By Anette Sånesson / SWB
Photography: SWB/Michaela Swärd; Mia Bach; Sophie Maule
Västra Hoby Stuteri’s breeding program celebrated an outstanding year in 2023. Highlights include Knockando VH winning the stallion performance test, Springbank II VH making his Grand Prix debut, and Vive la Reinne II VH securing a spot in the finals at the dressage WBCYH.
Additionally, there were several top results at the SWB Equestrian Weeks and a three-year-old crop of horses where six out of 10 horses were awarded premium in the young horse test. “It has been a fantastic year with many wonderful experiences,” Tobias Hansson proudly says.
Every success has its origins, and it’s no coincidence that top-class dressage horses are born at Västra Hoby. The farm has been in the family since the 1800s and is the childhood home of Tobias’s grandmother. In 1943, grandfather, John Hansson, purchased the mare Amajka. She came from Södervidinge, a few miles away, and was the granddaughter of Elmarina, considered the matriarch of mare family 31. “My grandfather believed that horses should be beautiful, which was undoubtedly a significant reason for purchasing her," says Tobias about the highly elegant Amajka. She was of East Prussian origin, like many other mares imported in the early 1900s, and they are known for their beautiful horses.”
Amajka produced 10 offspring, two of which remained on the farm, the mares Pansy and Fresia. These two mares are depicted in a painting that has hung on the dining room wall for many years. The painting symbolizes the foundation of the breeding program and serves as a reminder of how it all began. Even though Amajka was the cornerstone for Tobias’s grandfather, it was with Pansy and Fresia that things truly took off. The offspring were sold as remounts, and most of the mares were used for breeding.
Pansy is described in the book Our Mare Families as ‘a broodmare of the highest quality, with a nice depth, excellent gaits, and a fine temperament.’ She produced nine offspring, with Ersy continuing the mare line at Västra Hoby. Ersy is described in the same book as a small, elegant mare with a noble head and beautiful neck, and from this mare line, the stallions Dalwhinnie, Springbank II VH, and Knockando VH are descendants. Of Fresia’s seven offspring, Toccata carried the genes forward, leading to, among others, the Grand Prix mare Darcia VH and the stallion Rosebank VH. It is also noteworthy how well these descriptions still apply to the Västra Hoby horses of today.
John managed the breeding program at Västra Hoby together with Tobias’ss father, Torsten, until the late 1980s. Torsten was a judge in both dressage, conformation, and gaits, giving him a good overview of Swedish breeding. He inherited his horse knowledge from his father, including the goal of breeding highly elegant dressage horses. Tobias has since absorbed this invaluable knowledge. “Our horses have always had a very good walk and trot, so my father was always particular about ensuring that the stallions we have used had a good canter,” Tobias explained. “For us, breeding changed with Don Schufro and Rohdiamant; my father was very fond of these two. When we used Rohdiamant, imported semen wasn’t as common. We used Don Schufro during his first season, as my father recognized the stallion’s fantastic qualities. It was primarily the stallion’s movement that captivated my father.” Tobias also mentions De Niro, a stallion with exceptional rideability who has become a strong foundation in the lineage.
Tobias has always been interested in horses, and in the early 2000s he and Torsten began running the operation together, much like Torsten had previously done with his father. In 2008, Tobias moved to the farm with his wife Ulrika and twin daughters Tyra and Irma, and it was a natural step to continue breeding with the family's mare lines. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to manage the mare line in the best possible way,” says Tobias. “I set extremely high goals for my breeding, and there’s no room to relax; I must deliver.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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