DWB Top of Europe 2013 - Dansk Varmblod

Danish WarmbloodTop of EuropeTOP STALLIONS FOR EXPORT • INCREASED FOCUSED ON JUMPERS • VISIONARY STALLION KEEPERS • THE GRANDLADY OF DANISH BREEDING • ATHLETES OF THE 2013 EUROPEANS • THE STALLION SHOW IN HERNING

8 Dansk VarmblodThe success of HRH Princess Benedikte’sand Princess Nathalie’s breedingprogramme can no longer be explainedwith good luck and fortunedanish warmblood’s main officeEvery year at the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing HRHPrincess Benedikte’s special award of honor is given tosomeone who has played a remarkable role in the breeding ofsport horses; may it be a stallion, a sport horse or a person.Princess Nathalie bonds closely with her performancehorses, and she clearly felt moved at the award ceremony forher CDI victory with home bred Rigoletto in Aachen in 2009.A second foundation mareAs a token of gratitude for her invaluable work and supportDanish Warmblood gave HRH Princess Benediktea second mare, Rosienne by Rossi xx / May Sherif. Themare turned out to be rather hot tempered, and atBerleburg they decided to only produce two foals outof Rosienne. Both foals were by Rubinstein, and onceagain it proved to be a very wise choice of stallion.The first foal, Rigoletto, born one year before Digby,became a solid scoring Grand Prix horse and oncewon the Danish championship with Princess Nathalie.His younger full sister Racine is a strong producingbrood mare, which is the dam of Princess Nathalie’slatest Grand Prix horse Fabienne by Blue Hors FutureCup. Racine is also the dam of the promising Dolany byBlue Hors Don Schufro and several high quality mareswhich now comprise the broodmare herd at Berleburg.The success of HRH Princess Benedikte’s and PrincessNathalie’s breeding programme can no longer beexplained with good luck and fortune. It is inevitablydown to a great sense of horsemanship as well as asolid knowledge of bloodlines and not least superbmanagement and training. Danish Warmblood couldnot have wished for better ambassadors in breedingand in sport.Jan PedersenPresidentChristina b. Lundproject managerCasper Cassøe KrüthExecutive managersusanne hvidproject managerThomas Bach Jensenpress officerlene rasmussenPROJECT CO-ORDINATORKARINA CHRISTIANSENbreeding advisorMonica forrestproject co-ordinatorBETINA BERWALDevent managerLise WillemannaccountantVilhelmsborg allÉ 1 - DK-8320 Mårslet - Telefon: 0045 87 47 54 00 - varmblod@varmblod.dk - www.varmblod.dk

10 Dansk VarmblodAthletes of the2013 EuropeansFourteen Danish Warmblood horses will be representing six countries at the ECCO FEI EuropeanChampions 2013 in dressage and para dressage.Carte d’OrBorn: 1999Sire: Solos CarexDam sire: Cannon Row xxBreeder: Gunnar BachRider: Camilla Kalseth/NORHeibergBorn: 2001Sire: Blue Hors HerugDam sire: Dwight-EastBreeder: Hanne og Leif LöweRider: Jens Lasse Dokkan/NORAkeem FoldagerBorn: 2002Sire: AkinosDam sire: LoranBreeder: Louise HøghRider: Andreas Helgstrand/DENDigbyBorn: 1997Sire: DonnerhallDam sire: SandroBreeder: HRH Princess BenedikteRider: Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein/DENAmazing SøndergårdBorn: 2001Sire: MichellinoDam sire: AleksanderBreeder: Lilli SchachtRider: Kamilla Strømsnes/NORPriors Lady RawageBorn: 1997Sire: Rawage QuintusDam sire: LaganoBreeder: Johs. og Linda OrbesenRider: Liselotte Scharff Rosenhart/DENTailormade Akon AskelundBorn: 2000Sire: AkinosDam sire: Pari-Ace DaneBreeder: Poul FlyeRider: Ellen Birgitte Farbrot/NORMadonna AskelundBorn: 2006Sire: De NoirDam sire: Pari-Ace DaneBreeder: Poul FlyeRider: Ann Cathrin Lübbe/NORMistral HøjrisBorn: 1995Sire: MichellinoDam sire: IbsenBreeder: Betty RasmussenRider: Laura Tomlinson/GBRSmeyer’s MolbergBorn: 2001Sire: MichellinoDam sire: RamboBreeder: AtterupgaardRider: Marcela Krinke-Susmelj/SUIFitou LBorn: 1999Sire: Florestan IDam sire: May SherifBreeder: Karsten BundgaardRider: Lone Bang Larsen/DENSkovlunds Más GuapoBorn: 1998Sire: MasterDam sire: Cannon Row xxBreeder: Birgitte JessenRider: Mikaela Lindh/FINEnggaards SolitaireBorn: -Sire: Blue Hors SopranoDam sire: -Breeder: Lene Holdt LarsenRider: Ricky Balshaw/GBRCome OnBorn: 2000Sire: Come Back IIDam sire: SydneyBreeder: Karen Margrethe JensenRider: Francesca Salvade/ITA

12 Dansk Varmblod19-year-old Nanna S.Merrald won the U25 classat CHIO Aachen aboard hersteady partner Millibar. Thepair is former European freestylechampions.Double individual gold medal winnerin 2012 as well as in 2013 at the EuropeanChampionships for junior riders,Cathrine Dufour and AtterupgaardsCassidy, currently hold theworld record for PSG Freestyle.Although good looks and three high quality gaitsare important attributes for a dressage horsethe essential feature is rideability.Both Millibar and Atterupgaards Cassidy are energeticand hot horses, but their willingness to work andperform have made them stand out on the Europeandressage scene for young riders.19-year-old Nanna Skodborg Merrald has been asuccessful dressage rider since her pony days and sheis a six times Danish champion. During her years as ajunior rider she has been very successful with the DanishWarmblood gelding Millibar by Milan/Liberty Dane(B: Fritz Jensen) which her family purchased for her as ayoung horse when Nanna was still a pony rider. With thehelp of her trainer she has developed the very rideableMillibar into a confirmed Grand Prix horse, and she isalready competing at U25 level despite her young age.With Millibar Nanna has earned several individualmedals and championship titles at national, Nordic andEuropean level from 2009. In 2010 they came 7th at theEuropean championships for juniors where they wereon the Danish bronze team. In 2011 the junior teamwon silver at the Europeans and Nanna and Millibarbecame European champions in freestyle. As a youngrider the pair placed 5th individually at the Europeansand earned Danish team silver.Most recently Nanna and Millibar wowed the crowdat the CHIO Aachen when they won both U25 classesindividually in a strong international field, and also wonthe team competition with her fellow rider. Nanna andMillibar scored 78.475% for their breathtaking freestyle.Atterupgaards Cassidy by Caprimond/Donnerhall (B:Atterupgaard) is another highly successful young riderhorse. His talent was early discovered and as a younghorse he competed at the WBFSH world championshipsin Verden. As a 7-year-old he was purchased bythe parents of junior rider Cathrine Dufour who has hadtremendous success with Cassidy during her years as ajunior and young rider winning Danish, Nordic and Europeanchampionships. At the Europeans they have anamazing track record claiming individual silver in 2010and 2011, and double gold in 2012 and 2013.Their greatest achievements are four individual goldmedals at the European Championships. In 2012 inBern the pair conquered the stage and won gold inthe individual test as well as in the freestyle test. Thepair nailed it again in 2013 at Compiegne and repeatedthis outstanding performance winning both individualtitles scoring 83.600% for their freestyle which is thecurrent world recod. The 10-year-old gelding is readyfor Grand Prix and will move up to U25 classes withCathrine next year.Young Riders ShiningRideability is the most valuable assetfor a dressage horseon Danish Warmbloods

14 Dansk VarmblodStallionsand magicThe Stallion Showin HerningThe Stallion Show Licensing in Herning is a yearlyevent organised by Danish Warmblod. Attractingmore than 56,000 spectators, and coveringmore than 20,000 square metres, the multi event includesdressage and jumping classes at the highestlevel, young horse championship, stallion licensingand highly relevant clinics by world star riders. Atthe stallion licensing one can spot the future stars ofEuropean sport and breeding scene in dressage aswell show jumping.The Stallion Show in Herning is without a doubt thelargest of its kind in Europe. The Danish Warmbloodstallion licensing has taken place at the MCH MessecenterHerning since 1980 and has slowly but surelygrown into a solid success which receives wide internationalattention. It now occupies every single exhibitionhall of the centre, which makes it easy for thespectator to find the right entertainment. There isalways something going on.Two spectacular gala shows with the best stallions and their riders in magnificent costumes,performing in an impressive stage set, leave the audience spellbound after a four hour performance.

16 Dansk VarmblodStallions of the YearEach year at the National Stallion Show in Herning the coveted prize and title Stallion of the Yeargoes to a Danish Warmblood licensed stallion which has proved itself as a particularly strongprogenitor of talented sport horses.1998 Lucky Light DVE 366Lagano / Marmor2006 Michellino DVE 542Michelangelo / Ulft1999 Midt-West Ibi-Light DVE 360Ibikus / Limelight2007 Blue Hors Hertug DVE 700Schwadroneur / Donauwind2000 Schwadroneur DVE 343Arogno / Ibikus2008 Casir Ask DVE 497Cor de la Bryère / Landgraf IThe stallion licensing in Herning has become a major attractionto breeders, stallion keepers, riders and press from allover the world. This is where future start stallions are firstviewed by an international audience.2001 Lando DH 430Lancier / Raimondo2002 Come Back II DVE 560Cor de la Bryère / Landgraf I2003 Blue Hors Don Schufro DVE 690Donnerhall / Pik Bube I2009 Cajus DVE 634Coronado / Lagano2010 Blue Hors Don Romantic DVE 801Blue Hors Don Schufru / Blue Hors Romancier2011 Blue Hors Romanov DVE 818Rohdiamant / Grundgold II2004 Carano DVE 521Capitol I / Cor de la Bryère2012 Crelido DVE 752Calido / RaimondoThese are some of theprogramme highlights:2005 Solos Landtinus DVE 674Landadel / Argentinus2013 Heartbeat DVE 871Heartbreaker / Nimmerdor› Presentation of stallions at the licensing› Young Horse Championship in dressage and jumping› Competition classes in dressage and jumping› Gala Show with horses and famous artists› Spring Auction of young stallions and riding horses› Clinic and workshops top riders› The Horse & Rider trade show and tack fairEach of the now sixteen stallions ofthe year have been portrayed in an oilpainting like Casir Ask in 2008. Theoriginal paintings decorate the officesof Danish Warmblood at Vilhelmsborgand the owners of the stallion receivea framed print copy.

18 Dansk VarmblodSkovens Rafael was purchasedat the 2004 Elite Foal Auction andre-sold at the 2007 Spring Auctionas a young licensed stallion. Heis multi dressage champion anddouble finalist at the WBFSHworld championships in Verden.SuccessfulAuction PurchasesTailormade Attention waspurchased at the 2008 Elite FoalAuction as the most expensive foalto date. He became a premiumstallion and is now successful insport as well as breeding.Many of the foals and young horses acquired at theDanish Warmblood auctions have grown into competitivesport horses and desired breeding stallionsGold medal mare and Danish5-year-old dressage championDonna Silver by Blue Hors DonSchufro sold at the 2007 SpringAuction and has developed intoa winning Grand Prix horse currentlysuccessful at U25 level.At the 2010 Spring AuctionKatholts Bossco by Blue HorsDon Schufro was the most expensivenon-licensed stallion. He tookpart in the 2013 WBFSH worldchampionships in Verden.Møllegårdens Pas Partout byDon Primero was the price highlightat the 2007 Elite Foal Auctionand has developed into a highlysuccessful young dressage horse.Danish Warmblood does not have agelong traditionsfor foal or sport horse auctions. The firstfoal auction was held in 1989 and in the mid1990’s the first colt auction was held at the stallion licensingin Herning.These two auctions have developed into the SpringAuction held in early March every year in connectionwith the stallion licensing in Herning and the Elite FoalAuction held in six month later in early September atthe yearly elite show at Vilhelmsborg.The real breakthrough of the Elite Foal Auction camein 1999 when the Dressage Colt Foal of the year cameunder the hammer and sold to Blue Hors. The coltwent on to become stallion licensing champion, performancetest winner and young dressage champion.Blue Hors Don Romantic by Blue Hors Don Schufro/Blue Hors Romancier (B: Jens Aage Buhl) soon becamea sought-after producer of top foals all over Europe,but unfortunately his career as an international dressagehorse came to an end after a severe injury. However,Blue Hors Don Romantic now carries the label‘elite stallion’ and received the coveted title Stallionof the Year in 2010.Since then several colt foals from the Elite Foal Auctionhave become successful sires like the premiumstallion Tailormade Attention by Abanos/BøgelysCamaro (B: Lone Christiansen), the stallion licensingchampion and performance test winner ERA DancingHit and the premium stallion, dressage champion anddouble world championship finalist Skovens Rafael byBlue Hors Romanov/Blue Hors Don Schufro (B: JensL. Pedersen og Kirsten B. Hansen). Zaladin Mi by BlueHors Zack/Solos Landtinus (B: Steen Bo Larsen) waspurchased at the Spring Auction as an unlicensed colt,and one year later he became stallion licensing championand performance test winner in Sweden.Several top horses have made their first appearancein the limelight at the Danish Warmblood auctions andhave then moved on to become internationally knownsport horses, and this does not only count for the dressagehorses. The Elite Foal Auction fostered severalsuccessful jumping horses and many highly decoratedmares of strong jumping bloodlines. InternationalGrand Prix jumpers such as Skovens Cheyenne/MEX,Landlyst’s Leroy/DEN and Hedegaardens Aslan/RUSall derive from the Danish Warmblood auctions.The 2011 licensing champion andperformance test champion ERADancing Hit by UNO Don Diegowas purchased at the 2008 EliteFoal Auction.The filly foal LajgårdensChicota was sold at the EliteFoal Auction in 2007 and in2011 she became the JumpingMare of the Year in DanishWarmblood.

20 Dansk VarmblodBetty Rasmussen, 80, stillbreeds high performing DanishWarmblood horses and takesgreat pleasure in following hermany successful products.TheGrandof Danish BreedingAs one of the fewbreeders in the world BettyRasmussen has succeeded inbreeding not only one Olympicmedal winning horse buttwo – one in show jumpingand one in dressage!In the late 1970’s Betty Rasmussen and her familydecided to sell their riding horses in order to purchasesome first class breeding stock. At the timegood broodmares were not easy find, and they werenot cheap either.Betty found her two dream mares, but they werehard to get and the sale of their nine riding horses didnot even pay for the two mares Sonita by Marcellusand Vanessa by Elizar. Both mares were Danish bred,medal awarded at the Elite Show and out of very strongSwedish dam lines. Betty knew she had to have them,and her persistence paid off. Within a few years shewas a highly successful breeder.The family of SonitaA daughter of Sonita produced the licensed stallionLando by Lancier/Raimondo which became part of theDutch show jumping team for the 2000 Olympics inSydney. Under Albert Voorn the very expressive Landowent all the way to the finals where he captured individualsilver. Lando continued his international sportcareer under German Otto Becker and stood at studa couple of seasons at Schockemöhle before he wassuccessfully introduced into the French studbook ofSelle Français.Sonita produced numerous highly decorated maresand successful dressage horses. Her son Ragant byRaimondo was on the German long list for the 2000Olympics with Tanja Traupe, and her son RubinsternHøjris by Rubinstein was a successful Grand Prix horsein the UK.At the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing in Herningin 2012 the young stallion Zorba Højris by Blue HorsZack/Blue Hors Romanov became the young licensingchampion among the dressage colts and went on topass the performance test with flying colours. Zorba isowned by a Danish Grand Prix rider and he representsfourth generation out of Sonita.The family of VanessaVanessa is out of the famous Swedish damline “F2Spinda” which among many top sport horses in dressageas well as show jumping has produced the legendarydressage stallion Briar. The extensive successof Vanessa in Betty Rasmussen’s breeding programmegoes through her daughter Virginia by Ibsen.Virginia produced, among several very successfuldressage horses, one of the world’s best - MistralHøjris by Michellino. This spectacular mover was successfullytrained by its first owners, Ernst Jessen andHasse Hoffmann, up to the highest level before it wassold to the British young rider Laura Bechtolsheimer,now Tomlinson.Mistral (known as Alf) and Laura have won it all. Atthe 2010 WEG in Lexington they claimed two individualsilver medals on top of the British team silver medal,and at the 2011 Europeans in Rotterdam they playeda significant role on the British gold winning team,and they also claimed individual bronze. At the 2012Olympics in London they smashed it on home turf bywinning team gold and claiming individual bronze inthe Grand Prix Special.

22 Dansk VarmblodIn retrospect I could have produced moreMichellino foals as he was close to theideal match for my maresDam Lineswith an ImpactThe breeding of Danish Warmblood horses is to a certain extent based on very strong dam lines. Thepower of a strong mare family is passed on from individual to individual and often goes far beyond theother bloodlines of the pedigree. One should never underestimate the importance of influential dam lines.2.Mistral Højris and British Laura Tomlinson won individualbronze at the 2012 Olympics in London.The stallion Lando won individual silver at the 2000 Olympicsin Sydney under the saddle of Dutch Albert Voorn.1. 3.Still BreedingAt the age of 80 Betty Rasmussen has not stoppedbreeding horses. She has fewer horses nowadays butstill likes to get foals every year. Nevertheless, she hasdecided to sell most of her brood mares.When Betty Rasmussen looks back at her career asa breeder she has few regrets, and rightly so. How-ever, in retrospect she says that she could have producedmore Michellino foals as he was close to the idealmatch for her mares.In 2007 Betty Rasmussen was awarded DanishWarmbloods gold medal of honour for her outstandingbreeding and her loyalty to the studbook.1. The dam line of theBritish Jane Gregory’s2008 Olympic mount LuckyStar (above) by Lucky Lighthas produced several internationallysuccessful dressagehorses, one of which isthe Danish team horse forthe 2013 European ChampionshipsFitou L ridden byLone Bang Larsen.2. Swedish Jennie Larsson’s GrandPrix horse Monsieur Højris (above) byMichellino is out of the same mare familyas the British dressage team horse MistralHøjris and the Norwegian dressage teamhorse Tailormade Akon Askelund aswell Madonna Askelund which is on theNorwegian para-dressage team. The damline goes back to the same foundationstock which in Swedish has produced theOlympic mount Björsell’s Briar.3. The dam line of American Heather Blitz’Danish Warmblood Grand Prix horse Paragon(above) by Blue Hors Don Schufro has also producedthe international show jumper Paradiso(Rolf-Göran Bengtsson) and a large number ofGrand Prix dressage horses among which Digby iscurrently the most famous. This line goes back tothe Holsteiner mare Pari whose name has inspiredbreeders for several decades to name their foalsout of this powerful dam line from which many licensedstallions and highly decorated mares derive.

24 Dansk Varmblod20-year-old Oldenburg stallion BlueHors Don Schufro by Donnerhall/Pik Bube I was imported by Blue Horsdirector Esben Møller and presented tothe Danish Warmblood licensing committeeat the age of 5. As a sport athletehe has been the Danish dressage championas well as an Olympic team medallist.His impact on Danish dressagehorse breeding is immeasurable. Hisgreatest contribution to the breedinghas not been to create a stallion line ofhis own but rather to produce dressagehorses of the highest quality, known fortheir superb canter and high legs withgreat reach. Don Schufro has produceda number of outstanding daughters, andhas now established himself in Danishbreeding as an invaluable dam sire.22-year-old Michellino by Michelangelo/Ulft wasthe first KWPN stallion to have major influencein Danish breeding. He was imported by Per Vintersbølleas a 3-year-old. Michellino has producedlicensed stallions and highly decorated mares, butwhat really made him a big name is the endless listof very talented and often hot Grand Prix dressagehorses, and on top of that list is Olympic medallistMistral Højris.Imported as a youngster by John Byrialsen HolsteinerCome Back II by Cor de Bryère/Landgraf Istarted his career as a jumper. Birgitte Byrialsentook Come Back II to international Grand Prixdressage before he was successfully competedby Hubertus Schmidt. The best offspring of thenow 21-year-old stallion have placed him as thecurrently 11th best dressage horse producer inthe world.9-year-old Blue Hors Zack by Rousseau/Jazzis quite young to be mentioned along with suchimportant sires like Michellino, Come Back II andDon Schufro, but nevertheless he has at an earlyage made a distinct impact in Danish breeding. Heis a great example of visionary stallion purchaseas he has proved to be a very suitable match forthe typical long-lined mares with roomy gaits anda supple top line.VisionaryStallion KeepersThe success of a studbook is based on severalkey elements. Skilful breeders, strong mare linesand a functional selection system are threeimportant pillars in the foundation of a studbook.The fourth, and not least important, is visionary stallionkeepers.The build-up of a successful studbook takes severaldecades and through the years of building the foundationDanish stallion keepers have been able to selecthigh quality stallions in Germany to meet the demandfor development and to assist the mare owners in producinga strong breeding stock for the future.Influential Trakehner sires such as Donauwind, Ibikusand Schwadroneur have played an important role inestablishing a true-to-type sport horse in Denmark, ashave the Hanoverian Allegro, the Oldenburger Aleksanderand many others at their time.At an early stage traditions for a noble conformationand appealing basic gaits were established. Thisalso counted for jumpers, and the Danish stallion ownersbecame known to always pick the best lookingand best moving stallions in Holstein. Some had theskills to produce top jumping horse, like Lagano whohas been one of the best sport horse producers inDanish Warmblood’s history. Others, like Limelight,Loran and Leandro, had the conformation and powerto produce talented dressage horses when combinedwith the Danish mares.Nowadays chilled or frozen semen is available fromthe best stallions all over the world, and mare ownersdo not settle for the stallion collection of the neareststation. Nevertheless the stallion keepers still play animportant role in finding promising stallions suitablefor the market.Fortunately for the Danish breeders some of thefinancially strong stallion keepers in Denmark havebeen able to purchase top stallions like Quidam deRevel, Don Schufro and other sought-after sires. In recentyears some of the imported stallions have madeit into the top of the WBFSH Dressage Sire Rankingbased on their top performing Grand Prix offspring.On the current ranking for dressage Blue Hors DonSchufro ranks 7th and Michellino 8th whilst Come BackII takes 11th place. These three stallions are greatexamples of the importance of visionary stallion keepers,and all three of them have been receiving largenumber of mares right from the beginning of their careerwhich is essential for a stallion to become a livinglegend. 22-year-old Come Back II has 1758 registeredoffspring in the Danish database, 21-year-old Michellinohas 1137 registered offspring and 20-year-old BlueHors Don Schufro has 1325.

26 Dansk VarmblodInternationally SuccessfulYoung HorsesAndreas Helgstrand rodeHønnerups Driver by BlueHors Romanov/Blue Hors DonSchufro (B: Stutteri Hønnerup)to Danish Warmblood’sfirst world championship title inVerden when the pair took goldfor 5-year-olds in 2009.Danish Warmblood takes part in the WBFSH’sworld championships for young for dressagehorses in Verden and jumping horses in Lanakenevery yearLong before the first Danish Warmblood horseclaimed a medal at the world championships for youngdressage horses in Verden numerous Danish horses hadmade it to the finals and placed just outside the medals.Several of these – like Milan, Clearwater, Schianto andSopranos – have made it all the way to internationalGrand Prix. Other finalists like Atterupgaards Cassidyand Skovens Rafael are well on their way to Grand Prixand have already been very successful at small tour.Among the medallists Polka Hit Nexen is already aninternationally successful Grand Prix horse and otherslike the two world champions Hønnerups Driver andUNO Donna Unique are well on the way.At the world championships for young jumpinghorses in Lanaken (Zangersheide) the influential DanishWarmblood stallion Lucky Light by Lagano/Marmor(B: Ingrid & Jørgen Schultz) took the Sire of the Worldtitle in 1997. The licensed stallion Cajus was the firstDanish Warmblood to win a young horse medal whenhe claimed bronze as third best 6-year-old in the world.His success was followed up in 2004 when the mareLigitta took silver among the 6-year-olds. Under thename of Frida she has been successful under Mexicanrider Enrique Gonzalez who competed the mare at the2008 Olympics in Hong Kong.The licensed stallion Cajusby Coronado/Lagano (B: KariMunch Christiansen) was thefirst Danish Warmblood towin a medal at the WBFSHworld championship when heclaimed bronze under riderSøren Knudsen as a 6-yearoldat Zangersheide in 2000.

28 Dansk VarmblodMany successful young horses have movedup to the highest level of the sport1.Danish warmblod’s BREEDING COMMITTEEPoul GraugaardSpokesman of thebreeding committeeOle From ChristensenMember of the BreedingCommitteeClaus HansenMember of the BreedingCommittee2. 3.1. In 2004 Ligitta by Come Back II/Limelight(B: Poul Nielsen) won silver amongthe 6-year-olds at Zangersheide ridden byMichael Aabo. Four years later she wascompeted under Mexican flag at the 2008Olympics in Hong Kong.2. As a 6-year-old Polka Hit Nexenby Sandro Hit/Temple Wind xx (B:Hans Jul Andersen) took silver in 2008i Verden ridden by Dorthe S. Hoeck.Under Andreas Helgstrand she has beensuccessful up to Grand Prix.3. The highly successful UNO DonnaUnique by Blue Hors Don Schufro/Falkland(B: Stutteri UNO) took silver as a 5-yearoldin 2009 and won gold as a 6-year-oldin 2010 under Andeas Helgstrand. Themare is now trained up to Grand Prix.Karina ChristiansenBreeding advisorJohnny HansenMember of the BreedingCommittee,showjumpingBjarne NielsenMember of the BreedingCommittee. dressageVilhelmsborg allÉ 1 - DK-8320 Mårslet - Telefon: 87 47 54 00 - varmblod@varmblod.dk - www.varmblod.dk

30 Dansk VarmblodSelecting the best fillyand colt foals bred fordressage or jumping isone of the highlightsat the Elite Show. Bestdressage colt foal 2012Tailormade Attractionis a son of TailormadeAttention whowon the same title fouryears earlier.The Elite ShowMares & foalsBreeding and sport is brought together in onemajor event at the EQUSANA Elite Show whichtakes place every year in early September at theold manor and equestrian centre Vilhelmsborg, theheadquarters of Danish Warmblood.Originally, the event was called the elite mare show,and exclusively focused on selecting the best 3-yearoldmares for the medal awards. About two decadesago it developed to include the best foals and 2-yearoldfillies selected all over the country for the nationalfinals at the elite show. Soon the idea of launching anelite foal auction took the event one step further, andthe latest addition is the Youngster Cup for the mosttalented young sport horses.The elite show has been a popular breeders’ eventfor a number of years, and the very high quality ofauction foals and the talented 3-year-old mares shownunder the saddle have attracted professional ridersand horse dealers from all over the world.This is where young horse dressage world championUNO Donna Unique was a finalist as a foal, a youngfilly and a graded 3-year-old champion mare. She andother outstanding mares like Polka Hit Nexen, TørveslettensStamina, Donna Silver and many more have allshone as promising youngsters at the elite show whereone is sure to find the stars of tomorrow.The exciting medal awards for young mares andnational finals for foals and 2-year-old fillies are all dividedin two sections; dressage and jumping. Alongsidethese breeding events you will find the YoungsterCup for the best young Danish Warmblood registereddressage and jumping horses aged 6-8 years. Amongthem are licensed stallions and highly decorated maresand all of them have been selected according to theirperformances in sport.Breeding and sport is broughttogether in one major eventat Vilhelmsborg

32 Dansk VarmblodIncreasedFocus on1.4.JumpersDanish Warmbloodis now reaping the benefitsof a successful breedingprogramme2.In 2004 the Breeding Committee established theShowjumping Programme with the strategic purposeto systemise and develop the Danish Warmbloodjumping bloodlines and direct the breed into the top10 of the WBFSH studbook ranking.For several decades the Danish Warmblood breedershave been successful in producing high qualitydressage horses, and therefore the Showjumping Programmewas established to assist breeders in focusingtheir efforts in this direction.3.Mares and stallions with generations of outstandingjumping bloodlines in their pedigrees were acceptedto the programme following an application as werehorses which had already proved their extraordinaryquality through their performances. Nowadays theShowjumping Programme counts nearly 800 foals,mares and stallions.With the increasing focus on high performancebreeding of show jumpers in recent years more andmore talented young horses have appeared on theDanish jumping scene. At the international show inFalsterbo the 6-year-old Danish Warmblood stallionNimble claimed the champion title of the FolksamScandinavian Open.– This is one of the most talented youngster I have ever had, and hegives me the feeling that he will go all the way, said Norwegian SteinEndresen after winning the Scandinavien championship for 6-year-oldjumpers at Falsterbo and referred to the noble and energetic DanishWarmblood stallion Nimble by Krake Ask/Crelido (B: Richard Nielsen).4.1. Farrari by Rockland/Willemoes(B: Ann-Marie Kok Therkildsen& Hans Martin Hansen) hasbeen sold to French Eric Navetand has recently been very successfulat Spruce Meadows in Canada.2. 9-year-old Harry-K by EquestCarnute/Robin II Z (B: SørenKnudsen) has been successful atnational and international younghorse championships and hasdeveloped to a promising GrandPrix horse. Under his new Turkishrider Derin Demirsoy he wonthe 23,000EURO Grand Prix atMantes La Jolie this summer.3. The former WBFSH worldchampionship medallist Frida byCome Back II/Limelight (B: PoulNielsen) has travelled the world asa successful show jumper. UnderMexican Enrique Gonzalez thecompeted at the 2008 Olympicsin Hong Kong, the 2009 WorldCup final in Las Vegas and manymore prestigious and internationalevents.4. Chianto by Carano/PrimusAA (B: Annette M. Nielsen) andhis Canadian rider John Pearcemade it all the way to the finalsof the 2010 World EquestrianGames in Kentucky. The now17-year-old Danish Warmbloodis still perferming at the highestlevel and is extremely successfulunder his steady rider John Pearce.The pair has claimed numerousGrand Prix victories in 2013 like the30,000USD Grand Prix in ColoradoHorse Park.

34 Dansk VarmblodChampion stallion Sezuan byBlue Hors Zack / Blue HorsDon Schufro seems to have abright future ahead of him ininternational dressage and asa breeding stallion. He is nowco-owned by German ArletteJasper-Kohl.Danish Top Stallionsfor ExportFor decades Danish Warmblood breeders havebeen building up a good reputation as producersof highly talented sport horses. Danish bred dressagehorses have made it to the biggest internationalchampionships like the World Equestrian Games andthe Olympic Games representing some of the mostcompetitive nations such as UK and the USA.Outstanding Danish dressage horses have marketedDanish Warmblood all over the world and have increasedthe demand for Danish sport horses for export.In recent years the growing success has led toexport of Danish Warmblood breeding stock. For anumber of years good quality broodmares have beenexported to countries like the USA and Norway, andhave contributed to the breeding of quality sporthorses in these countries.A new era has come, and the equestrian world hasopened its eyes to the market of Danish stallions. Someof the heavyweights in sport horse breeding, Germanyand the Netherlands, have realised the potential thatlies in some of the best young stallions which representvery strong Danish dam lines and different bloodlinesfor foreign studbooks.Even though Danish Warmblood has become selfsufficientof breeding stallions, there will be an ongoingrenewal of bloodlines through a continuous importof stallions. The foundation of the Danish breeders’success is to always use the best bloodlines in orderto improve their breeding stock, and this is what producesstallions which are suitable for external markets.Some of the highlights of the recent Danish stallionexports are the two 4-year-old licensing champions,Zonik and Sezuan. Now 5-year-old Zonik won the Danishdressage championship for 4-year-olds under hisformer owner Andreas Helgstrand at the internationalshow in Odense, where he was spotted by the Dutchdressage duo Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud.Their sponsor, Austrian Gaston Glock, purchased theyoung stallion which under the name of Glock’s Zonikis participating at the WBFSH world championships inVerden this year with Hans Peter Minderhoud. Zonikis by Blue Hors Zack and out of a mare by Blue HorsThe breeding stallion UNO Don Diego by Dressage Royal/Falkland(B: Stutteri UNO) is out of the same dam as the 6-year-oldworld champion mare UNO Donna Unique. Trained up to GrandPrix level UNO Don Diego has been sold to the USA.The former contestant at the WBFSH world championships atZangersheide, licensed stallion Lorca V by Louvre S/Pablo (B:Ole Christensen), has been sold to the succesful show jumpersJohannes and Marcus Ehning, Germany.

36 Dansk VarmblodZonik (Glock’s Zonik) by Blue Hors Zack/Blue Hors Romanov was already popular as a 3-year-old when he was part of PaulSchockemöhle’s stallion collection. He became the 4-year-old licensing champion in Herning and later on sold to Austrian Gaston Glock.Romanov / Blue Hors Don Schufro (B: Linette Jæger)and has already produced two crops of promising foalsin Denmark and Germany.The black Sezuan, also by Blue Hors Zack and outof a former Mare of the Year dam by Blue Hors DonSchufro (B: Linette Jæger) and a very strong performancedam line, is still only 4 years old. At the age ofthree his unbelievable rideability and gaits were discoveredby German Arlette Jasper-Kohl who also ownsthe Danish world champion mare UNO Donna Unique.Jasper-Kohl now co-owns the young stallion whichremains in training at Helgstrand Dressage where healso serves his duty as a highly sought-after breedingstallion producing foals all over the world.Stallion AuctionAt the Stallion Licensing every year2nd Saturday of MarchA new era has come, and theworld has opened its eyesto Danish stallionsDanish WarmbloodStallion Auction

38 Dansk VarmblodDanish WarmbloodThe Stallion Showin herning 6-9 MARCH 2014Show classes | Exhibition | Young horse championship | Stallion Licensing | Auction | ClinicsTickets and information at www.varmblod.dk

DWB Top of Europe 2013 - Dansk Varmblod

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