By Sally Reid
Photography: NZHS, Pegasus Communications, Kristel Mack Saunders Photography
The New Zealand Hanoverian Society recently awarded Exceptional Performance (2021) certificates to a group of 17 horses, ranging in age from six to 14 years. Two of these were jumpers, four were eventers, and the remainder are dressage horses. Five were bred by Matthews Hanoverians, plus a trio by Henton Lodge – the latter all being eventing horses, which is a specialist discipline for this farm.
Five – two dressage horses and three eventers – were sired by Anamour (Aalborg - Lucille x Lombard) and he is the damsire of two others. This German-bred Hanoverian stallion, who died in 2015, has left a massive legacy here. For more about him, see last month’s feature on the ‘All Blacks’ of NZ Sport Horses.
Dressage recognition
Denzel MH (Dancier - Belle du Jour x Brentano II), is a seven-year-old gelding bred by Matthews Hanoverians and owned by his rider, Mary Davis. He is the current South Island Elementary Champion and has a very long list of wins and high placings. His dam, Belle du Jour (Brentano II x Gymnastik Star), is a full sister to another good dressage performer, Belladonna MH, who won the 2015 six-year-old young horse championship and was the highest scorer of the entire competition. Their dam, Grandessa, is out of an imported mare, Grimalda (Graf Landau) Stamm 1191219, Schridde 165.
Ganache MH (Gymnastik Star - Desiray x Dream Boy), an eight-year-old mare bred by Matthews Hanoverians and owned by her rider, Kathryn Corry. She is the current Zealand Medium Champion. Corry describes her as “a super mare with a bold, enthusiastic approach to life.” Her dam, Desiree, who is out of a Thoroughbred and by the influential Dream Boy, is an elegant, pretty mare who did well in the show ring. Dream Boy (Dream of Glory - Erntekrone x Eisenherz II) was imported from Germany and sired many a winner in New Zealand. He is also the damsire of Timbermill Prequel (see below).
EM Fanfare MH (Fürstenball Old - Danzare MH x Dancier). Bred and owned by Matthews Hanoverians, this eight-year-old mare is New Zealand’s Level 5 champion, and has been a star right from the start. She was top foal of the 2015 Hanoverian tour, the best young studbook mare of the 2017 tour (and a member of the Top Mare Family), the champion young dressage horse of 2018, five-year-old champion in 2019, and Advanced Medium champion in 2020 with her rider, Casey Burton. Fanfare has a younger full sister, Felize MH. Their dam, Danzare MH is out of the imported St.Pr.St mare Wel Kantje (Welt-meyer/ex Pikantje x Pik Bube). Both Fanfare and Felize are ‘elite’ mare candidates in the NZ Hanoverian Studbook. Fanfare has two 2019 ET foals, Suede MH (a colt by Swarovski) and Trinity MH (a filly by Totilas).
Dulcet (Dante Weltino - Farah x Fuerst Romancier) is a six-year-old mare bred by Janne and Georgia Worth, and owned by her rider, Cherie Pearson. This very elegant youngster is the South Island Preliminary Champion and has showed great potential since her very first competition appearance, which she won with a high score. Through her damsire, the Hauptprämie Fürst Romancier, she traces back to the famous Edoste Oldenburger line, Stamm 46. Through her sire, Dante Weltino, she has the blood of Welt Hit II, Weltmeyer, Danone I, and De Niro. Dulcet’s breeder, Georgia Worth, was the NZ dressage champion young rider in 2010, and later rode professionally in Australia and Germany. She is now an equine dental technician, with breeding as a small but successful sideline – she also bred Dulcet’s dam Farah.
Archie (Anamour - Djamileh x Dynamit) is an eight-year-old gelding son of Anamour, and the current North Island Elementary Champion. He was bred by Sara Williams, and is owned and ridden by Betty Brown, with whose groom he has also won young rider championships. His bloodlines combine two of New Zealand’s outstanding German-bred stallions, both now deceased: Anamour and Dynamit (Dynamo - Elfi, Hauptstutbuch x Eger II). Like them, Archie is jet black, but he does lack a little height – he’s around 16.2hh (167 cms). “He was ridden by Mandy Littlejohn as a three-year-old, but didn’t grow enough for her as she is quite tall, so I was fortunate enough to purchase him a year ago,” says Brown. (Littlejohn and Archie won their first start and had a number of wins and high placings.) Archie’s dam, Djamileh (Dynamit - Witzenrose x Witzbold) also competed in dressage. Her own dam, Witzenrose, has a double cross of Winnetou, who sired a number of Staatsprämie mares in Germany.
Rascallion (Rascalino - Donna x De Niro): Bred, owned, and ridden by Anya Durling, this 13-year-old gelding is the South Island Level 4 champion, but recently retired from competition for health reasons. His strong dressage pedigree includes Rotspon, Rubinstein, and World Cup III on the sire side, and the wonderful De Niro through his dam, Donna (De Niro - The Serenader xx x Kareem xx). Donna has a couple of extra claims to fame: she is the dam of Rosari Guest Star (Gymnastik Star), National six-year-old dressage champion in 2011, also owned and ridden by Anya Durling – and it was his success that led to Durling purchasing Donna, who was in foal at the time, with Rascallion... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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