CHI Geneva showcases Swiss sport horse breeding

Switzerland (by Helga Eppler) The Swiss Warmblood Breeding Association was brilliantly showcased during the renowned CHI-W Geneva (December 8-11) in the magnificent Palexpo venue by presenting a special class for seven-year-olds under the saddles of world-class riders to an international public. Also, the top ten from the recently held Swiss Breed Classic for three-year-olds could compete again in free-jumping in front of a large and enthusiastic audience.

The organizers once again successfully integrated the Youngsters’ Tour, providing the opportunity for interna- tional riders to compete with their young talents in a special class for six- to seven- year-olds.

Rotation test

CHI Geneva organizers pro- posed a rotation class with four international riders competing with four seven- year-old Swiss-bred horses. Each rider competed with-
each of the four horses, pro- viding a commentary with their impressions of the in- dividual horses’ qualities. This was one more great platform for CH breeding and a very interesting com- petition for the spectators.....

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Elite showcase

DENMARK (by Jean Llewellyn/press release) The Danish Warmblood PAVO Elite Show took place September 9-11 at Vilhelmsborg, Aarhus, and hosted the national finals for DWB foals, two-year- old fillies and newly graded mares.

Out of the 51 mares decorated with breeder medals, 28 mares were awarded with bronze, 16 achieved silver, whilst seven mares were selected for the championship ring and received gold medals.

The champion dressage mare of the year was Prima Donna (Blue Hors Don Ro- mantic x Andiamo), bred by Birgitte Hofmeister and owned by dressage international Andreas Helgstrand. The mare earned a maximum mark of 10 no fewer than four times, and the judges applauded the rarely seen high quality that indi- cated her international capacity. Prima Donna is extremely supple and has three outstanding gaits. She achieved the highest under-saddle score of all the dressage mares. This mare was shown by Anna Blomgren and is a daughter of the silver medal mare Antoinette who has represented Danish Warmblood at the World Championship for Young Horses in Verden.

Bøgegårdens Quintana (Bøgegårdens Quidam x Bøgegårdens Capello) became the champion jumping mare of the year, bred and owned by Stina and Jørgen Schmidt. She was described by the judges as a “long- legged and large-framed mare with extremely supple top line, outstanding canter and excellent jumping abilities.” She achieved the highest score of all jumping mares under saddle. The Schmidt family also bred both of this mares parents at their stud farm in Bøgegården....

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Arena of excellence at Lanaken championship

BELGIUM (by Jo de Roo) Once again, the showjumping edition of the World Breeding Championship for Young Horses took place at Domein Zangersheide in Lanaken, concluding September 25. In total 58 horses qualified for the five-year- old final which saw 35 proceed to the jump-off. Among the top 20 in the final ranking were three descendants of Chacco Blue, but the Belgian Warmblood mare, Gladys (Wandor van de Mispelaere - Caprice x Toulon) celebrated victory.

Martin Huysmans bred Gladys, who was ridden by Yves Vanderhasselt. Following the prize-giving, her rider declared, “I knew that I had a fast and competitive horse, but also that it wouldn’t be easy to win. I have been riding Gladys for the past three months. One month ago I rode her during the Belgian championship for young horses in Gesves and qualified for the final in which I only had one fault. It is the first time that I have won a world championship in Lanaken. I’m very happy.”

Gladys’s sire, Wandor van de Mispelaere (Landor S - Sister Pleasure x For Pleas- ure) was bred by well-known Joris Vermeulen from Stoeterij de Mispelaere based in Maldegem, Belgium.
German rider Rene Tebbel and Cafe’s Champus ranked second. Cafe’s Champus’s sire is Cafe au Lait (Con- tender - Diamila x Diadem). whil the dam provides a combination of Calido I (Cantus - Baroness VIII x Coriander) and the legendary Grannus (Graphit - Odessa x Ozean [Trak]) in his pedigree. Bred by Hildegard Kuhlmann, Tebbel has been riding Cafe’s Champus for only two-and-a-half months. “Three weeks ago this approved stallion finished fourth in the German Bun- deschampionate in Warendorf.” The 42-year-old Tebbel concluded by saying “Café’s Champus is very careful and a real fighter.”...

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Multi-national honours at Europeans

SPAIN (by Helga Eppler) The 31st FEI European Jumping Championship was held at Club de Campo Villa in Madrid, Spain, September 13-18 when Germany took team gold for the seventh time, ahead of France and Great Britain in an exciting second round of competition. Disappointment for The Netherlands who dropped to fourth. Sweden’s Rolf-Göran Bengtsson won the individual title with Ninja La Silla (Guidam - Olympica x Lys de Darmen) and, once again, Germany and Britain claimed medals, respectively: silver for Carsten-Otto Nagel and Corradina (Corrado I - Elsafina x Sandro), and a second bronze for Nick Skelton aboard Carlo (Contender - Gunda IV x Cascavelle).

Major changes followed the first round of the team competition when the French were unable to maintain the lead they’d achieved during the first day’s speed class (with pointing carrying for- ward). The Dutch, however, moved to the top with three year rounds, ahead of team Germany.
The second round therefore became a battle for the medals, although Germany had an unassailable lead following impeccable performances from their first three riders. In fact, when Janne- Friederike Meyer crossed the finish line with one time fault riding Cellagon Lambrasco (Libero - Fabia x Coriolan) she had no idea her round had secured team gold.

The Dutch, French and British teams meanwhile had to fight for the remaining medals. An untidy round from Britain’s John Whitaker riding the KWPN stallion Peppermill (Burggraaf - Litaire x Voltaire) resulted in two faults, but retained the bronze medal position. Frenchman Oliver Guillon and the Selle Français gelding Lord de Theize (Donald Rouge II - Elisa de Theize x Tolbiac des Halles) had one fault and held onto silver. Fi- nally, Dutchman Jeroen Dubbeldam riding BMC Van Grunsven, a son of his former international stallion Mr. Blue, out of Naline (Poly- dox) needed to jump clear to move into the silver medal position, but the pressure was too much. An unlucky two faults faults denied his team a medal in an extremely close-fought competition.

“We’ve had a really exciting three days, so far,” said Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum who has now collected four team gold and two individual medals at the European Championships during his long and successful career. “Yesterday we thought Holland would win because they looked so dominant and so strong, but this competition was open right to the end. Because of good course building we ended up having great sport.”....

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Swiss-bred champions

SWITZERLAND by Helga Eppler) The traditional championships of the CH Sport Horse Breeding Association for jumping, dressage and foals took place mid September at the huge IENA (Institut Equestre National Avenches) facility and the National Stud of Avenches. Sadly, heavy overnight rainfall that continued through the last morning swamped the competiton rings and the jumping finals had to be cancelled, except for the five year olds who completed on Saturday.

Therefore, the best from the preceding days’ qualifying classes were awarded as champions. Suffering less as a result of the rain, the dressage finals all concluded.

For the four-year-old jumping division, there were 23 faultless rounds (no time penalties for this group), and therefore 23 champions, including three by Swiss-bred sires. The mare Baikal III CH is by Karondo v. Schlösslihof CH (Karacondo - Caletta v. Schlösslihof CH x Cor- leone), the sires world cham- pion of 2005, out of Briscola x d’Artoire, and was ridden by Christoph Strobel. A gelding, Lykus du Pre Mo CH, is by Crokus CH (Comet A.S. FL CH - Blagueuse CH x Larzac II), a former cham- pion himself at this same age. Lykus is out of Lysandra (Lysander) and was ridden by Philippe Studer.

Competing with Jackeym Studer, another mare, Oceane du Droit CH by Comet A.S. Fl CH (Cockney II - Retina CH x Godewind) also carries Karacondo blood via her dam Oranie. Cockney II, the mare’s grand-sire was successful in international Grand Prix with Swiss Rudolf Letter, but was sold by co-owners Philipp and Alois Seiler to American Beezie Madden. Although the stallion died early from a blood disease, the Seilers had frozen semen remaining that was used with their mare Retina, producing the stallion Comet. Interestingly, Comet and his son Crokus CH each had offspring among the 23 champions.....

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