Christopher Hector analyses the finalists at Frankfurt…
Looking at the breeding of the young horses in this year’s Nürnberger Burg-Pokal, we see just how specialised dressage breeding has become in the past ten or fifteen years. Right now the lesson is, dressage breeds dressage…
Meggle’s Grimani (Photo credit – Tanja Becker / Equitaris)
Gribaldi at his farewell performance with Edward Gal
Take Meggle’s Grimani ridden by Matthias Bouten. The black Trakehner stallion is by Gribaldi, GP dressage himself and one of the leading sires of Grand Prix horses, out of a mare by Monteverdi, who Fie Skarsoe competed GP and who is by Anky van Grunsven’s Partout, while the next line goes to another Grand Prix competitor, Polarion TSF.
Fie Skarscoe with Monteverdi at the Bundeschampionat, damsire of Grimani
And Monteverdi’s sire, Anky van Grunsven and Partout, dressage, dressage, dressage
Blue Hors Zack – it takes one to breed one… (photo Rebecca Ashton)
The Danish bred Zalando, ridden by Nicole Casper is by the wonderful Blue Hors Zack, a current star on the international scene, out of a mare by Sunny-Boy, who stalled at Small Tour although he made it further up the dressage ladder than his sire, Sandro Hit, out of a mare by Donnerhall, the most influential Grand Prix dressage stallion of them all.
Donnerhall the most influential dressage sire of all, with Karin Rehbein
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Total Hope and Isabel Freese
You don’t get much more concentrated Grand Prix blood than you find in Isabell Freese’s Total Hope by Totilas, and out of Isabell Werth’s champion mare, Weihegold – she by Grand Prix competitor Don Schufro out of a Sandro Hit mare.
Hubertus and Imperio in the Louis D’Or Final at Frankfurt in 2017
Then there is Annabel Frenzen’s Imperius, the brown stallion is by another Trakehner, Hubertus Schmidt’s German Team horse, Imperio, out of a Florestan / Donnerhall mare.
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Helen and Vayron (Photo – Rebecca Ashton)
Helen Langehanenberg is riding her ginormous (1.85) Vayron and here is an exception to the rule we have been developing. He is by Vitalis, who like his sire, Vivaldi never made the leap from small to big tour, out of a mare of largely jumping blood, Gloria is by the Graphit son, Gloster who jumped 1.35 out of a mare by Ramiro.
Hubertus and Denoix (KH Frieler photo)
Hubertus has a second in the final, Denoix. The chestnut stallion is by Destano, who has competed Grand Prix with Sweden’s Michelle Hagan (his sire is a real Grand Prix star, Desperados FRH) and out of a mare by Brentano II who lived in a time where breeding stallions did not on the whole compete, but whose blood flows in the veins of many fine dressage horses.
Desperados, a Bundeschampion…
Plus a real Grand Prix star with Kristina Bröring-Sprehe
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Lord Fitipaldi M (Photo credit – Tanja Becker / Equitaris)
Dorothee Schneider rides Lord Fitipaldi M who is by Lord Loxley I, another who stalled at Small Tour, out of a mare by Fidemark, a good Grand Prix competitor before his early demise. But Dorothee is on such a roll at the moment that perhaps you look more to the jockey than the bloodlines…
Andrea Timpe has qualified Don Carismo and this time the Grand Prix is hard to find on the pedigree. He is by small tour competitor Don Crusador by Don Bosco, out of a mare by the Calypso II son, Carismo out of a Falkland mare.
Lena Waldman has qualified two. Cadeau Noir by the Competent son, Christ, out of a De Niro / Calypso II mare, and Morricone who is by Millenium, the Trakehner some love to hate, and others love to love, who is currently competing small tour, out of a solidly Grand Prix bred mare by Rubin Royal out of a De Niro.
Millennium at home with Simone Pearce (Photo LD-Fotographie)
Rounding out the eleven we have one of my favorite riders, Kyra Wulferding riding the horse with the highest qualifying score, Bonita Springs, a brilliant amalgam of Dutch and German Grand Prix lines. Bonita Springs is by Boston (by Jazz out of a Flemmingh mare) who was training and looking good with Isabell Werth but who died before he had a chance to shine, and out of a Fidertanz / Brentano II mare.
Boston and Matthias Bouton
What a line up – let the show begin!
Would you like to breed to Total Hope? He is just one of a wonderful lineup of stallions available by frozen semen at International Horse Breeders…
