By Christopher Hector
Photography: © Pretendenthoeve collection
The history of one of the dressage world’s breeding powerhouses makes fascinating reading. It began with a registered stallion with two names: Rocky Norel which, if you add the two together you more or less have the complete history of dressage breeding in the Netherlands.
The Norel suffix celebrates the first Dutch breeder to turn from jumping as the breeding goal, Gerrit Willen van Norel, who founded his stud in 1969 with the avowed aim of breeding for dressage. The young stallion’s original name, Rocky Zelma celebrates one of the foundation mares of van Norel’s breeding program, and also underlines the somewhat neglected role of the Gelderlander in the shaping of today’s dressage stars.
Mr. van Norel died in 2021 but his stud continues to be one of the most influential in the Netherlands, run by his sons, so I was lucky when my friend, Johan Hamminga, arranged an interview with one of them, Martin van Norel.
Q Are you still using the original mare lines that your father established?
“Yes. We have a number of mare lines, my father did not like to have one mare line only. It’s not always the same mare line that gets the best one every year. Of course, there are some mare lines that come back, and you say, there is that same strong line. We have the Zelma line, and every time it comes back.”
Rocky Norel is by Hexagon’s Kaygo, a small tour competitor with Thamar Zweistra. He is by Capri Sonne Jr, a serious Grand Prix horse for Laura Tomlinson. He is by the Ferro son, Rhodium out of a mare by the jumping Holsteiner, Ramiro. Capri Sonne’s dam Wendela reminds us of the influential role of German blood in Dutch dressage breeding, she is by the excellent Hanoverian stallion, Wolkentanz, out of a Dutch bred mare by the Nimmerdor son, Glendale, whose main claim to fame, is that he is the dam sire of Totilas. But it is on Rocky’s dam line that history shines…
Rocky’s dam, Kiekiezelma is by Expression, the current star of the Pretendenthoeve stallion band. Expression is by Vivaldi, out of Melody by Vincent by Prentendent, the first KWPN stallion bred by Mr. van Norel, and the horse that gave the stud its name. Back to the mare line, Kiekiezelema is out of Eriezelma out of Ruzelma out of Liezelma, out of Duzelma, out of Vuzelma, out of Pluzelma, out of… ZELMA!
Pluzelma is branded KWPN, while Zelma is termed Sgldt or Gelderlander, harking back to the original agricultural horse. Back in 1992 in his book The Leading Stallions of the Netherlands, Dutch journalist and photographer, Jacob Melissen, observed of the Dutch sport horse, ‘Its roots lie in the past, developed by farmers who bred horses because they needed them. They recognized the value of essential characteristics. Experience had not only taught them the great value of powerful hind quarters and a deep chest giving plenty of space for heart and lungs, but they also attached great importance to character, such as work attitude, maximum usability, and the willingness to give that last little bit. Horses that did not possess such qualities were simply not used for breeding purposes.’.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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