63HQ 15-40.indd - The Majestic Knabstrupper Stud

S T U D FA R M
TEXT: JANET STEVENS PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHANN THERON
THE TOP SPOT
HQ visits The Majestic Knabstrupper and
Painted Appaloosa studs, in the Overberg
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From right to left): Painted Mosaic (2008 Appaloosa Sport Horse filly, bay near leopard, by Alpha Waps Pistachio
out of Nightingales Blue Doll); Painted Black Pearl Rock (2008 Appaloosa Sport Horse filly, black near leopard, by
Peyres Executive Rock (French Imp) out of Nightingales Terracotta); Painted Victoria’s Secret (2009 Appaloosa filly,
black near leopard, by Kondos Eagle Vision out of Thunder Mary Lou) and Sartor Phasmina (2009 KNN Mainbook
Knabstrupper Sport Horse filly, chestnut leopard, by Sir Donnerhall out of Amaline)
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S T U D FA R M
A
fter several years of successfully
breed i ng Appa loosa a nd
Appaloosa Sport Horses, Marna
Smith, an Animal Scientist
with an MSc in Quantitative Genetics and
Owner of The Painted Appaloosa Stud, became
obsessed with breeding the ‘perfect’ coloured
sport horse, by means of genetic principles.
Marna concluded, after studying animal
breeding, that the Knabstrupper, which
had attained extremely high achievements
throughout the major equine disciplines in
Europe, could offer a solid genetic base for
both performance and colour. So that Marna
can reach this high performance level, she has
imported South Africa’s first KNN approved
Knabstruppers.
HQ magazine went along to Marna’s
Hoekplaas Farm, near Botrivier, in the
Overberg, now also The Majestic Knabstrupper
Stud, to find out more about this breed.
What are the physical traits of
a Knabstrupper?
It is very difficult to describe this majestic
breed; only by seeing them can you fully
understand their appeal. There are two
categories of Knabstrupper. The elegant,
baroque type has an expressive head, large
eyes set widely apart, and a pronounced nose,
with the lower jaw being broad and defined.
They have a well-balanced build, with good
depth and breadth and are 15.3hh+. The Sport
horse is more refined; 16 to 17hh and looks
like the modern European Warmblood.
Describe the Knabstrupper’s temperament
They are full of character; very friendly,
expressive, clever, trusting, placid – they
aren’t spooky. My two Knabstrupper fillies
will separate from my herd of Appaloosas,
come to me, and put their heads down on the
ground so that I can scratch their ears, which
is very unusual behaviour for horses.
Which of the Knabstrupper’s physical
attributes do you consider most important?
The Knabstruppers come from a long line of
dressage breeding, particularly of Spanish
origin. I look for a horse that moves well,
which means that it must have a certain
conformation. Knabstruppers move very
extravagantly, putting a lot of effort into
every step.
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THE PAINTED APPALOOSAS
We couldn’t ignore Marna’s Appaloosas, so we asked her for a brief
résumé about them too.
Qualities: Extremely clever, sure-footed with good movement, very hardy
with good resistance to parasites. Proven ability in jumping and dressage.
Temperament: Strong-willed.
Physical attributes: There are many different types, but I prefer the older
Spanish, baroque-lineage type, with a more refined look. Height 16hh+.
Breeding goals: I like a pretty, tall, athletic, balanced horse. I have two
programmes; I breed Appaloosa Sport horses to sell to people to compete
in dressage and jumping and I breed my core herd of pure Appaloosas for
future breeding stock. I select my mares for mothering ability, rideability,
height, movement, good straight conformation and a good mane and tail
– then I cross them with a proven warmblood lineage for either dressage
or jumping. The resulting foals will outperform their parents. I mostly
follow one dam line and then find top international sires, to produce top
quality foals. To keep my mares in good physical shape and to ensure
rideability as well as good health, I ride them up until they are nine months
pregnant. There is no performance testing done on Appaloosas, so we
don’t know which line is good for which discipline. I would like stallions
to be licensed, so that the lines can be improved for performance. I love
my Appaloosas and I feel I can make a difference by breeding a horse
that can stand his ground in any arena.
Selling: I have been breeding Appaloosas for 11 years and Appaloosa
Sport horses for four years. I sell Appaloosa Sport horse foals, for
competing, at the same price as good Warmblood foals. I used to sell
youngsters for other people to bring on, but I now school most of them on
the farm, where I can train them in a relaxed environment. I then know that
the foal has had a solid foundation on which to build further schooling.
KNN Mainbook Knabstrupper Sport Horse filly, Sartor Phasmina (chestnut leopard,
standing at 16.2hh, by Sir Donnerhall out of KNN mainbook mare Amaline)
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S T U D FA R M
Warmblood mare, M.O.T Granella by Gran Fernando (German Imp) with her 2011 black spotted blanket Appaloosa Sport
Horse filly by Peyres Executive Rock (French imported homozygous 93% foundation-bred Appaloosa)
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2009 black near leopard Appaloosa Sport Horse filly, Painted
Victoria’s Secret (by Kondos Eagle Vision out of Thunder Mary Lou)
They also exhibit ‘uphill’ conformation, as
they are lifted in front, so collection comes
naturally to them. Straight legs and good feet
come as standard.
Why do Knabstruppers make excellent
competition horses?
They are not fazed by anything and they are
extremely clever. They will be the same horse
that you have at home in your dressage arena,
as the one you take to a show. Jumping lines
have been identified in the Knabstruppers
to the level of 9.5 – as good as international
Warmbloods.
What are you hoping to achieve with your
breeding of Knabstruppers?
I want to breed something different that
stands out. I looked for a breed that had a
well-established, genetic base. Knabstruppers
have been selected for a high level of talent
over many generations. The probability of
breeding something good out of such stock
is therefore so much higher. Competitive
riders tend to overlook the performance of
coloured horses, as they come from a mixed
lineage. The Knabstrupper is very popular
in Europe, and I’m sure it will also become
popular in South Africa, as it offers so much –
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it has colour, a special character and is suitable
for any rider.
I want to do embryo transfers to my
Appaloosa carrier mares, who are hardy
and experienced mothers, so that I can try to
produce additional foals. But I don’t want to do
mass production, which is why I bought from
top quality Warmblood Knabstrupper lines,
which avoids inbreeding and will produce
top quality foals. Due to their qualities,
Knabstruppers are very expensive horses, but
you will always pay for a good quality horse.
What are Knabstruppers’ rideability
ratings?
Very high – 8 to 9.5 – which is a huge
advantage when competing.
What is KNN?
K N N is the mother st udbook for
Knabstruppers. Each registered horse will
receive a KNN number and passport with
microchip or ‘K’ branding. To receive a
breeding license, Knabstruppers must pass
a performance test, including rideability,
dressage, jumping, and endurance as well as
an in-hand evaluation for conformation traits
and absence of other unwanted traits like rat
tail, grey gene and blue eyes.
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S T U D FA R M
KNN Mainbook
Knabstrupper Sport
Horse filly, Sartor
Danish Design (bay
leopard standing at
16.2hh, born in 2009,
by Sir Donnerhall out
of KNN mainbook
mare Lea)
Explain some of the genetic analysis
involved in breeding Knabstuppers
Generally in South Africa, we do not realise
the potential of genetic analysis in order to
estimate breeding values, and we are therefore
not implementing important principles in
our breeding programmes. Most breeding
is based on ‘what we see’ and not based on
the additive component that we don’t see. No
wonder we are net importers of performance
horses! In Europe, performance testing has
become a very important factor, which enables
a breeder to select a breeding animal based on
its breeding value for a certain trait. The more
information available about its offspring and
relatives, the more accurately the breeding
value can be predicted for producing the
required trait in the resulting offspring.
The coat patterns of the Knabstrupper are
a product of the Leopard complex (Lp) gene,
which produces mottled skin, striped hooves
and white sclera – also known as the ‘human
eye’. The effect of the Lp gene on a horse’s
coat is a command to be white. The level of
pattern on a horse is affected by the horse’s
base coat colour – for example black, chestnut
or bay. Although all Knabstruppers have a
unique coat pattern, there are basic patterns,
which range from bold leopard spot to just a
little roaning and, of course, there are solidcoloured horses. The Lp gene always carries
the roaning effect, varying from a few hairs to
outright body roaning. Horses born with two
Lp genes are called fewspot or whiteborn and
they can range from pure white to just having
a few white hairs and will usually only have a
few spots or none at all. They also usually have
striped hooves, which help to identify them.
Colour is easier to select for and relatively
easy to add on. However, performance
is governed by more than one gene and
increases the difficulty of selecting for these
genes. Through genetics, we can also breed
for resistance to disease and low worm counts.
How did you choose your Knabstuppers?
I visited the 2010 World Congress on Genetics,
Applied to Livestock Production, in Leipzig,
Germany. I then spent a month travelling by
train to most of the renowned Knabstrupper
studs throughout Europe, as well as attending
grading shows, which gave me a feel for the
breed and an appreciation of its capability of
performance. One Knabstrupper that really
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2008 Appaloosa Sport Horse filly standing at 16hh, Painted Mosaic (by Alpha Waps Pistachio out of Nightingales Blue Doll)
Palomino snowcap Appaloosa mare, Vixenvale Foreign Affair
(standing at 16.3hh) and a black leopard Appaloosa mare,
Painted Pure Image (right)
2011 chestnut lace
blanket Appaloosa
Sport Horse filly,
Painted Sandy (by
Peyres Executive Rock
out of Mayfair (SAWHS
inspected mare
with a premium for
movement)
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stood out was the famous Zanko, a stallion
that achieved multiple gold medals at the
World Para Dressage Championships in
Athens, under the guidance of his Norwegian
rider Anne Lubbe.
My dream of owning Knabstruppers
became a reality when I bought two fillies
and a colt. My fillies are Sport Horse types
and will reach 17hh+. Danish Design, a bay
leopard, is a once-in-a lifetime horse and so
special that I just had to have her, regardless
of cost. As a yearling, she was already a beauty
and perfect in every way. I saw thousands of
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S T U D FA R M
(Top) Like the Knabstruppers, Marna’s Appaloosas are also selected for their sport performance ability
(Left) KNN Mainbook Knabstrupper Sport Horse filly, Sartor Danish Design, showing her strong canter
horses during my trip to Europe, even some
chosen for the elite auction, and out of all
of them, I concluded that Danish Design
was my best possible choice and there was
NOTHING that could match her. She is
elegant, tall, has perfect conformation and
uphill movement, moves like a ballerina
and has an exceptional temperament and
an amazing pedigree. She is by the world
famous Sir Donnerhall (Sandro Hit, Sandro
Song, Donnerhall, Donnerwetter, Ramino,
Ramiro Z, Flemming) out of a very attractive,
super-bred, graded, Knabstrupper leopard
mare, named Lea (by the well-known stallion
Rasmus Af Hallundbaek). Sir Donnerhall is
rated very highly, with a dressage breeding
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value of 166 and a reliability of 96%! This filly
will definitely have superior rideability as her
parents and grandparents mainly achieved
9-10 for this trait!
I was so pleased with Danish Design that
I also bought her half sister, Pashmina,
a chestnut leopard filly, also sired by Sir
Donnerhall out of a purebred Knabstrupper
mare Ameline (by Ravaldi). Ameline also
relates back to the very famous Knabstrupper
bloodline of Don Ibrahim, the sire of Zanko.
It is not often that you will find performance
lines like this, already combined with colour,
forming the starting point for a breeding
programme.
Because I strongly believe in genetic diversity,
I bought a young, baroque-type colt, Amadeus,
to fit the two fillies. Amadeus, a black leopard,
is a purebred Knabstrupper with the most
influential Danish and German Knabstrupper
lines of all time. He also relates back to very
good Warmblood lines that include Royal Z II.
A Grand Prix jumper in his own right, Royal
Z II has sired both top-performing dressage
horses and show jumpers globally. Amadeus
is by the famous Upal van Horholm (by Ursus
Norholm), the only Knabstrupper stallion to
receive a distinction in the 70-day performance
test against all other breeds, and winner of the
2001 approval test. He received a remarkable
9.5 for jumping ability and mostly 8.5 and 9’s for
the other traits. His dam, a magnificent KNN
mare named Nicole, also relates back to some of
the most influential Knabstrupper lines.
In these three horses, I have got exceptional
Knabstrupper lineage – in combination with
our modern Warmblood breeding of today,
perfected through generations. The result is
a modern, intelligent, noble, colourful horse;
full of character, who will impress anywhere.
I would like to give a very special thank you
to Ruth of Sartor Stud for her capability as a
breeder and for providing me with such good
horses and service until the very end.
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