A Breeding Analysis by Christopher Hector
Alas I was not able to get to Lion d’Angers for this year’s Young Eventing horse championships, but even from the other side of the world it is possible to see some interesting developments in the breeding of horses for eventing.
The Championships have been staged annually since 1992, and this year attracted a total of 103 horses representing a wide range of studbooks. The two new champions were both Holsteiners, while the KWPN and ISH studbooks filled silver and bronze in the 6-year-olds and the AA and Trakehner books did likewise in the 7-year-old division.
The ISH Studbook claimed the overall Studbook title with a score of 151 points ahead of the German Holsteiner in second on 153 and the Dutch KWPN a close third on 153.2 when the results of both age categories were totalled.
SIX-YEAR-OLDS
This class once more saw the amazing ‘Michi’ Jung in top flight with a start to finish win, adding only one rail in the showjumping to his dressage score of 39.1. Jung rode Fischerincantas who is by the Thoroughbred Ibisco, out of a Holsteiner mare, Coriano / Caletto I and is 75.78% Thoroughbred.
Michael Jung and Fischerincantas / Photo: Dirk Caremans
Ibisco raced for five years both on the flat and over hurdles and won over €160,000 – he certainly looks wonderful in the photos… He has three approved sons – Ikarus Son, Incantas and Ivento. Ibisco stood for a while at the Holsteiner Verband but he is now standing in Landgestüt Dillenburg.
Ibisco
Dutch ace, Merel Blom moved up from 4th after the dressage to second spot, still on her dressage score of 45.2. Merel rode The Quizmaster, KWPN branded, by the Thoroughbred stallion, Albaran and out of a Dutch mare, who is 100% Holsteiner. The Quizmaster carries 74.02% ‘blood’.
Third to Ireland’s Sophie Richards riding SRS Adventure, they finished on their dressage score of 50. The gelding is by Newmarket Venture, a Hanoverian stallion (Potsdam / Landadel) out of a mare by the Nimmderdor son, N-Aldato, out of a half blood Irish mare.
Australia’s Christopher Burton finished in 20th place riding Limited Edition, who is quite a mixture, branded WBS, the gelding is by the Holsteiner, Lancelot Quainton out of a mare by the Danish stallion Atlantus out of a Hanoverian mare. 37.7% blood…
Irish Sport Horses dominated, with three finishing in the top nine and six in the top 18 in this category.
SEVEN-YEAR-OLDS
There was a distinct possibility that Magic Michi could equal the record talented young French rider, Thomas Carlile set in 2013 when he won both the 6 and 7 year old titles, when the German took the lead in the 7 year old class on his Hanoverian gelding, Lennox with a score of 38. Lennox is by the Thoroughbred, Sunlight out of a mare by another Thoroughbred, Heraldik, out of a mare by the Thoroughbred, Star Regent… in fact there are eight generations all with Thoroughbred sires on the mare line and the gelding is 99.8% Thoroughbred. However after going clear clear on the cross country, Lennox had three showjumping rails to drop to 8th.
Emma Dougall and Fernhill Tabasco / Photo: Libby Law Photography
Australia’s Emma Dougall went into fourth with the Irish-bred, Fernhill Tabasco (by a Belgian son of Darco, Tabasco van Erpekom out of a three quarter Thoroughbred mare by Porter Rhodes xx (44.3%), while Christopher Burton was fifth with another Irish Sport Horse, Cooley Lands, on l44.7. Cooley Lands is by Cavalier Land, by that good sire of eventers, the Holsteiner, Cavalier Royale, out of a mare by Imperius xx, the sire of Master Imp, out of a Clover Hill / Thoroughbred mare – that adds up to 69.53% blood.
Chris Burton and Cooley Lands / Photo: Dirk Caremans
The cross-country track was reportedly tough, but there were still plenty of clear rounds, 34 of the 67 starters adding nothing to their dressage scores, while two riders opted to retire on course and 12 were eliminated, including William Fox-Pitt who fell with Reinstated at the Owl Hole and was taken to hospital with head injuries.
Laura Collet and Mr Bass / Photo: Dirk Caremans
Both Emma and Chris went clear clear cross country, but they both had showjump rails to drop to fifth and fourth, while British rider, Laura Collet hauled herself up from 7th after the first phase to win on her dressage score of 45.2. Laura was riding the Holsteiner gelding, Mr Bass who is by the Catoki son, Carrico out of an Exhorbitant xx / Calypso I mare.
Carrico / Photo: Janne Bugtrap
Thomas Carlile was lying sixth after the cross, jumped clear to take the silver medal on the Anglo Arab stallion, Upsilon, who is by the Holsteiner, Canturo out of an Anglo Arab mare by Fusain du Defey AA. Thomas has a real knack for finding Anglos with jump and guts…
Third place to Belgian, Vincent Martens and the Trakehner stallion, Eiskonig, and therein lies a tale. Last year the pair were leading the field in the Six Year old championship after the dressage, but retired on the cross country after two refusals, This year they came back to haul themselves up from 15th after a dressage score of 47.6, to stay on that score and take home bronze. Eiskonig is by Songline, a two star eventer with Andreas Dibowski before the stallion emigrated to the USA, out of a mare by Trocadero. That’s 34.38% ‘blood’ but this is perhaps a confusing statistic when it comes to Trakehners because they have never had ‘cold’ blood.
While the Irish Studbook wins the numbers game, when you look at the sires of the two top 20s, the influence of the Holsteiner in modern eventing becomes way clearer. In the 7 year old championship, four of the top twenty were by Holsteiner stallions, one by a ¾ Holsteiner, and another four by half Holsteiner sires. In the Six Year olds, it was the same story, of the top 20, seven were by Holsteiner sires, with the dressage leader, Weisse Duene, in 21st, another Holsteiner. It would seem that just as in the world of showjumping, sometimes the brand counting does not reveal the depth of Holsteiner influence, so it is shaping in Eventing…