By Judith Martens / KWPN
Photography: Dirk Caremans
The highest level, that's what breeding is all about. Of all the foals born in a single year, only a small percentage reach the top of the sport. Character, willingness, good health, functional conformation, environmental factors, and the right package of jumping genes determine whether or not a horse will become a Grand Prix showjumper.
Breeders who thoughtfully choose a stallion each year can only hope that their choice will bring them what they want. A jumper comes from a jumper is a frequently heard expression. But is it true? In this article, we answer that question.
The KWPN has always been known as the studbook with the strictest stallion selection policy. Before a stallion can be approved by the KWPN, he must pass the performance test. But once approved, do these stallions actually produce the better showjumpers? To answer this question, we analyzed all KWPN-registered offspring classified at the 1m50 level or higher and sired by a KWPN-approved stallion – a group of 2,151 KWPN horses. These horses have all completed a course at their respective level, acquiring no more than four faults. This analysis includes KWPN-approved stallions aged 30 years or younger, in other words, born in 1990 or later. Among these 417 stallions, 194 have at least one offspring which has competed at the 1m50 level or higher.
Indoctro on Top
The 30-year-old preferent stallion Indoctro proudly leads the ranking with 207 KWPN offspring which jump or have jumped at the 1m50 level or higher. He is followed by the preferent stallion Numero Uno with 117, Andiamo with 65, the preferent stallion Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve with 60 and the keur stallion Indorado with 58 offspring at the 1m50 level or higher. The majority of these stallions, however, have also bred a great deal and therefore have the most KWPN-registered offspring, which is represented in Table 1. The youngest stallion in this ranking is Verdi.
Leading sires relative to number of foals
If we compare the number of offspring which jump 1m50 or higher against the total number of registered offspring, a completely different top five emerges. And if we look at the stallions with at least 10 offspring which have competed at 1m50 or higher, Hors La Loi II is the leader (see Table 2). Of his 386 offspring, 41 show at the 1m50 level or higher. Among these is his KWPN-approved son Untouchable, who was a Grand Prix showjumper under Daniel Deusser (GER). In the same ranking, the stallion is in eighth place... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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