DWB Top of Europe 2013

Danish Warmblood
Top of Europe
TOP STALLIONS FOR EXPORT • INCREASED FOCUSED ON JUMPERS • VISIONARY STALLION KEEPERS • THE GRAND
LADY OF DANISH BREEDING • ATHLETES OF THE 2013 EUROPEANS • THE STALLION SHOW IN HERNING
Elite Foal Auction
Our breeding policy admits the
best genes in the world
Jan Pedersen, president of Dansk Varmblod since 1994
and president of the World Breeding Federation for Sport
Horses since 1999.
Danish Warmblood
S
port horses from the whole world are getting to
be one big family. The stallions, which are most
in vogue, are typically available across borders
and breeding societies. Thus, the most successful societies in the hard competition between breed societies
are the ones with the best mare lines, the most skilful
breeders, the most competent breeding consultants
and the most efficient selection systems.
The Danish Warmblood breeding programme is
based on recent scientific knowledge. In addition we
At the Elite Show every year 2nd Saturday of September
Danish Warmblood Foal Auction
try to keep an open mind so that our breeding policy admits the mare owners to the best genes in the
world – to a high degree through forward-looking Danish stallion owners. That is one of the reasons for the
well-known success of the Danish Warmblood horses
which we would like to introduce to you through this
magazine. I hope you will enjoy reading it!
The logo”The Crown and the Wave”,
which was designed in 1963 by silver smith
Georg Jensen, symbolizes a kingdom
surrounded by water.
Jan Pedersen
President
6
Dansk Varmblod
Excellent
Ambassadors
o f
D a n i s h
H
er Royal Highness Princess Benedikte, patroness of Danish Warmblood and to the World
Breeding Federation for Sport Horses, claims
that in her successful breeding programme good fortune came prior to the knowledge that she has today.
Nevertheless, she and her family at Berleburg have
produced four international Grand Prix horses and
have an interesting collection of young stock.
In 1986 HRH Princess Benedikte took on the task of
being the patroness of Danish Warmblood. In order
to celebrate this the studbook presented the horse
loving Princess with a Danish bred riding horse, the
four-year-old mare Pamina by Sandro / Deadly Nightshade xx which she enjoyed riding for many years.
Later on HRH Princess Benedikte has ridden some of
Pamina’s offspring.
W a r m b l o o d
they have claimed Grand Prix wins at numerous international shows worldwide, they have been Danish
champions, they won Olympic team bronze and they
were last year’s runner-up in the World Cup finals.
16-year-old Digby is still going strong and has been
the most steadily top performing horse on the Danish
team since 2008.
Pamina also produced the Grand Prix horse Mastermind by Master. After the loss of Pamina’s only daughter Day Dream it was much to her owners’ joy that she
eventually had a second daughter, Maxima by Master,
which is one of the broodmares at Berleburg today.
First foal in 1992
Princess Nathalie and HRH Princess
Benedikte only breed their mares
every second year. They enjoy bonding
with new foals like this charming colt by
Negro out of a full sister to the Grand
Prix horse Fabienne.
When they first bred Pamina HRH Princess Benedikte
and Princess Nathalie selected five suitable stallions
from the well-known German stallion book ”Selected
Stallions”, and it appeared that Donnerhall was the only
of the five which was approved for Danish Warmblood.
– We wanted to breed a Danish Warmblood foal,
so the choice was quite simple. It was pure luck that
we chose Donnerhall, as at the time we did not have
much knowledge about breeding, says HRH Princess
Benedikte.
Pamina’s daughter Day Dream by Donnerhall was the
first foal born at Berleburg. She got highly graded in
Danish Warmblood and moved to Sweden along with
the young Princess Nathalie when she went to work
and train with dressage master Kyra Kyrkland. Unfortunately, the talented mare got injured and ultimately
had to be put down.
The combination of Donnerhall and Pamina also
produced Digby which Princess Nathalie has developed into a world class dressage horse. Together
They have three colt foals on the ground at Berleburg this year,
and this well-bred foal by Fürstenball/Don Schufro/Rubinstein
receives a lot attention.
8
Dansk Varmblod
The success of HRH Princess Benedikte’s
and Princess Nathalie’s breeding
programme can no longer be explained
with good luck and fortune
danish warmblood’s main office
Every year at the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing HRH
Princess Benedikte’s special award of honor is given to
someone who has played a remarkable role in the breeding of
sport horses; may it be a stallion, a sport horse or a person.
A second foundation mare
As a token of gratitude for her invaluable work and support Danish Warmblood gave HRH Princess Benedikte
a second mare, Rosienne by Rossi xx / May Sherif. The
mare turned out to be rather hot tempered, and at
Berleburg they decided to only produce two foals out
of Rosienne. Both foals were by Rubinstein, and once
again 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 once
won the Danish championship with Princess Nathalie.
His younger full sister Racine is a strong producing
brood mare, which is the dam of Princess Nathalie’s
Princess Nathalie bonds closely with her performance
horses, and she clearly felt moved at the award ceremony for
her CDI victory with home bred Rigoletto in Aachen in 2009.
latest Grand Prix horse Fabienne by Blue Hors Future
Cup. Racine is also the dam of the promising Dolany by
Blue Hors Don Schufro and several high quality mares
which now comprise the broodmare herd at Berleburg.
The success of HRH Princess Benedikte’s and Princess Nathalie’s breeding programme can no longer be
explained with good luck and fortune. It is inevitably
down to a great sense of horsemanship as well as a
solid knowledge of bloodlines and not least superb
management and training. Danish Warmblood could
not have wished for better ambassadors in breeding
and in sport.
Jan Pedersen
President
Christina b. Lund
project manager
Casper Cassøe Krüth
Executive manager
susanne hvid
project manager
Thomas Bach Jensen
press officer
KARINA CHRISTIANSEN
breeding advisor
lene rasmussen
PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR
Monica forrest
project co-ordinator
BETINA BERWALD
event manager
Lise Willemann
accountant
Vilhelmsborg allÉ 1 - DK-8320 Mårslet - Telefon: 0045 87 47 54 00 - varmblod@varmblod.dk - www.varmblod.dk
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Dansk Varmblod
Athletes of the
2 0 13
E u r o p e a n s
Fourteen Danish Warmblood horses will be representing six countries at the ECCO FEI European
Champions 2013 in dressage and para dressage.
Akeem Foldager
Digby
Born:
2002
Sire:
Akinos
Dam sire: Loran
Breeder: Louise Høgh
Rider:
Andreas Helgstrand/DEN
Born:1997
Sire:Donnerhall
Dam sire:Sandro
Breeder: HRH Princess Benedikte
Rider:
Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein/DEN
Tailormade Akon Askelund
Madonna Askelund
Born:2000
Sire:Akinos
Dam sire: Pari-Ace Dane
Breeder: Poul Flye
Rider:
Ellen Birgitte Farbrot/NOR
Born:2006
Sire:
De Noir
Dam sire: Pari-Ace Dane
Breeder: Poul Flye
Rider:
Ann Cathrin Lübbe/NOR
Carte d’Or
Heiberg
Born:1999
Sire:
Solos Carex
Dam sire: Cannon Row xx
Breeder: Gunnar Bach
Rider:
Camilla Kalseth/NOR
Born:2001
Sire:
Blue Hors Herug
Dam sire:Dwight-East
Breeder: Hanne og Leif Löwe
Rider:
Jens Lasse Dokkan/NOR
Amazing Søndergård
Priors Lady Rawage
Born:2001
Sire:Michellino
Dam sire:Aleksander
Breeder: Lilli Schacht
Rider:
Kamilla Strømsnes/NOR
Born:
1997
Sire:
Rawage Quintus
Dam sire:Lagano
Breeder: Johs. og Linda Orbesen
Rider:
Liselotte Scharff Rosenhart/DEN
Mistral Højris
Smeyer’s Molberg
Born:1995
Sire:Michellino
Dam sire:Ibsen
Breeder: Betty Rasmussen
Rider:
Laura Tomlinson/GBR
Born:2001
Sire:Michellino
Dam sire:Rambo
Breeder: Atterupgaard
Rider:
Marcela Krinke-Susmelj/SUI
Fitou L
Skovlunds Más Guapo
Enggaards Solitaire
Come On
Born:1999
Sire:
Florestan I
Dam sire: May Sherif
Breeder: Karsten Bundgaard
Rider:
Lone Bang Larsen/DEN
Born:1998
Sire:Master
Dam sire: Cannon Row xx
Breeder: Birgitte Jessen
Rider:
Mikaela Lindh/FIN
Born:Sire:
Blue Hors Soprano
Dam sire:Breeder: Lene Holdt Larsen
Rider:
Ricky Balshaw/GBR
Born:2000
Sire:
Come Back II
Dam sire:Sydney
Breeder: Karen Margrethe Jensen
Rider:
Francesca Salvade/ITA
12
Dansk Varmblod
19-year- old Nanna S.
Merrald won the U25 class
at CHIO Aachen aboard her
steady partner Millibar. The
pair is former European freestyle champions.
Double individual gold medal winner
in 2012 as well as in 2013 at the European Championships for junior riders,
Cathrine Dufour and Atterupgaards Cassidy, currently hold the
world record for PSG Freestyle.
A
lthough good looks and three high quality gaits
are important attributes for a dressage horse
the essential feature is rideability.
Both Millibar and Atterupgaards Cassidy are energetic and hot horses, but their willingness to work and
perform have made them stand out on the European
dressage scene for young riders.
19-year-old Nanna Skodborg Merrald has been a
successful dressage rider since her pony days and she
is a six times Danish champion. During her years as a
junior rider she has been very successful with the Danish Warmblood gelding Millibar by Milan/Liberty Dane
(B: Fritz Jensen) which her family purchased for her as a
young horse when Nanna was still a pony rider. With the
help of her trainer she has developed the very rideable
Millibar into a confirmed Grand Prix horse, and she is
already competing at U25 level despite her young age.
With Millibar Nanna has earned several individual
medals and championship titles at national, Nordic and
European level from 2009. In 2010 they came 7th at the
European championships for juniors where they were
on the Danish bronze team. In 2011 the junior team
won silver at the Europeans and Nanna and Millibar
became European champions in freestyle. As a young
rider the pair placed 5th individually at the Europeans
and earned Danish team silver.
Young Riders Shining
o n
D a n i s h
W a r m b l o o d s
Most recently Nanna and Millibar wowed the crowd
at the CHIO Aachen when they won both U25 classes
individually in a strong international field, and also won
the team competition with her fellow rider. Nanna and
Millibar scored 78.475% for their breathtaking freestyle.
Atterupgaards Cassidy by Caprimond/Donnerhall (B:
Atterupgaard) is another highly successful young rider
horse. His talent was early discovered and as a young
horse he competed at the WBFSH world championships in Verden. As a 7-year-old he was purchased by
the parents of junior rider Cathrine Dufour who has had
tremendous success with Cassidy during her years as a
junior and young rider winning Danish, Nordic and European championships. At the Europeans they have an
amazing track record claiming individual silver in 2010
and 2011, and double gold in 2012 and 2013.
Their greatest achievements are four individual gold
medals at the European Championships. In 2012 in
Bern the pair conquered the stage and won gold in
the individual test as well as in the freestyle test. The
pair nailed it again in 2013 at Compiegne and repeated
this outstanding performance winning both individual
titles scoring 83.600% for their freestyle which is the
current world recod. The 10-year-old gelding is ready
for Grand Prix and will move up to U25 classes with
Cathrine next year.
Rideability is the most valuable asset
for a dressage horse
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Dansk Varmblod
Stallions
and magic
The Stallion Show
i n He r n i n g
T
he Stallion Show Licensing in Herning is a yearly
event organised by Danish Warmblod. Attracting more than 56,000 spectators, and covering
more than 20,000 square metres, the multi event includes dressage and jumping classes at the highest
level, young horse championship, stallion licensing
and highly relevant clinics by world star riders. At
the stallion licensing one can spot the future stars of
European sport and breeding scene in dressage as
well show jumping.
The Stallion Show in Herning is without a doubt the
largest of its kind in Europe. The Danish Warmblood
stallion licensing has taken place at the MCH Messecenter Herning since 1980 and has slowly but surely
grown into a solid success which receives wide international attention. It now occupies every single exhibition hall of the centre, which makes it easy for the
spectator to find the right entertainment. There is
always 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 Varmblod
Stallions of the Year
Each year at the National Stallion Show in Herning the coveted prize and title Stallion of the Year
goes to a Danish Warmblood licensed stallion which has proved itself as a particularly strong
progenitor of talented sport horses.
The stallion licensing in Herning has become a major attraction to breeders, stallion keepers, riders and press from all
over the world. This is where future start stallions are first
viewed by an international audience.
These are some of the
programme highlights:
1998
Lucky Light DVE 366
Lagano / Marmor
2006
Michellino DVE 542
Michelangelo / Ulft
1999
Midt-West Ibi-Light DVE 360
Ibikus / Limelight
2007
Blue Hors Hertug DVE 700
Schwadroneur / Donauwind
2000
Schwadroneur DVE 343
Arogno / Ibikus
2008
Casir Ask DVE 497
Cor de la Bryère / Landgraf I
2001
Lando DH 430
Lancier / Raimondo
2009
Cajus DVE 634
Coronado / Lagano
2002
Come Back II DVE 560
Cor de la Bryère / Landgraf I
2010
Blue Hors Don Romantic DVE 801
Blue Hors Don Schufru / Blue Hors Romancier
2003
Blue Hors Don Schufro DVE 690
Donnerhall / Pik Bube I
2011
Blue Hors Romanov DVE 818
Rohdiamant / Grundgold II
2004
Carano DVE 521
Capitol I / Cor de la Bryère
2012
Crelido DVE 752
Calido / Raimondo
2005
Solos Landtinus DVE 674
Landadel / Argentinus
2013
Heartbeat DVE 871
Heartbreaker / 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 fair
Each of the now sixteen stallions of
the year have been portrayed in an oil
painting like Casir Ask in 2008. The
original paintings decorate the offices
of Danish Warmblood at Vilhelmsborg
and the owners of the stallion receive
a framed print copy.
18
Dansk Varmblod
Skovens Rafael was purchased
at the 2004 Elite Foal Auction and
re-sold at the 2007 Spring Auction
as a young licensed stallion. He
is multi dressage champion and
double finalist at the WBFSH
world championships in Verden.
Successful
Auction Purchases
Tailormade Attention was
purchased at the 2008 Elite Foal
Auction as the most expensive foal
to date. He became a premium
stallion and is now successful in
sport as well as breeding.
Many of the foals and young horses acquired at the
Danish Warmblood auctions have grown into competitive
sport horses and desired breeding stallions
Gold medal mare and Danish
5-year-old dressage champion
Donna Silver by Blue Hors Don
Schufro sold at the 2007 Spring
Auction and has developed into
a winning Grand Prix horse currently successful at U25 level.
At the 2010 Spring Auction
Katholts Bossco by Blue Hors
Don Schufro was the most expensive non-licensed stallion. He took
part in the 2013 WBFSH world
championships in Verden.
Møllegårdens Pas Partout by
Don Primero was the price highlight at the 2007 Elite Foal Auction
and has developed into a highly
successful young dressage horse.
The 2011 licensing champion and
performance test champion ERA
Dancing Hit by UNO Don Diego
was purchased at the 2008 Elite
Foal Auction.
D
anish Warmblood does not have agelong traditions for foal or sport horse auctions. The first
foal auction was held in 1989 and in the mid
1990’s the first colt auction was held at the stallion licensing in Herning.
These two auctions have developed into the Spring
Auction held in early March every year in connection
with the stallion licensing in Herning and the Elite Foal
Auction held in six month later in early September at
the yearly elite show at Vilhelmsborg.
The real breakthrough of the Elite Foal Auction came
in 1999 when the Dressage Colt Foal of the year came
under the hammer and sold to Blue Hors. The colt
went on to become stallion licensing champion, performance test winner and young dressage champion.
Blue Hors Don Romantic by Blue Hors Don Schufro/
Blue Hors Romancier (B: Jens Aage Buhl) soon became
a sought-after producer of top foals all over Europe,
but unfortunately his career as an international dressage horse came to an end after a severe injury. However, Blue Hors Don Romantic now carries the label
‘elite stallion’ and received the coveted title Stallion
of the Year in 2010.
Since then several colt foals from the Elite Foal Auction have become successful sires like the premium
stallion Tailormade Attention by Abanos/Bøgelys
Camaro (B: Lone Christiansen), the stallion licensing
champion and performance test winner ERA Dancing
Hit and the premium stallion, dressage champion and
double world championship finalist Skovens Rafael by
Blue Hors Romanov/Blue Hors Don Schufro (B: Jens
L. Pedersen og Kirsten B. Hansen). Zaladin Mi by Blue
Hors Zack/Solos Landtinus (B: Steen Bo Larsen) was
purchased at the Spring Auction as an unlicensed colt,
and one year later he became stallion licensing champion and performance test winner in Sweden.
Several top horses have made their first appearance
in the limelight at the Danish Warmblood auctions and
have then moved on to become internationally known
sport horses, and this does not only count for the dressage horses. The Elite Foal Auction fostered several
successful jumping horses and many highly decorated
mares of strong jumping bloodlines. International
Grand Prix jumpers such as Skovens Cheyenne/MEX,
Landlyst’s Leroy/DEN and Hedegaardens Aslan/RUS
all derive from the Danish Warmblood auctions.
The filly foal Lajgårdens
Chicota was sold at the Elite
Foal Auction in 2007 and in
2011 she became the Jumping
Mare of the Year in Danish
Warmblood.
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Dansk Varmblod
Betty Rasmussen, 80, still
breeds high performing Danish
Warmblood horses and takes
great pleasure in following her
many successful products.
The
Grand
o f
D a n i s h
I
As one of the few
breeders in the world Betty
Rasmussen has succeeded in
breeding not only one Olympic
medal winning horse but
two – one in show jumping
and one in dressage!
n the late 1970’s Betty Rasmussen and her family
decided to sell their riding horses in order to purchase some first class breeding stock. At the time
good broodmares were not easy find, and they were
not cheap either.
Betty found her two dream mares, but they were
hard to get and the sale of their nine riding horses did
not even pay for the two mares Sonita by Marcellus
and Vanessa by Elizar. Both mares were Danish bred,
medal awarded at the Elite Show and out of very strong
Swedish dam lines. Betty knew she had to have them,
and her persistence paid off. Within a few years she
was a highly successful breeder.
The family of Sonita
A daughter of Sonita produced the licensed stallion
Lando by Lancier/Raimondo which became part of the
Dutch show jumping team for the 2000 Olympics in
Sydney. Under Albert Voorn the very expressive Lando
went all the way to the finals where he captured individual silver. Lando continued his international sport
career under German Otto Becker and stood at stud
a couple of seasons at Schockemöhle before he was
successfully introduced into the French studbook of
Selle Français.
Sonita produced numerous highly decorated mares
and successful dressage horses. Her son Ragant by
Raimondo was on the German long list for the 2000
Olympics with Tanja Traupe, and her son Rubinstern
Højris by Rubinstein was a successful Grand Prix horse
in the UK.
B r eed i n g
At the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing in Herning in 2012 the young stallion Zorba Højris by Blue Hors
Zack/Blue Hors Romanov became the young licensing
champion among the dressage colts and went on to
pass the performance test with flying colours. Zorba is
owned by a Danish Grand Prix rider and he represents
fourth generation out of Sonita.
The family of Vanessa
Vanessa is out of the famous Swedish damline “F2
Spinda” which among many top sport horses in dressage as well as show jumping has produced the legendary dressage stallion Briar. The extensive success
of Vanessa in Betty Rasmussen’s breeding programme
goes through her daughter Virginia by Ibsen.
Virginia produced, among several very successful dressage horses, one of the world’s best - Mistral
Højris by Michellino. This spectacular mover was successfully trained by its first owners, Ernst Jessen and
Hasse Hoffmann, up to the highest level before it was
sold to the British young rider Laura Bechtolsheimer,
now Tomlinson.
Mistral (known as Alf) and Laura have won it all. At
the 2010 WEG in Lexington they claimed two individual
silver medals on top of the British team silver medal,
and at the 2011 Europeans in Rotterdam they played
a significant role on the British gold winning team,
and they also claimed individual bronze. At the 2012
Olympics in London they smashed it on home turf by
winning team gold and claiming individual bronze in
the Grand Prix Special.
22
Dansk Varmblod
Dam Lines
with an Impact
In retrospect I could have produced more
Michellino foals as he was close to the
ideal match for my mares
T
he breeding of Danish Warmblood horses is to a certain extent based on very strong dam lines. The
power of a strong mare family is passed on from individual to individual and often goes far beyond the
other bloodlines of the pedigree. One should never underestimate the importance of influential dam lines.
2.
Mistral Højris and British Laura Tomlinson won individual
bronze at the 2012 Olympics in London.
The stallion Lando won individual silver at the 2000 Olympics
in Sydney under the saddle of Dutch Albert Voorn.
Still Breeding
At the age of 80 Betty Rasmussen has not stopped
breeding horses. She has fewer horses nowadays but
still likes to get foals every year. Nevertheless, she has
decided to sell most of her brood mares.
When Betty Rasmussen looks back at her career as
a breeder she has few regrets, and rightly so. How-
ever, in retrospect she says that she could have produced more Michellino foals as he was close to the ideal
match for her mares.
In 2007 Betty Rasmussen was awarded Danish
Warmbloods gold medal of honour for her outstanding breeding and her loyalty to the studbook.
1.
3.
1. The dam line of the
2. Swedish Jennie Larsson’s Grand
British Jane Gregory’s
2008 Olympic mount Lucky
Star (above) by Lucky Light
has produced several internationally successful dressage horses, one of which is
the Danish team horse for
the 2013 European Championships Fitou L ridden by
Lone Bang Larsen.
Prix horse Monsieur Højris (above) by
Michellino is out of the same mare family
as the British dressage team horse Mistral
Højris and the Norwegian dressage team
horse Tailormade Akon Askelund as
well Madonna Askelund which is on the
Norwegian para-dressage team. The dam
line goes back to the same foundation
stock which in Swedish has produced the
Olympic 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 produced the international show jumper Paradiso
(Rolf-Göran Bengtsson) and a large number of
Grand Prix dressage horses among which Digby is
currently the most famous. This line goes back to
the Holsteiner mare Pari whose name has inspired
breeders for several decades to name their foals
out of this powerful dam line from which many licensed stallions and highly decorated mares derive.
24
Dansk Varmblod
20-year-old Oldenburg stallion Blue
Hors Don Schufro by Donnerhall/
Pik Bube I was imported by Blue Hors
director Esben Møller and presented to
the Danish Warmblood licensing committee at the age of 5. As a sport athlete
he has been the Danish dressage champion as well as an Olympic team medallist. His impact on Danish dressage
horse breeding is immeasurable. His
greatest contribution to the breeding
has not been to create a stallion line of
his own but rather to produce dressage
horses of the highest quality, known for
their superb canter and high legs with
great reach. Don Schufro has produced
a number of outstanding daughters, and
has now established himself in Danish
breeding as an invaluable dam sire.
22-year-old Michellino by Michelangelo/Ulft was
the first KWPN stallion to have major influence
in Danish breeding. He was imported by Per Vintersbølle as a 3-year-old. Michellino has produced
licensed stallions and highly decorated mares, but
what really made him a big name is the endless list
of very talented and often hot Grand Prix dressage
horses, and on top of that list is Olympic medallist
Mistral Højris.
T
Visionary
Stallion Keepers
Imported as a youngster by John Byrialsen Holsteiner Come Back II by Cor de Bryère/Landgraf I
started his career as a jumper. Birgitte Byrialsen
took Come Back II to international Grand Prix
dressage before he was successfully competed
by Hubertus Schmidt. The best offspring of the
now 21-year-old stallion have placed him as the
currently 11th best dressage horse producer in
the world.
he success of a studbook is based on several
key elements. Skilful breeders, strong mare lines and a functional selection system are three
important pillars in the foundation of a studbook.
The fourth, and not least important, is visionary stallion keepers.
The build-up of a successful studbook takes several
decades and through the years of building the foundation Danish stallion keepers have been able to select
high quality stallions in Germany to meet the demand
for development and to assist the mare owners in producing a strong breeding stock for the future.
Influential Trakehner sires such as Donauwind, Ibikus
and Schwadroneur have played an important role in
establishing a true-to-type sport horse in Denmark, as
have the Hanoverian Allegro, the Oldenburger Aleksander and many others at their time.
At an early stage traditions for a noble conformation and appealing basic gaits were established. This
also counted for jumpers, and the Danish stallion owners became known to always pick the best looking
and best moving stallions in Holstein. Some had the
skills to produce top jumping horse, like Lagano who
has been one of the best sport horse producers in
Danish Warmblood’s history. Others, like Limelight,
Loran and Leandro, had the conformation and power
9-year-old Blue Hors Zack by Rousseau/Jazz
is quite young to be mentioned along with such
important sires like Michellino, Come Back II and
Don Schufro, but nevertheless he has at an early
age made a distinct impact in Danish breeding. He
is a great example of visionary stallion purchase
as he has proved to be a very suitable match for
the typical long-lined mares with roomy gaits and
a supple top line.
to produce talented dressage horses when combined
with the Danish mares.
Nowadays chilled or frozen semen is available from
the best stallions all over the world, and mare owners
do not settle for the stallion collection of the nearest
station. Nevertheless the stallion keepers still play an
important role in finding promising stallions suitable
for the market.
Fortunately for the Danish breeders some of the
financially strong stallion keepers in Denmark have
been able to purchase top stallions like Quidam de
Revel, Don Schufro and other sought-after sires. In recent years some of the imported stallions have made
it into the top of the WBFSH Dressage Sire Ranking
based on their top performing Grand Prix offspring.
On the current ranking for dressage Blue Hors Don
Schufro ranks 7th and Michellino 8th whilst Come Back
II takes 11th place. These three stallions are great
examples of the importance of visionary stallion keepers, and all three of them have been receiving large
number of mares right from the beginning of their career which is essential for a stallion to become a living
legend. 22-year-old Come Back II has 1758 registered
offspring in the Danish database, 21-year-old Michellino has 1137 registered offspring and 20-year-old Blue
Hors Don Schufro has 1325.
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Dansk Varmblod
Internationally Successful
Yo u n g H o r se s
D
anish Warmblood takes part in the WBFSH’s
world championships for young for dressage
horses in Verden and jumping horses in Lanaken every year
Long before the first Danish Warmblood horse
claimed a medal at the world championships for young
dressage horses in Verden numerous Danish horses had
made it to the finals and placed just outside the medals.
Several of these – like Milan, Clearwater, Schianto and
Sopranos – have made it all the way to international
Grand Prix. Other finalists like Atterupgaards Cassidy
and Skovens Rafael are well on their way to Grand Prix
and have already been very successful at small tour.
Among the medallists Polka Hit Nexen is already an
internationally successful Grand Prix horse and others
like the two world champions Hønnerups Driver and
UNO Donna Unique are well on the way.
At the world championships for young jumping
horses in Lanaken (Zangersheide) the influential Danish Warmblood stallion Lucky Light by Lagano/Marmor
(B: Ingrid & Jørgen Schultz) took the Sire of the World
title in 1997. The licensed stallion Cajus was the first
Danish Warmblood to win a young horse medal when
he claimed bronze as third best 6-year-old in the world.
His success was followed up in 2004 when the mare
Ligitta took silver among the 6-year-olds. Under the
name of Frida she has been successful under Mexican
rider Enrique Gonzalez who competed the mare at the
2008 Olympics in Hong Kong.
The licensed stallion Cajus
by Coronado/Lagano (B: Kari
Munch Christiansen) was the
first Danish Warmblood to
win a medal at the WBFSH
world championship when he
claimed bronze under rider
Søren Knudsen as a 6-yearold at Zangersheide in 2000.
Andreas Helgstrand rode
Hønnerups Driver by Blue
Hors Romanov/Blue Hors Don
Schufro (B: Stutteri Hønnerup) to Danish Warmblood’s
first world championship title in
Verden when the pair took gold
for 5-year-olds in 2009.
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Dansk Varmblod
Many successful young horses have moved
up to the highest level of the sport
Danish warmblod’s BREEDING COMMITTEE
1.
Poul Graugaard
Spokesman of the
breeding committee
2.
1. In 2004 Ligitta by Come Back II/Limelight (B: Poul Nielsen) won silver among
the 6-year-olds at Zangersheide ridden by
Michael Aabo. Four years later she was
competed under Mexican flag at the 2008
Olympics in Hong Kong.
Ole From Christensen
Claus Hansen
Member of the Breeding Member of the Breeding
Committee
Committee
3.
2. As a 6-year-old Polka Hit Nexen
3. The highly successful UNO Donna
by Sandro Hit/Temple Wind xx (B:
Hans Jul Andersen) took silver in 2008
i Verden ridden by Dorthe S. Hoeck.
Under Andreas Helgstrand she has been
successful up to Grand Prix.
Unique by Blue Hors Don Schufro/Falkland
(B: Stutteri UNO) took silver as a 5-yearold in 2009 and won gold as a 6-year-old
in 2010 under Andeas Helgstrand. The
mare is now trained up to Grand Prix.
Karina Christiansen
Breeding advisor
Johnny Hansen
Member of the Breeding
Committee,
showjumping
Bjarne Nielsen
Member of the Breeding
Committee. dressage
Vilhelmsborg allÉ 1 - DK-8320 Mårslet - Telefon: 87 47 54 00 - varmblod@varmblod.dk - www.varmblod.dk
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Dansk Varmblod
The Elite Show
Selecting the best filly
and colt foals bred for
dressage or jumping is
one of the highlights
at the Elite Show. Best
dressage colt foal 2012
Tailormade Attraction is a son of Tailormade Attention who
won the same title four
years earlier.
M a r e s
B
reeding and sport is brought together in one
major event at the EQUSANA Elite Show which
takes place every year in early September at the
old manor and equestrian centre Vilhelmsborg, the
headquarters of Danish Warmblood.
Originally, the event was called the elite mare show,
and exclusively focused on selecting the best 3-yearold mares for the medal awards. About two decades
ago it developed to include the best foals and 2-yearold fillies selected all over the country for the national
finals at the elite show. Soon the idea of launching an
elite foal auction took the event one step further, and
the latest addition is the Youngster Cup for the most
talented young sport horses.
The elite show has been a popular breeders’ event
for a number of years, and the very high quality of
auction foals and the talented 3-year-old mares shown
under the saddle have attracted professional riders
and horse dealers from all over the world.
&
f o a l s
This is where young horse dressage world champion
UNO Donna Unique was a finalist as a foal, a young
filly and a graded 3-year-old champion mare. She and
other outstanding mares like Polka Hit Nexen, Tørveslettens Stamina, Donna Silver and many more have all
shone as promising youngsters at the elite show where
one is sure to find the stars of tomorrow.
The exciting medal awards for young mares and
national finals for foals and 2-year-old fillies are all divided in two sections; dressage and jumping. Alongside these breeding events you will find the Youngster
Cup for the best young Danish Warmblood registered
dressage and jumping horses aged 6-8 years. Among
them are licensed stallions and highly decorated mares
and all of them have been selected according to their
performances in sport.
Breeding and sport is brought
together in one major event
at Vilhelmsborg
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Dansk Varmblod
1.
Increased
Focus on
4.
Jumpers
2.
Danish Warmblood
is now reaping the benefits
of a successful breeding
programme
I
n 2004 the Breeding Committee established the
Showjumping Programme with the strategic purpose
to systemise and develop the Danish Warmblood
jumping bloodlines and direct the breed into the top
10 of the WBFSH studbook ranking.
For several decades the Danish Warmblood breeders have been successful in producing high quality
dressage horses, and therefore the Showjumping Programme was established to assist breeders in focusing
their efforts in this direction.
3.
Mares and stallions with generations of outstanding
jumping bloodlines in their pedigrees were accepted
to the programme following an application as were
horses which had already proved their extraordinary
quality through their performances. Nowadays the
Showjumping Programme counts nearly 800 foals,
mares and stallions.
With the increasing focus on high performance
breeding of show jumpers in recent years more and
more talented young horses have appeared on the
Danish jumping scene. At the international show in
Falsterbo the 6-year-old Danish Warmblood stallion
Nimble claimed the champion title of the Folksam
Scandinavian Open.
4.
– This is one of the most talented youngster I have ever had, and he
gives me the feeling that he will go all the way, said Norwegian Stein
Endresen after winning the Scandinavien championship for 6-year-old
jumpers at Falsterbo and referred to the noble and energetic Danish
Warmblood stallion Nimble by Krake Ask/Crelido (B: Richard Nielsen).
1. Farrari by Rockland/Willemoes (B: Ann-Marie Kok Therkildsen & Hans Martin Hansen) has
been sold to French Eric Navet
and has recently been very successful at Spruce Meadows in Canada.
2. 9-year-old Harry-K by Equest
Carnute/Robin II Z (B: Søren
Knudsen) has been successful at
national and international young
horse championships and has
developed to a promising Grand
Prix horse. Under his new Turkish
rider Derin Demirsoy he won
the 23,000EURO Grand Prix at
Mantes La Jolie this summer.
3. The former WBFSH world
championship medallist Frida by
Come Back II/Limelight (B: Poul
Nielsen) has travelled the world as
a successful show jumper. Under
Mexican Enrique Gonzalez the
competed at the 2008 Olympics
in Hong Kong, the 2009 World
Cup final in Las Vegas and many
more prestigious and international
events.
4. Chianto by Carano/Primus
AA (B: Annette M. Nielsen) and
his Canadian rider John Pearce
made it all the way to the finals
of the 2010 World Equestrian
Games in Kentucky. The now
17-year-old Danish Warmblood
is still perferming at the highest
level and is extremely successful
under his steady rider John Pearce.
The pair has claimed numerous
Grand Prix victories in 2013 like the
30,000USD Grand Prix in Colorado
Horse Park.
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Dansk Varmblod
Champion stallion Sezuan by
Blue Hors Zack / Blue Hors
Don Schufro seems to have a
bright future ahead of him in
international dressage and as
a breeding stallion. He is now
co-owned by German Arlette
Jasper-Kohl.
Danish Top Stallions
for Export
F
or decades Danish Warmblood breeders have
been building up a good reputation as producers
of highly talented sport horses. Danish bred dressage horses have made it to the biggest international
championships like the World Equestrian Games and
the Olympic Games representing some of the most
competitive nations such as UK and the USA.
Outstanding Danish dressage horses have marketed
Danish Warmblood all over the world and have increased the demand for Danish sport horses for export. In recent years the growing success has led to
export of Danish Warmblood breeding stock. For a
number of years good quality broodmares have been
exported to countries like the USA and Norway, and
have contributed to the breeding of quality sport
horses in these countries.
A new era has come, and the equestrian world has
opened its eyes to the market of Danish stallions. Some
of the heavyweights in sport horse breeding, Germany
and the Netherlands, have realised the potential that
lies in some of the best young stallions which represent
very strong Danish dam lines and different bloodlines
for foreign studbooks.
Even though Danish Warmblood has become selfsufficient of breeding stallions, there will be an ongoing renewal of bloodlines through a continuous import
of stallions. The foundation of the Danish breeders’
success is to always use the best bloodlines in order
to improve their breeding stock, and this is what produces stallions which are suitable for external markets.
Some of the highlights of the recent Danish stallion
exports are the two 4-year-old licensing champions,
Zonik and Sezuan. Now 5-year-old Zonik won the Danish dressage championship for 4-year-olds under his
former owner Andreas Helgstrand at the international
show in Odense, where he was spotted by the Dutch
dressage duo Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud.
Their sponsor, Austrian Gaston Glock, purchased the
young stallion which under the name of Glock’s Zonik
is participating at the WBFSH world championships in
Verden this year with Hans Peter Minderhoud. Zonik
is by Blue Hors Zack and out of a mare by Blue Hors
The breeding stallion UNO Don Diego by Dressage Royal/Falkland (B: Stutteri UNO) is out of the same dam as the 6-year-old
world champion mare UNO Donna Unique. Trained up to Grand
Prix level UNO Don Diego has been sold to the USA.
The former contestant at the WBFSH world championships at
Zangersheide, licensed stallion Lorca V by Louvre S/Pablo (B:
Ole Christensen), has been sold to the succesful show jumpers
Johannes and Marcus Ehning, Germany.
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Dansk Varmblod
Zonik (Glock’s Zonik) by Blue Hors Zack/Blue Hors Romanov was already popular as a 3-year-old when he was part of Paul
Schockemöhle’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 foals
in Denmark and Germany.
The black Sezuan, also by Blue Hors Zack and out
of a former Mare of the Year dam by Blue Hors Don
Schufro (B: Linette Jæger) and a very strong performance dam line, is still only 4 years old. At the age of
three his unbelievable rideability and gaits were discovered by German Arlette Jasper-Kohl who also owns
the Danish world champion mare UNO Donna Unique.
Jasper-Kohl now co-owns the young stallion which
remains in training at Helgstrand Dressage where he
also serves his duty as a highly sought-after breeding
stallion producing foals all over the world.
A new era has come, and the
world has opened its eyes
to Danish stallions
Stallion Auction
At the Stallion Licensing every year
2nd Saturday of March
Danish Warmblood
Stallion Auction
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Dansk Varmblod
Danish Warmblood
The Stallion Show
i n her n i n g 6 - 9 M A R C H 2 0 1 4
Show classes | Exhibition | Young horse championship | Stallion Licensing | Auction | Clinics
Tickets and information at www.varmblod.dk