A tribute to Corrado on his 30th birthday

Corrado I and his long time groom,  Aschi Venohr Photo – Janne Bugtrup

by Adriana van Tilburg

Corrado I has reached the magic age of 30.

He is the king of Schleswig-Holstein; Corrado I! He is still very sound and happy. He thinks that he is the boss in the stable (and he surely has earned that right) and he likes to show this as soon he comes out of his box. With his regular groom he knows his job but he likes to play with new staff like interns. Even though he has a certain age he can still be a handful, this is the reason he is always on a lunge line when he has to give a little performance in hand, like his starring appearance at the Holsteiner gala evening in 2014. Like his famous grand-sire, Rantzau, Corrado likes to dance on his hind legs.

Rantzau at the age of twenty… photo Marie Christine Etienvre

Corrado’s sire is the phenomenon Cor de la Bryere (who skipped a generation of standing on hindlegs, he had a very pleasant character). He was born in France in 1968, bred by T. Essayan, but his career in Schleswig-Holstein started in 1971 at a Holsteiner Verband stallion station in Siethwende. ‘Corde’ died at the age of 32, pushing the Holsteiner breed to new heights in the 28 years that he was in Holstein.

Casall – the Corde legacy lives on…

Even today, his legacy continues to bring lustre to his name: Casall (by Caretino) Conrad de Hus (by Con Air), Cornado I (by Cornet Obolensky) and Qerly Chin (by Chin Chin).

Corrado’s official birthday is the 21th of February, but the Holsteiner Verband celebrated the day at the annual stallion show in Neumünster with special guest Franke Sloothaak. Jutta Struve was there on behalf of her late husband, Corrado’s breeder, Eduard Struve and also Hobe Bernhard and Prof Dr Hartwig Schmidt, both breeders with much to thank Corrado for.

Photo – Janne Bugtrup

Soleil

Corrado’s mother Soleil (by Capitol I) comes from the performance Stamm 6879. Soleil was sold as a two-year-old to Eduard Struve.

Jutta Struve explains: “My late husband wanted to have a good broodmare, he first did a lot of research on different bloodlines and learned that this Stamm was very good. Through talking with several people he found out that Soleil was for sale, she had suffered a bad injury and so could no longer compete in sport. The deal was that her first foal should be given back to the breeder, but the foal died in an accident as a yearling.”

Eduard Struve wasn’t so fond of using direct Thoroughbreds and he liked Cor de la Bryère who was by the jumping Thoroughbred sire Rantzau xx, a lot. He hit the jackpot with Soleil’s first foal by Corde, Corrado I.

Jutta Struve: “Corrado I was at our farm until he was two-and-a-half years old. He had a great character, he was kept outside day and night and they had a big open stable where they got their food and where they could sleep. The reason why my husband kept him as a stallion was because he was very easy to handle. My husband never expected that he would be approved and that he would have so much success.”

Corrado and Franke Sloothaak…

Corrado was approved by the Holsteiner Verband in 1988 and is still owned by the Verband. As a seven-year-old he had international success with Bo Kristoffersen. Soon after that he came under the saddle of Franke Sloothaak. His full brother, Corrado II, was also approved. Errada, Fayence and Korrada S are full sisters to the pair of stallions. Corrado II had to stop his career as a jumping horse due to an injury. He has produced some nice horses but not with the quality that we know of his full brother. Errada is grandmother to Cayado (by Clearway – Calando I), who in 2010 had two sons at the Holsteiner stallion approvals, from his first foal crop, and both were approved. Fayence is dam of the too early deceased stallion Chellano Z (by Contender). Chellano was jumping at Grand Prix level with Jos Lansink when he died, but he lives on at Zangersheide, they own and approved his clone, Chellano Alpha Z. Korrada S is mother of the interesting stallion Connor (by Casall). Jutta Struve kept Korrada S as a broodmare. Cayando and Connor are both owned by the Holsteiner Verband, to secure the future of this line.

Dr Thomas Nissen, the Holstein Verband breeding director, analyses the motherline of Corrado I

“Corrado I descends from mare line 6879. This mare line created sport horse history in the ‘50s of the last century with the success of the outstanding mares Original Holsatia (by Fanal), and Baden (by Fanal) both with Fritz Thiedemann. Their full sister Contiane (by Fanal) made together with the Thoroughbreds Frivol xx and Maestose xx as well with Capitol I, who is strongly influenced by Ramzes x and Cottage Son xx, the base for the exceptional breeding – and sport career – of Corrado I.

His mother Soleil (by Capitol) produced four full siblings: Corrado II, Fayence HSP, Korrada S and Errada. Fayence was by Contender I and produced for Karola Boley in Lutzhorn, the Zangersheide sire of many international jumping horses, Chellano Z.

Korrada S produced the very interesting stallion Connor (by Casall Ask). Errada produced with Irrada (by Calando I) the mother for the promising stallion Cayado (by Clearway).

The half sister of Original Holsatia and Baden, the mare Redliche (by Herrscher), is the basis for a performance strong branch, which produced the international jumping horses Lausbub (by Landgraf I with Achaz von Buchwaldt), Landlord (by Landgraf I with Breido Graf zu Rantzau and Ludger Beerbaum), the Rhineland approved stallion Campus (by Corrado I) and the international jumping horse Aquino (by Acobat II, with Franke Sloothaak). There are a very few performance stamms who have produced such extraordinary Sport and Breeding horses!”

Sensitive and intelligent

Corrado was born in 1985. At the approvals in 1987 he didn’t make it through the final selection because his walk and trot weren’t good enough. In early 1988 he convinced the judges through his outstanding jumping technique. This technique allowed him to win later with his rider Franke Sloothaak several Grand Prix (Leeuwarden, Kiel, Neumünster), two World Cup Qualifications (Dortmund and Aarhus), second place in the Nations Cup of La Baule and third in the Nations Cup of Aachen.

Franke Sloothaak says about Corrado: “He is a very intelligent horse. In the beginning he wasn’t easy to ride, he wasn’t used to being focused on jumping and had to learn to focus on me and to do his job. When he understood what he had to do he became a fantastic horse. In handling he was always easy and he behaved well with other horses. With Corrado, I achieved success at many outstanding shows, my most memorable victory was in Leeuwarden as my roots are in this area.”

Dr Nissen on Corrado I and his career

“Corrado I had already as a young stallion a clearly recognizable extraordinary scope. He was a tall, in the beginning a slender looking, young stallion and some experts had problems with his jumping manners. His performance as a five year old in lower jumping classes brought him some success. Because of his body development and his increasing muscles this Cor de la Bryère son learned fast how to deal with distances in a course. He had with Bo Kristoffersen an excellent trainer and they were soon successful in 1.40m classes. He started an unbelievable successful career with the very experienced jumping rider and Olympic winner Franke Sloothaak. This couple was successful in many Grand Prix, World Cups and other big championships. Corrado I was in his time one of the best showjumpers in the world. There was no horse that showed more scope at the jump then Corrado I.”

Corrado I: his offspring

Clinton – jumping star, star stallion…

As a sire Corrado I is doing an outstanding job. His son Clinton I (out of Urte by Masetto, Stamm 8829) was fourth at the Olympics in Athens and second behind Shutterfly (by Silvo I) in the Aachen Grand Prix in 2005 ridden by Dirk Demeersman. He is now a stallion at Stud Nijhof.

His daughter Think Twice (out of Alexis by Fier de Lui, Stamm 2472) was an international sporthorse with Leopold van Asten and is now broodmare at farm Duyselshof. Cosima (out of Sonatina by Latino, Stamm 7126) jumped internationally with Markus Fuchs. From the 902 registered sport horses sired by Corrado I in Germany, 231 jumped in S classes and one is performing at S dressage level (January 2015). This is an outstanding record. Franke Sloothaak speaks highly about the offspring from Corrado I: “For example Corradina is a fantastic horse, her rider Carsten Otto Nagel did a fantastic job, because Corradina is also very intelligent and sensitive. The offspring from Corrado I are horses for top level, they can be difficult for amateur riders, they need time and a lot of patience.” Also with his daughters in breeding and his approved sons he is making a mark on the Warmblood breeding.

Dr Thomas Nissen sums up the legacy of Corrado I

“Corrado I is one of the very few, still alive and active in breeding, Cor de la Bryère sons. He was born in 1985 and was approved two years later together with Alcatraz (by Aloube Z). Both stallions were a year later at the stallion performance test in Medingen and produced exceptional appearances and showed a great sport mentality and an enormous Jumping and canter potential. Corrado I developed into an extraordinary sporthorse and into an extraordinary sire. Already in 1988, his first year in breeding he covered Valeska IV HSP (by Fernando x Lord, Stamm 318D2) which resulted in the outstanding son Corofino I, bred by Hobe Bernhard from Kollmar. In 1990 Coriano was born out of Option (by Lord x Ramiro, also Stamm 318D2) and also bred by Hobe Bernhard, a second, very important stallion followed.

In total Corrado I produced for the Holsteiner breed 15 approved sons and gained with that great importance. Today his influence is very strong because of his daughters. The approved stallions Diarado, Quirado and Cachas are out of Corrado I mothers. Without Corrado I the Holsteiner breed would miss a valuable part of the successful history of the Holsteiner as a world class jumping horse.

In the Netherlands standing at the stud is the Corrado I son Clinton, this stallion was first with Dirk Demeersman in international sport and had a lot of great successes. He won for example the Grand Prix of Aachen and was placed fourth in the individual final of the Olympic Games in Athens.

Clinton produced Cornet Obolensky, the important Westphalian, and the today internationally wanted, stallion. This Corrado I grandson showed also very big scope, that he has proved in a very successful international career with Marco Kütcher. Today this Clinton x Heartbreaker son belongs to the most popular jumping horse stallions in the world today.”

Corradina

Corrado’s best daughter is without doubt Corradina. This mare is not a horse for everybody. She had a unique partnership with Carsten Otto Nagel and her groom Kirsten Jensen. Carsten and Corradina participated three times at the European Championships. In both Windsor and Madrid they achieved second place in the individual final and team bronze and team gold. At the 2009 German Championships they finished in third place, in 2011 in fourth and in 2012 in second place. They won several Nations Cup Qualifiers including Rotterdam in 2011.

At the 2010 WEG in Kentucky, they were 5th in the individual ranking and jumped to the gold medal with the team. Kirsten Jensen recalls: “Corradina knows when she is at an important show, she is standing in the corner of her stall like she is loading herself up with energy. She is a very special mare with a very special character. She always keeps fighting to stay clear.”

At the European Championships in 2013 in Herning, Corradina and Carsten Otto Nagel finished in 28^th place in the individual final. Carsten, and her owner Michael Herz, decided to retire Corradina from championships. It is sad that Corradina did not have the chance to compete at the Olympics since she was/is one of the best and most consistent sport horses of her time. In 2014 she retired officially from sport in Aachen and at the Holsteiner approvals was honoured again during the gala evening. This year she will commence her career as a brood mare.

Carsten says about Corradina: “I discovered Corradina at the stable from her breeder, Prof Hartwig Schmidt. She was for sale and I tried her and I told Prof Schmidt that he would see Corradina on the television. I convinced my boss, Michael Herz, to buy her. She is great! The kind of horse who tries to do her best at all times, she really wants to fight for me. Corradina does require that you adapt to her style though; she doesn’t like being ridden in a round form, she likes it more long and open. This is how I ride her at home as well. She is definitely a type of horse that knows what she likes and does not.”

Dr Nissen on Corradina

”Corrado I has written history in sport for Germany. Not only because his already mentioned, in Holstein, approved stallions, but also because of his daughter Corradina from Stamm 104A who is bred by Prof Dr Hartwig Schmidt from Borsfleth. Carsten Otto Nagel was with Corradina in 2008 and 2013 ‘Rider of the Year’ and they won the Gold Team medal during WEG in Kentucky in 2010. The two most meaningful stamms from Holstein (104A and 6879) are coming together in Corradina, this makes her also a breeding jewel.”

Corrado I is as fresh and happy as ever. At the age of 30 years young he came to the Holstenhalle in Neumünster to show the world how fresh he was. Before he came into the arena he was still a handful with a lot of energy. Franke Sloothaak was very happy that he could make it to the stallion show to honour Corrado I. Franke Sloothaak is the king of showjumping riders and Corrado I realized that the ceremony was for him only, the King of Holstein and maybe King of all the living showjumping stallions!!