2001 170 cm Bay/Brown
Breeder: Dr Bonny-Jasmin Jacobs
Embassy II, ridden by Hans Dieter Dreher, was the most successful jumping horse in Germany in 2012, with a win in the Grand Prix at Stuttgart CSI****, and wins at Oslo CSIO****, Aachen**** and Paris****. He was a member of the winning German team at Rotterdam, and was second at Lyon, Valkenswaard and Wiesbeden, with more placings at the world’s best shows.
Since then his international career has faded somewhat. In 2015, he won a 1.50 class at Ascona, and the Grand Prix of Lipsia. In 2016, he was less successful, 29th in the Grand Prix of Lipsia. He last competed internationally in 2019 with his best result a 6th in a Two Phase class at Hamburg to win €1,375.
His dam is an interesting mix of Holsteiner, Oldenburg and Hanoverian breeding. The dam sire, Silvio, best known for his son, Shutterfly, is a grandson of the Thoroughbred, Sacramento Song, but with the added blood of the Hanoverian stalwart, Gotthard, this is mixed with classic old Oldenburg lines, the Holsteiner who brought Cor de la Bryère blood to Hanover, Calypso II, along with such Hanoverian legends as Ferdinand, Wöhler and Der Löwe xx, there is even a touch of the Shagya Arab, Amarath, and classic ‘blood’: Sicambre xx and Ballyboy xx.
The stallion is the product of one of Hanover’s most successful jumping studs, that of Dr. Jacobs GbR. Along with Embassy II, Dr Karl-Otto Jacobs and his daughter, Bonny-Jasmin Jacobs, have also bred Firth of Clyde (For Pleasure / Caletto), the Celle state stud sire Perigueux (Perpignon/Stakkato) There are more licensed stallions out of the family’s breeding program: El Bundy (Escudo / Rebel Z), a performance test champion; Cassillias (Contendro / Stakkato); Sampras (Stakkato /Achill-Libero H) and Stakko (Stakkato / Embassy).
In an article by Britta Zünger in Die Hanoveraner, Dr Karl-Otto Jacobs explained that first they pick the stallion, and then select the mare: “All stallion catalogues are carefully studied and then we have long discussions.” “There are many exquisite stallions. You just have to have a suitable mare!” His daughter adds, “It is the other way around for us compared to most breeders. We deliberate on which stallions we would like to use, and then we select a mare.” Which is not such a problem since they currently have forty-four mares in their breeding program.
Dr. Karl-Otto Jacobs views the development of the Hanoverian jumper horse breeding positively while comparing it internationally, ”It will still take a little while until Hannover is back at the top. The breed has become more global.” “Hannover has many horses with a correct exterior. That is a good foundation,” Dr. Bonny-Jasmin Jacobs remarks and refers to the importance of successful dam lines. “Nothing works without performance in the second or third generation. All our mares are performance tested. If the radiographs are not flawless, we do not use them in our breeding program.” Dr. Karl-Otto Jacobs shares another decisive tip, “You got to start at the bottom, when you clean up your broodmare band!”
Embassy II has not been wildly successful as a sire. On the hippomudo database (April 2021) he is recorded with 15 competitors, the most successful being the 1.50 jumper, Estero Bay (Atlantus Z).
Embassy II has left his older brother, Embassy I somewhat in the shade. While mark II has been a Grand Prix star, Embassy I’s career peaked with 7 wins at M level, and €5,914 in earnings. Still as the older brother, and a well promoted member of the Celle stallion team, he has had more breeding opportunities and according to the 2021 Hanoverian stallion book, has produced 321 competitors with €439,827 in winnings, with two S level dressage competitor and 30 jumpers – however his standout star is the eventing mare, FRH Escada, who won €155,758 before she was retired. She was a member of the winning German team with Ingrid Klimke at the European Championships in Malmo in 2013, and WEG team in Caen in 2014.
Embassy I is the sire of 11 licensed sons. In 2020 he had a FN jumping value of 134 as a producer of young horses, and a highest level achieved value of 111. In the 2021 stallion book, his Hanoverian breeding values are 94 for dressage and 144 for jumping. He has achieved jumping sire significance through an interesting twist, his son, Edward, a successful FEI level dressage horse, has sired some top jumpers.
The Hanoverian stallion by Embassy I out of a mare by Fabriano had seven products compete in the international showjumping ring in 2021. The average amount of prize money won by Edward 28’s offspring was largely influenced by outlier King Edward, who was the second highest-earning horses of 2021 under the saddle of Henrik von Eckermann. Two more of his offspring competed at 1.50m+ level: Ernie III and El Zorro 9 out of a mare by Wolkentanz I.
King Edward and Henrik Eckermann star at the Tokyo Games
Edward’s 2022 FEI young dressage horse breeding value is 130, 103 for highest level achieved. His young jumping horse value is 136, 111 for highest level achieved. He has a Hanoverian dressage score of 112 and a jumping score of 130.
Embassy II kicked off 2015 in grand style with a win in the Longines FEI World Cup™ 2014/2015 Western European League series at Leipzig, click below to see the action:
2016 was not so successful, and Embassy II’s only notable performance was a 2nd in the Valkenswaard 5 star.
