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Ma Pomme: Olympic and European Championship legacy

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Nino de Buissonnets (Steve Guerdat) SUI (2nd place) Photo: FEI/Karl-Heinz Frieler

By Adriana van Tilburg
Photography: FEI/Leanjo de Koster; FEI/Karl-Heinz Frieler

Nino des Buissonnets and Dynamix de Belheme have both contributed to Steve Guerdat’s success as a European and Olympic champion. What is even more special is that both horses come from the same French dam line.

This line was and still is active in the Brohier family. Let's take a closer look at the story behind Nino des Buissonnets and Dynamix de Belheme.

Jean Brohier

In 1956 the mare Ma Pomme (Furioso xx - Harmonie x Barnum, bred by Antoine Nail) was born. She produced 11 foals; her first born in 1962 and her last in 1981. In an article about Furioso, BN correspondent Christopher Hector wrote: “Perhaps Furioso’s crucial influence has been as a mare sire: Ma Pomme, the full sister to Pomone B, produced a string of national and international jumpers and, importantly, when bred to the Ibrahim son, Quastor, the stallion Fair Play III, the sire of Narcos II. Furioso’s daughter, Tanagra (out of Délicieuse by Jus de Pomme) produced an extraordinary number of competitors, stallions, and broodmares, the most important of which was Jalisco B. Artichaut, the dam sire of Nabab de Rêve, is out of a Furioso mare, as is Qredo de Paulstra who founded something of a dressage dynasty in Oldenburg through his son, Quattro B, the grand sire of the popular Quarterback.”
The full sister to Ma Pomme is Pomone B who competed at 1m60 with Pierre Jonqueres d’Oriola and won the 1966 individual world championship title in Buenos Aires (ARG). Pomone B was a broodmare for the Haras Nationaux (French National Studs) where she gave birth to four foals.
Jean Brohier had the mare Ma Pomme in his breeding program, and when Sylvie Brohier asked her father-in-law about the mare Ma Pomme she recalls: “I spoke with my father-in-law Jean Brohier (Denis’ father), who bought Ma Pomme in 1959 when she was three years old because he wanted to breed with Furioso’s blood.
“Ma Pomme was the full sister of Pomone B, world champion with Pierre Jonqueres d’Oriola. Ma Pomme had nine offspring, among them was the in 1962 born Starlette B (Plein d’Espoirs) ridden by Jean Brohier. He said that mare was a dream to ride, the best horse he ever rode. The SF-approved Fair Play III (Quastor x Ma Pomme) was ridden by Jean and Denis and he was a very powerful stallion. L’Escapade (Uriel x Ma Pomme) was ridden by Denis and won the five-year-old criterium in Fontainebleau.
“Dans le Vent (Starter x Ma Pomme) was a respectful mare who was sold after Jean bred two foals out of her. We are very proud to see that two of our lines are coming together in Nino des Buissonnets. Narcos II (Fair Play III - Gemini x Tanael) was also bred by my father in law.” The most famous product of Dans le Vent is without doubt Tornade du Prelet (Uriel).
Denis Brohier takes up the story: “Narcos II’s second dam, Il Pleut Bergere, is by Foudroyant II xx. My father wanted to have a mare by Foudroyant II xx and also by Furioso xx in his breeding. These two mares were Il Pleut Bergere and Ma Pomme. He made two very good lines out of these two mares. Both Thoroughbreds had a lot of energy and added the much-needed blood to the lines.”

Dynamix du Belheme with Steve Guerdat

Du Prelet

Dans le Vent was subsequently sold to Serge Cambier, who recalls; “I purchased Dans le Vent from Jean Brohier and I gave the mare to Michel Choain for breeding. These mares were not easy in character and they had not so much canter, so the stallions needed to have a good canter and a good mind. We used Almé for Tornade du Prelet because a friend of ours was riding this special stallion. We used Narcos II so we had two crosses on Fair Play III, the same motherline.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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