significant advantage to the Warmbloods in comparison to the Thoroughbreds. It has lowered the influence of the pure Thoroughbred eventers traditionally imported from England or Ireland. The Warmblood must not be too heavy, of course; you need a certain Thoroughbred percentage,” she explains. The ideal mix of Warmblood and Thoroughbred is something that is currently being discussed in Germany as to how to best move forward. It’s certainly no secret that the Thoroughbred traits lend themselves well to eventing and are a huge asset. Iris Schless is the co-founder of Top Eventers GmbH, a
company that provides a platform for buyers and sellers of event horses to come together via hosted auctions. She is always on the lookout for top event prospects, paying particular attention to the Thoroughbred ratio. “We always try to
find half-Thoroughbred or ‘blood’ in the second generation. The type must be Thoroughbred- type: light, a good canter and good mind so it is not only hot and nervous,” she says. “In Germany, the blood comes mainly from the mother line combined with good jumping sires. There are a few Thoroughbred sires like Heraldik xx who have some more horses in eventing than others.” An example of that lineage is Michael Jung’s
which stand for rideability, good health and ease of handling,” she says. Examples of such successful lineages include RF Amber Eyes with Karen O’Connor and RF Smoke on the Water with Marilyn Little. Iris notes though that the formula may further be
tweaked, especially with incentives for breeders. “It’s a big discussion in breeding organizations to use more ‘blood’ in breeding. As a result, in some breeding areas like Schleswig- Holstein there is monetary support for breeders when they use Thoroughbred sires,” she says. Iris pointsout there has been definite progress in the
desired breeding format as illustrated by the program under the direction of famed breeder Fritz Butt (German breeder know for producing top event horses whose names are prefixed with “Butts”). Such horses as Butts Leon, Butts Abraxxas, and Butts Avondale are good examples of the modern type produced in Germany.
RF Smoke on the Water with Marilyn Little at the 2013 Red Hills Event in March.
famous gold-medal horse La Biosthetique Sam FBW. Sam’s magical breeding formula is technically 75 percent Thoroughbred and 25 percent Warmblood (Hanoverian). His sire is Stan the Man xx and his dam’s sire was Heraldik xx. (See Warmbloods Today, November/December 2012, “From Rags to Riches German Style.”) From Julia’s perspective, at the Olympic level she sees the
majority of horses as crosses with 75 percent Warmblood and 25 percent Thoroughbred. “Holsteiner lines will be found quite often, as Cor de la Bryere, Landgraf, Ramiro and Cottage Son stallions pass scope, good brains and decent movement. Also stallions of the Oldenburg and Hanoverian Studbook are well used,” she says of the Warmblood aspect. (Editor’s note: Each of the Holsteiner Warmblood stallions she references are 5/8ths, 5/8ths, 3/8ths and 100% Thoroughbred, respectively.)
Julia has also seen horses of the relatively young brand
[or registry] called “German Sporthorse” stepping into the spotlight. “The breed combines the desired traits with proven successful Thoroughbred lines like Stan the Man xx, Heraldik xx or Legal Legend xx plus old dam lines in the background
Course The German system of young horse classes for five and six-year-old horses is divided into dressage, jumping and cross-country classes. All the classes judge style, form, braveness and rideability with a national championship held in September of each year. With the focus
Takeaway on
on inviting fences, especially on the cross-country course, a solid introduction is provided for the young horse. This, in turn, has created a system that has allows more professional riders to specialize in preparing these young horses. With beneficial mileage, the horses become more marketable and the system has encouraged breeders. With the increase in both the sport’s popularity and its
technical demands, the eventing “scene” continues to evolve as does the event horse breeding in Germany. Although the number of breeders in Germany that
specialize in event horse breeding may be small, they are certainly invested in the future of the sport. Of course, with high profile riders like Michael Jung
and Ingrid Klimke also competing successfully in dressage and show jumping, they provide increased exposure and versatility to the sport of eventing. As Julia remarks, “There is a reason why the sport of eventing is known as ‘the crown of equestrian sports.’”
Warmbloods Today 33
Kim MacMillan/MacMillan Photography
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