By Christopher Hector
Photography: FEI/Liz Gregg; FEI/PSV J. Morel
The most influential stallions at the recent dressage European Championships were Negro (Ferro x Variant), Totilas (Gribaldi x Glendale), and Gribaldi (Kostolany x Ibikus). Negro is the sire of three competitors, and the damsire of the star of the first day, Everdale (Lord Leatherdale), as well as the Finnish entry, Sangraal (Sir Donnerhall).
Totilas provided half the Dutch team – Go Legend (Ferro) and Governor Str (Jazz) as well as Austria’s Te Quiero SF (Loutano). Totilas’s’ sire, Gribaldi, was represented by Atterupgaards Orthilia (Donnerschlag), Greek Air (Florestan) and Intermezzo van het Meedaalhof (Balzflug), while his son, Painted Black (Ferro) was the sire of the French entry, Cupido PB (Jazz). Another Gribaldi son, Easy Game, is the sire of the standout star of both the Tokyo 2020 Games and the European Championships, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl's TSF Dalera BB.
When the Easy Game son Millenium emerged in 2014 to dominate the German licensings, I asked an exceptionally well-informed (and Trakehner-loving) colleague for background. He must remain nameless but, believe me, he is well qualified to comment.
His point was that Easy Game was not easy at all, and whenever he appeared in public was only led by that stallion master, Joep van Uytert and was always on a lungeing rein since the stallion not only had a tendency to stand on his hindlegs, but also tried to kick his handler. However, my friend was fulsome in his praise of Easy Game’s dam, the Schwadroneur mare, Evita, a former auction top seller.
In 2014 a half share in Easy Game was purchased by the Belgian-based Dutch rider Veronique Swagemakers and her partners, with Ms Swagemakers intending to campaign the stallion herself at Grand Prix level. Seemingly this was not a success and he returned to the Netherlands in 2017 – with the KWPN granting him approved status in March 2021.
While the Trakehner Gribaldi has been mainly used as a cross over Dutch-bred horses, both Easy Game and his famous daughter are all Trakehner. Dalera's dam, Dark Magic is by Handryk out of a mare by Hohenstein... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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