By Christopher Hector
Photography: FEI/Dirk Caremans; FEI/Leanjo de Koster
Looking at the dressage stallion licensings of Europe’s leading breeding associations, it appears that the previously diverse breed differences have now all but disappeared. Let’s take a closer look what is becoming obvious.
The Verden press release glowed with satisfaction: “The Niedersachsenhalle was on fire when the hammer came down. A Donkey Boss x Don Olymbrio son was sold to Denmark for €2,000,000… the Hannoveraner chestnut stallions were in high demand.” Sold to Helgstrand Dressage (who else?). The only trouble is that there is almost nothing very ‘Hannoveraner’ about Daan G the chestnut auction topper. He is the product of a very Danish breeding program at Stutteri G, headed up by the founder, and owner, of the stud, Helene Geervliet.
Helene grew up on the stud Skovgård in Farum, Denmark, where her Dutch parents bred DSA (one of the two books that combined to form the Danish Warmblood) sport horses, and New Forest ponies. After working abroad, she returned to Denmark in 2001, where she bought a Danish breeding stallion Salomon, who was by the famous Trakehner stallion Schwadroneur. Bred in Germany by Otto Langels, Schwadroneur was a Grand Prix star for Denmark’s Anne Grethe Törnblad, but the bay was influential in Trakehner breeding throughout the world. Salomon’s mare line combines Swedish, Hanoverian, and early Danish bloodlines.
Ms Geervliet’s star of the Hanoverian licensing is largely Danish bred, with just one tiny Hanoverian line. He is by Hesselhoj Donkey Boss, a son of Hesselhoj Donkey Boy, out of Boogie Woogie, a Danish mare by the Dutch stallion, Blue Hors Zack, out of a mare who combines the Hanoverian Ragazzo with our old friend, Schwadroneur.
Dann G is out of De Vie G who is by the very Dutch Don Olymbrio (Jazz x Ferro), and out of Duffy, a daughter of the Oldenburg star, Don Schufro, out of Bijou by the Hanoverian Baroncelli, out of Bijou by the Oldenburger, Donnerschlag, over a mare by the Hanoverian, Wenzel.
Oldenburg breeders
The breeders in Oldenburg, just across the border from the Hanoverian district, never had the State Stud setup with an all-powerful breeding director, but instead relied on private stallion owners who were much more likely to welcome outside bloodlines. So closed was the Hanoverian State Stud Celle at the time that for many years the director, Dr. Bade, refused to stand a son of the Oldenburger Donnerhall. It was an attitude that saw him miss De Niro when he had the chance to select him in the director’s lot... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BREEDING NEWS
SUBSCRIBERS CAN READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY LOGGING IN AND RETURNING TO THIS PAGE
