VOLTAIRE (FURIOSO II X GOTTHARD)

The highest level, that is what breeding is all about. But of all the foals born in a year, only a small amount will perform at the top. Character, attitude, health, a functional conformation, environmental factors and the right package of jumping genes ensure that a horse does or does not achieve the highest achievable in show jumping. Every year, you, as a breeder, make a well- considered stallion choice and you can only hope that it turns out as you intended. A jumping horse comes from a jumper is a frequently heard statement. But is that also the case? We did the research.

The KWPN is known as the studbook with the strictest stallion selection policy. To be approved as a stallion at the KWPN, he always takes part in the performance test. But what are the results of these stallions? Do they indeed produce the better show jumpers? To answer this, we have looked at all KWPN registered offspring that are classified at a minimum level of 1.50m or higher and are offspring of a KWPN approved stallion. 2,151 KWPN horses fall into this category. Their sports ranking is official when a horse has completed a course at that level with a maximum of 4 penalties. The KWPN approved stallions from our analysis are up to 30 years old, born in 1990 or later. This concerns 417 stallions, 194 of which have at least one descendant who performed at 1.50m level or higher.

Indoctro in the lead

The 30-year-old Preferent stallion Indoctro is proud to lead with 207 KWPN offspring who have jumped or jump at a minimum of 1.50m. Followed by the Preferent Numero Uno with 117, Andiamo with 65, the Preferent Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve with 60 and the Keur stallion Indorado with 58 offspring at 1.50m or higher. The youngest stallion in the ranking with the most offspring at 1.50m level or higher is Verdi.

1. Indoctro – 207
2. Numero Uno – 117
3. Andiamo – 65
4. Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve – 60
5. Indorado – 58
6. Lupicor – 56
7. Verdi and Oklund – 53
8. Berlin – 51
9. Cantos – 47
10. Namelus R – 44

Main suppliers in relation to number of foals

If we compare the number of offspring that jump at 1.50m or higher against the total number of registered offspring, a completely different top 5 emerges. Looking at the stallions that have produced at least ten offspring who jump 1.50m or higher, Hors La Loi II leads the way. He scores 41 descendants at 1.50m and higher from 386 descendants (10.6%). One of them is, for example, his KWPN-approved son Untouchable who jumped at the highest level under Daniel Deusser. This stallion is in eighth place in the same ranking.

1. Hors La Loi II and Andiamo – 6%
2. Oklund – 1%
3. Kenwood – 7%
4. Berlin and Gran Corrado – 2%
5. Padinus – 1%
6. Cantos – 7%
7. Manhattan – 6%
8. Untouchable – 5%
9. Kojak – 9%
10. Indoctro, Larino and Lupicor – 8%

Separate ranking for young stallions

The youngest horses classified at 1.50m or higher level are eight years old. Suppose they were sired by a young stallion, that is to say a stallion up to eight years old at the time of mating, this stallion should have been born in 2003 or later. Because the majority of the offspring of the stallions is still too young to jump at 1.50m, they do not appear in the aforementioned ranking. We have made a separate ranking for this group of relatively young stallions, see table 3. At the top is Bacardi VDL, who himself performs at the highest level, previously under Jannika Sprunger and nowadays under Edwina Alexander-Tops. He scores from a number of only 36 descendants, three descendants who jump 1.50m or higher. This fourteen-year-old stallion is sire of the 1.50m horses Gigi-Carmen (ds. Oklund), Goldenstar (ds. Ipsylon B) and Fremont VDL (ds. Silverstone).

1. Bacardi VDL – 3%
2. Carom – 7%
3. Amadeus and Zirocco Blue VDL – 3%
4. Bustique – 2%
5. Warrant, Applause, Wallenberg, Wittinger VDL – 9%

Maternal influences

What do the 1.60m horses Eclatant, Excellent B and Extra have in common, except that they are all eleven years old? All three descend from Berlin out of a Heartbreaker dam. The 1.55m Grand Prix horse Hinde de la Vie and the 1.60m horses Aachen Utopia and Antigone de la Vie also share the same blood structure. Henk Dirksen: “The sharpness and blood of Heartbreaker combined with the scope of Berlin makes this a good combination on paper and in reality it turns out to be so.” In total, Heartbreaker signs 28 times for the paternity of the mother of a 1.50m or higher classified jumper, it is striking that this is six times in combination with Berlin. In addition, we see a Heartbreaker mother twice in combination with Karandasj and Numero Uno. Below the fathers on the maternal side of the 1.50m or higher classified horses:

1. Voltaire – 83
2. Indoctro – 70
3. Viscount and Nimmerdor – 66
4. Maple – 63
5. Concorde – 50
6. Ramiro Z – 48
7. Calvados – 39
8. Corland – 36
9. Lux – 33
10. Cavalier – 32
11. Emilion – 29
12. Heartbreaker and Indorado – 28
13. Animo – 27

Proven combinations

Indoctro x Nimmerdor also proves to be a good combination. This led, for example, to the Grand Prix horses Royal Dream of Dennis van den Brink and Victor E. The KWPN stallion Wittinger VDL also has this blood structure and performed at Grand Prix level under Jur Vrieling. In total Indoctro combined with a Nimmerdor dam produced 22 1.50m or higher show jumpers. Nimmerdor’s son Ahorn also matches well with Indoctro, which resulted seventeen times in a showjumping horse that jumped at least 1.50m. “It is nice to see that Ahorn doing so well in the maternal line, especially in combination with Indoctro, this seems to be a good fit,” says Henk Dirksen. Almost 5% of the Ahorn offspring is known as the dam of a 1.50m or higher classified jumping horse.

1. Ramiro Z on the dam’s side produced a good show jumper twelve times in combination with Indoctro and thirteen times in combination with a Voltaire dam. The other way around, the blood of Indoctro mares seems to fit well with Zirocco Blue VDL. This combination has already six times produced a jumping horse that jumps 1.50m or higher. Such as the Grand Prix horses Flair and Jet Blue, but also the 1.50m horses Dancing Blue, Daylinde, Blom Cup winner Gogo Karla V of Willem Greve and Gold Diamands W.G. “This combination of success can also be easily explained. Zirocco Blue VDL gives height, size and power and that fits well with the sharpness, blood and flexibility of Indoctro mares. This has led to a better horse several times. The foals from Indoctro mares were already positive at the offspring inspection of Zirocco Blue VDL.” Numero Uno x Indoctro gave five times a 1.50m or higher classified jumper. Such as the silver medalist Flash at the World Cup Young Jumpers, of Pieter Devos. In total Indoctro is classified 70 times as dam’s sire of 1.50m or higher jumpers.

83 times Voltaire

Voltaire leads the rankings by far as damsire of a show jumper that is classified at a minimum of 1.50m level: 83 times. The combination Karandasj x Voltaire has led to at least a 1.50m horse seven times. Such as, for example, the Grand Prix horse Audine B. In combination with Numero Uno, this has already brought a high level jumping horse 10 times. Such as, for example, Tyson from Leon Thijssen and Cristello, who was previously active at the highest level under Leon Thijssen and later under Kevin Jochems. But the KWPN-approved stallion and the Grand Prix horse Unaniem also have this bloodline structure. “This successful combination is also easy to explain. The sharpness of Numero Uno combined with the mindset and rideability of Voltaire fits together well,” adds Henk Dirksen. Five times the combination of Andiamo x Voltaire has led to at least a 1.50m show jumper.

Concorde on the dam’s side

We also often see Voltaire’s son Concorde on the dam’s side. His blood flows through 50 mares on the dam’s side of the show jumpers who are classified at a minimum of 1.50m level. This bloodline was successfully combined five times with the stallion Hors La Loi II, which for example resulted in the Grand Prix horse Theres La Loi. Four times we see that a Concorde mother has been brought together with Manhattan and Verdi. In combination with Verdi this resulted in three times a Grand Prix horse: Baronescha, Cerberus W and Davinci. Numero Uno combined with a Burggraaf dam led to a show jumper who jumped at 1.50m level eight times. In total, Burggraaf signs for the paternity of the maternal father 66 times. In combination with Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve, this led five times to a proven result, such as the Grand Prix horse Valesca.