FRANCE (by Adriana van Tilburg) During an interview with Luc Henry, I men- tioned that I’d had an interesting conversation with Eric Levallois at the showjumping FEI-WBFSH World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Lanaken concerning the differences between French- and German-bred sport horses. Questions such as ‘Why do German horses have a better mouth than French’. ‘Why are French horses more intelligent than German?’...
Do horses with a lot of scope have an easier mouth?’ Intriguing questions, indeed. But, is a German-bred really less intelligent than a French-bred sport horse?
Luc Henry (48) is one of the best-known breeders in Belgium. He bred, for example, the 1m60 jumping horse AD Rahmannshof’s Bogeno (Baloubet du Rouet - Katinka van de Cast- ershoeve x Elanville) ridden by Brazilian international Doda de Miranda; Top Hero (Ogano Sitte - Da Silva Hero x Libero H) 1m60 with Johnny Pals (NED); and Tonik Hero (Ogano Sitte - Citadine du Cortil x Elegant de l’Ille), 1m60 with Wouter Devos (BEL).
Already from a very young age Luc Henry was interested in breeding, saying, “I don’t think that I have chosen this passion... The passion has chosen me. Breeding horses has been everything for me.” His maternal grandfather, Ernst Gössing, was director of the Rhinelander Studbook, was a judge for 40 years in Aachen, including 25 years as president of the jumping judges. He was responsible for organizing equestrian sport at the Munich 1972 Olypic Games, and served as a judge at the first World Cup jumping finals in 1978 and 1979. Henry’s grandfather on his father’s side was a farmer who was well known between the two World Wars for having very good draught horses, including having the champion stallion of Belgium with his breeding. Henry continued explaining; “They were in a certain way a stud for draught horses, and they always had passion for horses. I am the only one from the family who continued the passion for breeding. Already when I was 10 years old I was reading the books and documents of my grandfather. I started to breed with ponies because I really wanted to breed, but only a few foals. I also tried to explain to my father how to breed with his cows, but he never listened. The first Warmblood foal that I bred was 23 years ago.”...
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