By Jenneke Smit / KWPN
Photography: Jacob Melissen, Dirk Caremans

By delving into the bloodlines, characters, and qualities of his horses, Romboud Zielman has built a successful breeding. Out of a relatively small number of breeding products, multiple horses have already popped up in the international sport.

For example, the Calvaro Z offspring Faro, previously ridden by Willem Greve, is continuing his career with McLain Ward, while Etalon and Fabregas are active at 1m50/1m60 level. As a breeder and trainer, Romboud Zielman lays a strong foundation.
As a farrier, Dutchman Romboud Zielman knows like no other that a sound foundation is the right starting point. He also applies that notion to his breeding, where he laid a sturdy basis thanks to excellent starting material. His father Gerrit Zielman started this bloodline that traces back to the Plesman daughter Veronic. Romboud carefully built on that and most mares out of this performance family have produced international sport horses.
His love for breeding was already there from a young age, and riding has always been Romboud’s additional passion; he still produces horses from saddle-broke to ZZ-level. “I used to go to Stud Zwartjens in Raalte with my father, there they had sons of top progenitors such as Farn and Marco Polo at stud. When I was 16 I met Bé van der Beeke, who had completely immersed himself in Holsteiner bloodlines and was on the phone with Maas Hell for hours. Bé only had twelve percent vision in one eye and lived together with his mother who was well over 80 years old, so at that time I started helping them around the house. His mother could look outside through the cracks in the wall, so it was convenient that I had some carpentry skills. Bé was truly ‘begeistert’ [excited] about Holsteiner breeding, so I have learned a lot and got so many insights in breeding from him,” recalls Romboud (47).
“It is incredibly interesting to see how jumper breeding was established and which stallions and families have played a key role in it. Bé was for example a fan of Cor de la Bryère and the Holsteiner marelines 104A and 18A2. At a certain moment in time, he brought the stallion Contendro II to the Netherlands and I have used him for my breeding. Thoroughbred breeding has also been essential. I love to see the blood of stallions such as Furioso xx, Cottage Son xx, Ramzes x, Rantzau xx, Ladykiller xx and Orange Peel xx. Those stallions have truly taken jumper breeding to another level. Thoroughbred lines 1 and 2 frequently recur, among others in the stallion Lucky Boy xx that was used a lot in the Netherlands.”

Thoroughbreds

In 1983, Gerrit Zielman, Romboud’s father, bought the Plesman daughter Veronic and this mare evolved into a foundation mare. “Plesman lost his license later but ensured the inflow of the blood of Ramzes x and Ladykiller xx, of which I was already a fan at that time.” Veronic passed her IBOP with AA91 and was henceforth declared keur. She was bred to the Uppercut xx son Uniek, which resulted in the mare Dirmatine in 1985. “She was champion of the foal inspection in Heino and later we bred her full brother. I jumped at Z-level with him before he was sold to Israel, where he jumped 1m50 to my understanding. Dirmatine turned out to be a super broodmare, she always foaled good jumpers.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber

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