This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
in 1939) and Rantzau (born in 1946) had a significant number of descendants at the 2012 Olympics—32, 15 and 26 respectively. However, there were a staggering 830 individual Thoroughbred ancestors found within the first four generations of the 199 Olympic competitors at the 2012 Games, making it clear that the Thoroughbred influence is still very important. With jumping competitions most often won in a jump


off, the need for an agile mount with speed and scope has brought a continued need for a degree of Thoroughbred ancestry in the show jumper. The trend in dressage is for a lighter mount with more brilliance and animation qualities that are often found through an infusion of Thoroughbred blood. And eventers of international caliber nearly always carry a hefty percentage of Thoroughbred blood—often 50% to 75%—with purebred Thoroughbreds still being found at the 4* level. Considering that just a few decades ago North American


jumping teams—teams that frequently took home medals— were mounted on purebred Thoroughbreds, it seems surprising that the North American Thoroughbred has not exerted more of an influence internationally, particularly in jumping and eventing. If a North American-born stallion did have a direct impact, it was because he was exported to Europe or Australia/New Zealand. Perhaps some of the trends in North American racing offer an explanation. According to Jockey Club statistics, over the last decade or so in North America, approximately half of all races were at three-quarters of a mile or less. These sprints do not equate with the demands of the Olympic disciplines. Between 14 and 15 percent were run at between from three-quarters of a mile to a mile, which still does not equate well with sport horse disciplines. Approximately 35 percent were run at distances between a mile and a mile and a quarter, which equates with dressage stifle placement, but does not guarantee the ilium being the short side of the rear triangle as required for upper-level dressage. That means that less than one percent of races were run at over a mile and a


quarter, which is where we would expect to find the stifle placement commensurate with the long strides and scope required for jumping and eventing. These statistics are not encouraging if one hopes to find strong sport influences from racing stock. The Jockey Club has also found that the average number


of lifetime starts per horse in North America steadily declined from 11.31 in 1960 to 6.11 in 2010, while the number of horses per race stayed fairly constant and the number of races decreased. That speaks, in part, to the unsoundness of modern racehorses, which is certainly not favorable for sport purposes. In Europe, steeplechasers and hurdlers fall under the


National Hunt banner, where sire rankings are available, and it is not uncommon for National Hunt (NH) sires to appear in sport pedigrees, especially those of eventers. In addition, National Hunt races are not at sprinting distances. But unless one considers more than just the pedigree, the National Hunt statistics can be misleading since horses that fail on the flat are often given another chance over jumps, and hurdles do not require as much jumping ability as steeplechases. And then we have to consider the narrowing of the


gene pool. There is little doubt that Northern Dancer is the dominant influence in racing around the world. Recent rankings show that eight of the top ten sires in North America traced to the Canadian-bred stallion, as well as eight of the top ten sires in Europe, eight of the top ten sires in Japan, nine of the top ten sires in Australia and all of the top ten sires in New Zealand. Yet, when one looks at the leading National Hunt sires, one finds only six of the top ten tracing to Northern Dancer, and five of those through Sadler’s Wells. Seven eventers at the


London Games were Northern Dancer descendants. Is that due


Northern Dancer, one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history. 1961 – 1990.


Warmbloods Today 29


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68