By Christopher Hector
Photography: © FEI/Hippo Foto-Dirk Caremans; FEI/Leanjo de Koster-DigiShots
Secret: The black stallion is well named, since he is a horse whose career is shrouded in secrets. Let’s get the basics out of the way;Secret is by triple WBCYH champion, Sezuan, who combines two of Holland’s finest, Ferro and Jazz through his sire, Zack, with the great Donnerhall via his son Don Schufro, through his dam, Boegegaardens Don Romina.
Branded Baden Württemberger and bred by Hubert Vogler, Secret is out of Seline, by St Moritz who is by Sandro Hit, out of a De Niro mare – more Donnerhall.
We have had instant stallion superstars in the past, but none quite so instant as Secret, whose fame, and popularity was based on one 10-second video on Facebook which seemingly induced 600 mare owners to use him in the 2017 season. Later that year with Jessica Lynn Thomas in the saddle, he placed second at the Bundeschampionate.
Then the first of Secret’s disappearances, he did not leave the stables for 18 months, before returning with Jessica to the international stage, taking out a reserve championship in the five-year-old division of the 2019 World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Ermelo.
Again the stallion disappeared from view, resurfacing at the 2020 Bundeschampionate, where they were crowned Champions in the six-year-old division.
In 2022 Secret was the most used stallion in Hanover, and the second most popular in Oldenburg, but he was not out in front of the public. Indeed in 2023, Wahlers announced that Secret would not be standing at stud due to a shortage of staff at his station, although it was believed he would be returning for the 2024 season. His home, the Gestüt WM does not seem to have updated its website since 2018 so it is hard to tell what is happening, but looking at the entries in the 2024 WBCYH, there is no doubt that his progeny are making their mark in the young dressage horse world.
In the four-year-old final, Jessica Lyn rode So Special (out of a Bon Coeur x Donnerhall mare, home bred at Gestüt WM) to a reserve championships, while another stallion by Secret, Pride (out of an Apache mare) placed 10th.
In the five-year-olds, third place went to the Swedish combination of Severucci HT (out of a Rubinrot mare) and Jeanna Hogber. But it was the six-year-old division that was dominated by Secret’s get…
Longines FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses - Ermelo
Jeanna Hogberg (SWE) riding Severucci HT, third in the LONGINES Final for 5-year-old horses at the Longines FEI World Championship Young Dressage Horses - Ermelo 2024
Photos Copyright © FEI/Leanjo de Koster – DigiShots
Second place went to the Danish pair of Alkaline and Merila Hagren. This stallion is out of a mare by the Michelleno son, Zalmiak Firfod. Sixth, another stallion, Segantini (Fidermark) and Dorothee Schneider, while Lydia Jordan rode the Secret mare, Shakeel FRH (Royal Blend) into eighth. The stallion, San to Alati FRH, out of a Belissimo mare, placed 11th with Stefanie Viehoff-Wolf!.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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