of
Best Bred
Viva’s Salieri W Augustin Walch grew up in Germany, where he began
breeding horses in the late 1960s. In 1980 he moved to Canada where he established W. Charlot Farms in Ontario. Augustin has enjoyed a great deal of success as a
breeder. He estimates he has produced over 500 horses, including horses which have gone on to become World Cup Qualifier winners, Horse of the Year winners, Canadian Champions and winners of too many other awards to list in all disciplines. These successes have landed him at the top of the USEF’s Hunter Breeder list for seven consecutive years. Just last year, he and wife Christine Walch were named 2011 Dressage Canada Owner(s) of the Year. With success like this, you would think it might be
nearly impossible for Augustin to pinpoint one horse as a favorite from all the horses he has produced. “If I can pick only one favorite, it would be Viva’s Salieri W,” says Augustin. “Every breeder dreams of breeding horses which are successful in international competition, and Viva’s Salieri is proving himself very successful internationally.” Viva’s Salieri is a chestnut Hanoverian gelding foaled in
2001. His sire is Viva Voltaire (by Voltaire), and his dam is Salinja (by Salieri). Augustin recalls how he once purchased a group
of fifteen mares at the same time. This group of mares included Salinja, Viva’s Salieri’s dam. “When you buy a group of horses like this, some are nicer than others, but you take them all and you hope you get lucky,” Augustin recollects. “Salinja was in the group. She was not the fanciest, but she has proven herself to be a
Top: Viva’s Salieri and Tom Dvorak from Canada compete at the Pan-Am Games in 2011. Photo by Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography
Bottom: BoViva’s Salieri as a foal. Photo courtesy of the Walch’s
42 March/April 2012 Two fillies at top with title: photo courtesy W. Charlot Farms
VETERAN BREEDERS SHARE WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS THEIR BEST (OR FAVORITE) FOAL BRED TO DATE.
By Gigha Steinman
very good producer!” Salinja was bred to Viva Voltaire also owned by W.
Charlot Farms. “Nobody has a crystal ball,” says Augustin. “Sometimes you do things just because of a feeling. I made the decision to breed Salinja to Viva Voltaire because of a feeling, and it worked out very well!” They repeated the breeding three more times. Sadly they lost one foal, but still have two full siblings to Viva’s Salieri. Viva’s Salieri wasn’t a standout right away. “He was nice
and he was cute, but he was only a foal,” recalls Augustin. When he was a three-year-old, he was brought into the arena for the first time, and Augustin’s impression of him began to change. “He began to walk, and his walk was very nice, and then when he trotted, he had such power. I could see he had great potential immediately when he started moving.” In 2005, Canadian Tom Dvorak began training Viva’s
Salieri. Together they have shared numerous successes over the years. In 2011 they competed in the Pan Am Games in Guadelajara, Mexico. They had the highest Canadian score, clinching the team Silver for Canada with a 71.711%, and they finished fourth individually. Canada’s results at the Pan Am Games have also
earned the country a berth for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. “The Olympics are the next step,” according to Augustin. “We hope everything continues to go well and he can go to London to represent Canada.” “We’re really breeders—we make our living with
breeding; it is our life,” says Augustin. “It is very important that we breed nice horses— horses that sell. We are very proud when we breed horses as successful as Viva’s Salieri.”
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