Furioso (1939 – 1967 Bay 166 cm) – a celebration

The dictionary tells us, that furioso means with great force or vigour… Which is a pretty good description of the Thoroughbred stallion’s influence on modern Sporthorse breeding. Christopher Hector looks at one of the greats…

When I was talking about the ‘F’ line with that acute observer of warmblood breeding, Eugène Reesink, he suggested that rather than the influential son imported to Oldenburg, Furioso II, the real hero was Furioso himself. It’s not surprising, since as a Dutch breeder, Eugène is well aware of the enormous influence of Furioso II’s full brother, Mexico in the development of the modern Dutch dressage horse.

Let’s go back to France, just after WW2, and the breeders, like so many others in Europe, were starting out on the process of breeding, which was to become the modern sporthorse.

In 1946, a National Stud Commission was formed in France to buy foreign stallions to increase the French gene pool. According to Jean Delannoy, in his definitive article on Furioso in Annuaire de l’Étalon Sport Français, 1992, the talents of the team were well matched: “The Commission was composed of the general inspectors Mr Richard and Mr Vincent and the Stud Farm officer and founder of UNIC Mr Maurice O’Neill. Richard’s speciality was the conformation and gaits of a good horse, Vincent was an expert on Thoroughbreds, and O’Neill, with Irish horses being popular, was in a particularly strong position for a search in England.”

“They were shown Furioso. Admittedly his career did not greatly impress; he was now seven, and had raced 21 times and only came close to winning three times. Still “his dignity, harmonious length and general conformation were enough to seduce. Mr O’Neill, who had never ridden such a well-balanced horse, forgave him his slightly knock kneed forelegs, his somewhat tight hock and his long legged conformation. He was purchased for 800 pounds from Mr Blunt.”

The then recently appointed director of the Haras de Pin, the Viscount of Poncins claimed him for his breeding area. He “had been won over by this big brown bay, thick limbed, who walked like a lord with a magnificent pace, very energetic and showing a great deal of amplitude, his tail swinging at each step. His trot and gallop were good but not exceptional. He had never jumped either fence or bar in England, and, to the great surprise of onlookers, was never to jump in France. Although very energetic and full of life, he was docile in his stall and of good temperament.”

And the import, who combined two of the dominant influences on showjumping breeding, Precipitation and Son in Law lived up to the Commission’s expectations.

Virtuoso – starring for Furioso

By 1954, Furioso was topping the list of sires of winners in France thanks to jumpers like Virtuoso and Dolly II. He held the position up until 1961 – by then he was 22 years old. He was third behind Foudroyant II and Nithard in 1962, and second behind Foudroyant II in 1963, but was number one again in 1964 and held the spot until 1969, when he had been dead two years. He was a prolific sire of Olympic horses, including the gold medallist at Tokyo, Lutteur B and Pomone B who carried d’Oriola to victory at the World Championship in Buenos Airies in 1956, when she was only seven years old.

Lutteur B

Still it might be argued that Furioso was more influential in Holland and Germany, than in France, where no stand out stallion star emerged to carry on his heritage.

Pomone B – World Champion 1966

Perhaps Furioso’s crucial influence in France has been as a mare sire: Ma Pomme, the full sister to Pomone B, produced a string of national and international jumpers, and importantly, when bred to the Ibrahim son, Quastor, produced the stallion Fair Play III, the sire of Narcos II.

Tanagra

The Furioso daughter, Tanagra (out of Délicieuse by Jus de Pomme) produced an extraordinary number of competitors, stallions and broodmares, the most important of which was Jalisco B.

Jalisco B

Artichaut, the dam sire of Nabab de Rêve, is out of a Furioso mare, as is Qredo de Paulstra who founded something of a dressage dynasty in Germany through his son, Quattro B, the grand sire of the popular Quaterback.

But it was as a sire of sires, that Furioso was to leave his mark in The Netherlands, through Mexico’s son Le Mexico, sire of Ulft (Pericles xx) who was to found a dynamic line through his son, Ferro (Farn), the sire of hugely influential sons Negro (Variant) and Rousseau (Roemer).

Le Mexico

But there is no denying the lasting influence of the German based, Furioso II (Talisman), discovered by master breeder, Georg Vorwerk. Perhaps in some small part this was aided by the stallion’s amazing fecundity. Oldenburg breeding expert, Roland Ramsauer tells this wonderful story…

Furioso II

“Of course I know Furioso II, because when I started he was five or six years old and he was very successful. At that time, he was covering 450 mares per season, natural covering! I was a university student at the time, and the professor told me, with natural serving a stallion can cover a maximum of 200 mares. I said, Mr Professor, I am sorry but I know a stallion that covers over 450 mares. He said, I don’t believe that. Then I will invite you to come to the stallion station of Mr Vorwerk and there you can see that Furioso covers for the first time in the morning, at five o’clock, at eight o’clock, for the second time, twelve o’clock, the third time. Three o’clock in the afternoon for the fourth time and seven o’clock in the evening for the fifth time, in the main season, May, June, July. The professor saw it for himself, unbelievable, then Mr Vorwerk said, let’s go to the dining room and have a Schnapps. The whole day, and up till the next morning, they were drinking and talking about Furioso and how he was found in France.”

Vorwerk’s capacity (and thirst) for Schnapps was as legendary as his stallion’s fertility.

Furioso II at his Oldenburg licensing

It took some time for a stallion son to emerge since the practice at that time in Oldenburg was not to stand sons who might diminish their sire, but when the blood came back through two stallions born in 1986, it was with spectacular effect on BOTH dressage and jumping breeding.

Furioso II’s grandson, Florestan (Fidelio / Lancer) was for a while in the shade of the big three, RWD (Rubinstein/Weltmeyer/Donnerhall), but we can now see that of the three, only Donnerhall rivals him as a sire of sires. Florestan’s son, Fidermark (Werther) died young.

Fidermark, he died too young…

But not before gifting dressage breeding, the stallions, Falsterbo, the Farewell brothers, and best of all, Fidertanz.

Fidertanz, sire of Ingrid Klimke’s current star, Franziskus

Of increasing influence is another who died way too young, World Young Horse champion, Fürst Heinrich (Donnerhall), already the sire of 18 Grand Prix competitors and 14 licensed stallions including the highly popular Fürstenball.

Fürstenball

Furioso II’s son For Pleasure, out of a Grannus mare, has left an indelible mark on the sport of showjumping, although he has not been as prolific a sire of sires as Florestan. Nonetheless, he is the sire of 124 licensed sons, and 94 (!) 1.60m jumpers.

For Pleasure

Voltaire

Another jumping son, Voltaire, out of a Gotthard daughter, was initially influential through his son, Concorde (Marco Polo) but more recently jumping breeding has been dominated by another son, Kannan (Nimmerdor), the sire of 182 licensed sons, and 169 1.60m jumpers.

Kannan

Back to Holland, and the world of dressage breeding, where the Oldenburg bred son, Purioso (Martell) founded the most important line of them all.

Cocktail successful sire, and competitor, with Anky van Grunsven

Purioso’s son, Cocktail (Le Val Blanc) sired Jazz (Ulster), sire of 139 Grand Prix competitors and 57 sons, including the current number one WBFSH dressage sire, Johnson (Flemmingh).