By Christopher Hector
Photography: Ridehesten.com
Looking at the breeding of the young horses in this year’s Nürnberger Burg-Pokal finalists in Frankfurt, we see just how specialized dressage breeding has become in the past 10 or 15 years. Right now the lesson is, dressage breeds dressage….
Take Meggle’s Grimani, ridden by Matthias Bouten. The black Trakehner stallion is by Gribaldi, GP dressage himself and one of the leading sires of Grand Prix horses, out of a mare by Monteverdi, who Fie Skarsoe competed GP and who is by Anky van Grunsven’s Partout, while the next line goes to another Grand Prix competitor, Polarion TSF.
The Danish bred Zalando, ridden by Nicole Casper is by the wonderful Blue Hors Zack, a current star on the international scene, out of a mare by Sunny-Boy, who stalled at small tour although he made it further up the dressage ladder than his sire, Sandro Hit, out of a mare by Donnerhall, the most influential Grand Prix dressage stallion of them all.
You don’t get much more concentrated Grand Prix blood than you find in Isabell Freese’s Total Hope by Totilas, and out of Isabell Werth’s champion mare, Weihegold – who is by Grand Prix competitor Don Schufro out of a Sandro Hit mare.
Then there is Annabel Frenzen’s Imperius, the brown stallion is by another Trakehner, Hubertus Schmidt’s German Team horse, Imperio, out of a Florestan x Donnerhall mare.
Helen Langehanenberg is riding her ginormous (1m85) Vayron and here is an exception to the rule we have been developing. He is by Vitalis who, like his sire, Vivaldi, never made the leap from small to big tour, out of a mare of largely jumping blood, Gloria is by the Graphit son, Gloster who jumped 1m35, out of a mare by Ramiro.
Hubertus has a second in the final, Denoix. The chestnut stallion is by Destano, who has competed Grand Prix with Sweden’s Michelle Hagan (his sire is a real Grand Prix star, Desperados FRH) and out of a mare by Brentano II who lived in a time where breeding stallions did not on the whole compete, but whose blood flows in the veins of many fine dressage horses.
Dorothee Schneider rides Lord Fitipaldi M who is by Lord Loxley I, another who stalled at small tour, out of a mare by Fidemark, a good Grand Prix competitor before his early demise.
Andrea Timpe has qualified Don Carismo and this time the Grand Prix is hard to find on the pedigree. He is by small tour competitor Don Crusador (Don Bosco), out of a mare by the Calypso II son, Carismo out of a Falkland mare.
Lena Waldman has qualified two. Cadeau Noir by the Competent son, Christ, out of a De Niro x Calypso II mare, and Morricone who is by Millenium, the Trakehner some love to hate, and others love to love, who is currently competing small tour, out of a solidly Grand Prix bred mare by Rubin Royal out of a De Niro... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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