A Constant Development Te Danish studbook has a clear vision and is very open to improvements. Tis has contributed to its development as one of the leading sport horse studbooks in the world. Breeding policy and goals are continually adjusted to the demands of the users. In order to further develop the quality of the breed, for
example, it was decided in 2004 to specialize in two direc- tions. Radical changes in the selection system were imple- mented. Most crucial of these changes was that dressage horses would no longer be judged on free jumping. Selection on jumping qualities had shown a proven negative influence on the walk and trot of the horse. And vice versa, less importance was placed on the walk and trot of the show jumpers. Te ‘new’ breeding goal was described as breeding a modern- built, easily rideable sport horse with a lot of flexibility and a strong and sound physique, able to perform at the highest level of the dressage or show jumping sport. Te studbook has mainly focused on durability, and
has collaborated with specialized veterinarians to chart the most common conditions. Linear scoring was intro- duced in 2014 to gain objective and informative evalu- ations of the DWB population, while at the same time genomic selection can improve the breed and reduce generation intervals. In short, genomic selection enables the studbook, through a blood sample, to have very reli- able breeding information of a young mare or stallion that would normally take an old elite sire fifteen years of covering before this level of information is collected. Te studbook also calculated indexes based on conformation, performance tests, young horse competitions and official sporting results. To live up to the high standards of its breeding phi-
losophy, the studbook introduced specialization to select those horses able to perform at the highest level of their disciplines. To guarantee quality, only the very best horses from other studbooks are allowed into Danish breeding.
Strong Foundation Te success of the Danish studbook can be traced back to the four pillars the studbook was built on. Success- ful breeders, strong dam lines firmly established over the years, and a proven, functioning selection system are the first three. But above all, the stallion managers with their vision of the future have time and again succeeded in selecting the most interesting bloodlines from abroad for Denmark. Influential Trakehner stallions such as Donauwind, lbi-
kus and Schwadroneur have made a considerable mark on the breeding of the modern sport horse. Te same goes
40 July/August 2017
Grand Prix Stallion Blue Hors Zack (Rousseau x Jazz) has become one of the Danish Warmblood’s more influential stallions.
The success of
the Danish studbook can be traced back to the four pillars the studbook was built on.
for the Hanoverian Allegro and the Oldenburg-bred Alek- sander, along with many others of their time. From the start, an attractive conformation and three good, powerful gaits were considered key for the dressage horses. But the stallion managers also kept on selecting the best stallions from Holstein for their modern jumping horse breeding. Lagano, one of the best jumping progenitors of his time, is a fine example of this, while stallions such as Limelight, Loran and Leandro with their typical Holsteiner model and strong movements, produced top dressage horses over and over again when crossed with Danish mares. With the emergence of fresh and fro-
zen semen from stallions worldwide, breeders are no longer bound to their nearest stallion station. However, stallion managers still play a vital role in search- ing out and bringing the most interesting
and talented stallions to Denmark. Danish breeders can consider themselves very fortunate that several influential stallion managers bring top progenitors such as Quidam de Revel and Don Schufro to Denmark. Along with other imported stallions such as Michel- lino and Come Back II, we find these top pro-genitors in the highest echelons of the World Breeding Federa- tion for Sport Horses rankings, which were led for a long time by the Danish-based Don Schufro. Te Dan- ish studbook has the vision and investments of several resourceful stallion managers to thank for this success. Tese stallions have serviced large numbers of mares from the very start of their stud careers, con-tributing to their widespread fame. Most recently the Danish stallion Blue Hors Zack (by Rousseau), who debuted at Grand Prix level last year, is shaping up to become another star in the breeding world.
DANISH WARMBLOOD
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