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“When you look at the results at big international


shows, you see Dutch, Danish, French, Belgian horses, but no ‘German’ horses—just Holsteiners, Hanoverians, and so on,” Thomas Münch explains. “Germany is broken into too many individual pieces. Fifteen years from now there will be only one German sporthorse.”


GETTING ALONG Is the cooperative approval process always cooperative though? Thomas Münch says the registries work well together


overall. “Obviously, there is sometimes a clash, based on the mentality of the different regions. But it also adds experience and different points of view. They still need to grow together, even tighter than they are now.” Jürgen Casper of Gestüt Birkhof, the biggest private


EC-approved insemination station in southern Germany, laughs. “They agree, but they also fight. But in the end, these are really horsemen, and the best horse will get the license.” He should know—Gestüt Birkhof presented two sons of their 2007 South German licensing champion Don Diamond (Diamond Hit x Carolus I) out of Heraldik xx and Damon Hill dams, and both were approved. “For marketing, one big event is better than five small ones,” Jürgen says. “Clients from other countries have one place to come and see a lot of good horses together.” One of the five judges on the South German


committee, Hans-Willy Kusserow, breeding director of the Pferdezuchtverband Rheinland Pfalz-Saar (PRPS), explains the judges’ decision-making process in evaluating the young stallions, and stresses the


JUDGE’S COMMENTS: An interview with


Breeding Director Hans-Willy Kusserow by Ann Daum Kustar


Hans-Willy Kusserow, Breeding Director of the Pferdezuchtverband Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar, served on the judging commission for the South German Stallion Approvals in Munich, January 27–29, 2011. He opened up his judging notebook to comment on the top four stallions.


#14 – Dressage Champion: San Amour x Cabaret – Campari M Tis stallion has a very nice type and good conformation. He’s correct with good muscling, and moves from behind in all three gaits. He was special—very free in the front and shoulder. We call this schulterfreiheit, or shoulder freedom,


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and at the same time, the back end goes very well under the body. In all movements he shows very good reach. In trot he shows himself with good uphill tendency, and goes very well uphill in trot and canter. Te free jumping is okay. He shows very good balance, but you have to know he is a dressage horse, with a dressage pedigree. We still free jump the dressage stallions because it is very important to know their balance. We see that the movement always goes through the whole body. Tey don’t have to jump the last height, but it’s important for us that they have good balance. For the jumping horses—they have to be correct, but the canter and free jump are most important. For a dressage horse, it is more important that they have good gaits and character. I was impressed with this good-looking son of San Amour


when he showed a very good mind. He was cool, and he always cooperated with the man beside him. Tis shows character. I don’t need horses which go up and don’t look at the person beside them. Te entire commission agreed upon the attributes of this stallion.


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Photo by Olav Krenz


Photo by Olav Krenz 56 May/June 2011


Photo by Maximilian Schreiner For more information about South German auctions,


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