By Christopher Hector
Photography: Hannoveraner Verband/Stefan Lafrentz
Although the Germans are a bit coy about releasing stats on the number of mares covered by each stallion, it is generally thought that Foundation is the stallion with the largest harem. Once again, Foundation was right at the top of the rankings on the German breeding values, and with his successful entry into Grand Prix ranks, his star is set to shine even brighter.
Foundation by Fidertanz x De Vito was recently awarded the Hanoverian Verband's Grande-Prize. The 12-year-old privately owned stallion stands at the private Schafhof Stud in Kronberg. The award was in recognition of the progeny he has produced, and Foundation's own performances with Matthias Alexander Rath.
Bred by Gerd Pigge in Lastrup, Foundation was born in 2008 and came to the Verden Foal Auction under the name Figo II. Like so many stallions who go on to fame and fortune, Foundation was not initially licensed and was sold in the Verden stallion sales, to Paul Schockemöhle for €95,000. A few months later, Foundation was licensed at the Verden stallion licensing under saddle.
Foundation completed his test with top marks, which earned him a dressage breeding value of 149. Anja Engelbart took over the basic training of the bay and qualified him for the Bundeschampionat. Later Matthias Alexander Rath took over the reins of the young stallion. When he was eight years old, he had his first international successes at Inter I level and two years later his first top placings in Grand Prix. With the German Nations’ Cup team, the pair finished second last year in Falsterbo, Sweden.
The award of the Grande-Prize is, however, recognition of the breeding success of a stallion, and Foundation is also impressive in this respect. As many as 10 foals from his first crop were admitted to the Verden auction. Since then, almost 50 riding horses and foals have found new owners at the Verden auctions. Seven of his 22 Hannoverian ‘premium’ candidates were awarded prizes at the famous Herwart von der Decken Mare Show. His breeding values confirm the evaluation that was made in 2011 with the breeding value from the suitability test. The results of his daughters in mare performance tests earn him a breeding value of 145, his breeding value for young horse tests is 153 and for the highest class achieved already 131.
Foundation through his sire, Fidertanz, represents the very influential 'F' line of Florestan, a stallion who stamped 'rideability' on his descendants, so much so that the director of the Westfalian State Stud at the time, Susanne Rimkus called him her 'milk cow': “The Florestans are easy to handle, easy to ride, even if they don’t look harmonic, the riders say they feel good. This is the most important thing for the normal market, the rider who wants to ride of an evening after he has done his work, who wants to have fun, who wants to make a good picture on the horse. Florestans are easy to sit on, and that makes success.
“Florestan will also produce top sport horses. Top sport horses have to have a good character but they are allowed to be more sensitive and so I think the good sport horses from Florestan will come from the mares with a lot of Thoroughbred blood – horses that are a bit more hot, these will be the horses for the highest competitions.”
One son of Florestan who looked like he was headed for success in the big sport was Fidermark – alas a promising Grand Prix career was cut short when he died at the age of 11 in 2003, but not before he sired Fidertanz out of a Ravallo mare. Fidermark also found time to sire Charlotte Dujardin's new star, Freestyle.
Fidertanz was NRW champion ctallion, vice champion of Germany and competed three times at Grand Prix level in 2015 with Portugal's Antonia Do Vale, with scores in the low 60s.
Ravallo has a pedigree that says 'jump', as he is by the Ramiro son, Raphael, out of a mare by the Gotthard son, Goldstein. Ravallo was the 1990 champion of the stallion performance test in Medingen with one of the best results in the history of stallion performance tests. .. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BREEDING NEWS
SUBSCRIBERS CAN READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY LOGGING IN AND RETURNING TO THIS PAGE
