By Jo de Roo
Photography: Peter Llewellyn, FEI/Liz Gregg, Haras de Semilly
Being number one in the WBFSH sire ranking has its pros and cons, but Chacco-Blue’s figures speak volumes and illustrate what it takes to reach his position. Two of his sons were presenting in Lanaken during the Zangersheide Stallion Licensing, and both were approved.
Like father, like son. The same goes for Chacfly PS. The one and only presented son of Chacoon Blue (by Chacco-Blue) was also approved by the jury. Besides Chacco-Blue, the recently deceased top progenitor Diamant de Semilly also managed to dominate this stallion selection.
According to Judy Ann Melchior, Chairwoman of Studfarm Zangersheide; “The breeder is our top priority. We exist thanks to the breeders, and we are in their service,” and last year alone the studbook registered around 7,700 foals.
It was a challenging licensing weekend, as Judy Ann explains: “It was a very busy weekend. Due to the predicted stormy weather, we had to complete the three-day program in two days. It was busy, but I’m glad everything went well. There were a large number of good stallions with a lot of performance in their bloodlines.”
The arena staff also did everything they could to ensure that the presented stallions could demonstrate their qualities, and Judy Ann continued by saying; “These employees are indeed fantastic. Young stallions appear at the inspection. This should be done as horse-friendly as possible. They need a lot of rest. I must also say that most of the stallions were presented very well and in a very correct way. I am very proud of the arena staff. In my view they did a fantastic job, with the welfare of the horse at the centre. They always try to keep calm and never force things.”
Q Has breeding become more professional compared to the past?
It’s still a mix. Breeding has partly become more professional. People who breed showjumpers with a view to top sport are becoming more and more professional. They are informed as best as possible and try to find the best stallion for their best mare. On the other hand, there are still many breeders who breed as a hobby with a lot of passion and pleasure and who can now do it more professionally. A breeder who wants to be informed today has the opportunity to collect more information than was possible in the past.
Q In the past you could be successful with a showjumper with a lot of scope. Today, the showjumping courses demand more than just scope.
Indeed. Scope never goes out of style, but the picture should be complete now. Today, in addition to scope we need horses with a fantastic mentality. Moreover, they must be careful, easy to ride, and having the right blood to handle the longer courses and faster times allowed.
Q Last year, Studbook Zangersheide registered about 7,700 foals. What explains the success?
As a team we try to do the best we can for the breeders. By this I mean, for instance, customer service, organizing events, auctions, selling foals, etcetera. The breeder is our top priority. We exist thanks to the breeders and we are in their service. I try to never lose sight of that... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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