By Oriane Grandjean
Photography: FEI/Massimo Argenziano

At the CHI Geneva, the organizers have always made a point of making room in their programme for Swiss breeding. Several events are dedicated to young Swiss horses and this year, once again, it was an opportunity not to be missed to observe the qualities of the next generation.

One of the classes on the final morning was reserved for seven- and eight-year-old horses. Of the eight names entered, only two managed to complete clear rounds. Having said that, the CHI Geneva track can be impressive, as much for its size (the largest arena in Europe), as well as its decor, the lake, and the big screen. It was, therefore, hardly surprising that a rider with international event experience already was able to overcome the distractions. Riding the eight-year-old mare Djamila (Diarado x Coeur de Nuit), Elian Baumann celebrated victory, having been a member of the Swiss showjumping team at the European championships in Risenbeck (with Campari Z).
In addition to Djamila, Christina (Cassirado x Cormint), also an eight-year-old mare, posted a clear round, which was a satisfactory result for her rider Arnaud Martin, who has worked for a long time for Pius Schwizer. “Christina has been with me for one-and-a-half years now and has already done 1m40 courses. She didn't do much at the age of four and five, and has run fewer than 10 coursesin her whole life. She was bred in the Emmental region by Werner Lüthi, and belongs to owners Kurt and Brigitte Schreier from Lucerne who bought her at the Sursee auction when she was a foal. They then bred her themselves. I see these owners more as sponsors, by the way. They help me a lot and didn’t hesitate to follow me when I moved to the Jura. I have four of their horses in my stables. They don’t put any pressure on me, and there is no question of selling the mare. I think that she will be able to do great events in the years to come.” Christina was bred by Werner Lüyhi.
Arnaud Martin is also very familiar with the class winner, Djamila, as he rode her himself for several seasons, including winning the six-year-old final for young horses. Djamila's dam, Alisa, is also a Swiss-bred mare, by Coeur de Nuit, and has also produced Harvey VII CH, who grew to 145 cm. Djamila was bred by Annigna Touré to whom she still belongs.
Christina’s dam, Cassandra (Cormint x Calando II) is a sister to Azalée (Bay Networks Avanti x Calando II), who produced Chiara (Chameur) and competed at 1m60 with Simone Huber (SUI)... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber

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