baloubet son. She is out of a Heartbreaker mare, so brings a huge amount of blood. This mare is also an exceptional type, with superior conformation. To balance the blood with rideability, the Stud mated her to the exciting Jardonnay VDL, by previous world no. 1 Kannan out of an Indoctro mare. Both Kannan and Indoctro are known for making highly trainable and rideable horses. The Stud feels this mating is sure to deliver a very classy performer.

BUBALU VDL Still focusing on the Baloubet du Rouet blood, a foal by the top performing son of Baloubet, Bubalu VDL is expected. Bubalu VDL was an extremely successful Olympic horse, also winning a team gold medal at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy in 2014. He competed in 24 Nations Cup competitions, delivering 25 clear rounds. His performance record is superior, showing his will to win and his unrivalled soundness.

DALLAS VDL Another stallion which the Stud has used again this year is Dallas VDL. Dallas is the top son of Douglas, himself by the great Darco. Dallas VDL is out of a mare by Heartbreaker x Mr Blue, incidentally, the same mare who produced Grand Slam VDL (Cardento), currently jumping 1.65m on the Global Champion’s Tour. As Dallas’ dam mated so well to Cardento in producing Grand Slam VDL, it made perfect sense to KP Stud to put Dallas VDL to their Cardento mare. This mare jumped exceptionally well before injury retired her to Stud duties. She has already produced excellent modern horses by Quintender, I’m Special de Muze and Nixon van’t Meulenhof. The Stud expects Dallas to bring more scope and power to this mating.

KP Stud has used Dallas VDL on another mare by Marius Claudius. Marius Claudius was the top stallion son of the great Concorde and jumped internationally for seven years, proving again how much the Stud values soundness in the stallions they make use of. This mare is also very tall and modern, so a good-sized foal is anticipated.

POKER DE MARIPOSA KP Stud has mated their I’m Special de Muze x Cardento mare to Poker de Mariposa. Poker de Mariposa is a son of Nabab de Reve, known best as the sire of Nabab Forever in SA, record-holder at 2.05m of the 6-bar event under Lorette Knowles-Taylor. Poker is out of a Berlin daughter of the great showjumper Flora de Mariposa (Penelope Leprevost), herself by the great stallion For Pleasure.

KP Warmblood Stud already has a son of Poker de Mariposa, and they were so impressed with this modern, tall colt that they happily bred with Poker again.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Kathleen and Ryan feel that after many years of breeding, their product is comparable to what can be found in top breeding barns in Europe. Buyers get the same bloodlines – direct progeny of top sires from excellent mares, all at prices which offer good value while still reflecting the quality of the offering. A further bonus is that there are no costs to import the horses and no quarantine process to go through. The Stud offers payment plans to approved buyers and the opportunity to keep the youngsters at the Stud to grow up in the right environment at preferential rates. KP Warmblood youngsters are easy to back as they never get the opportunity to become wild – they are handled every day.

The future certainly looks bright for KP Stud.

Diamant de Semilly x Durrant KWPN

Glock’s London x Chellano

Larino x Clarinius