When to Investigate Should a buyer inquire into a pedigree early, after trying a
horse—or perhaps never? Bruno’s opinion is definite. “The first thing I ask is ‘show me the papers.’ I want to see the bloodlines. I have friends that say, ‘I don’t care. How do they jump?’ What I care about is the way that they jump. Do they have some natural reason about how they jump,” he says. Others want to see the horse
jump before looking at the ancestry. “I believe for myself that I approach every equine athlete with an open mind,” says Ray Texel, a trainer from Sebastopol, California. “Knowing their bloodline is interesting and sometimes helpful, meaning some horses develop a little later than others. Some have characteristics that you know are pretty prevalent in the line. Those are really helpful guide- lines when select- ing or looking at an athlete whom you might want to work with.”
He defines blood- lines as helpful, call- ing them “a good blueprint.” “I give so much credit to the breeders who have the passion to take the risks in breeding and exploring and experimenting with which combinations
“In some ways the horses that are outliers and anomalies are often free from restrictions and expectations … which is why we see the anomalies who really rise up to the top.”
they think are strong and competitive,” he adds. How valuable is the reputation of a stallion, such as an Olympic horse that people know? “I find a lot of people are dead set on bloodlines,” Jaclyn says. “There are particular stal- lions that they love and certain bloodlines that they will pick over others. When I try a horse I go by how it jumps. Half the time I don’t even know the bloodlines when I am trying them. After I look up their bloodlines, I’ll say, ‘That’s inter- esting. He goes like a Darco, or he goes like a Contender.’” Neil Jones, of Palm Beach, Florida, markets sport horses
chosen for American riders. He says he worked in Europe for a long time, and they had a lot of horses by the same stallions. “A lot of time I think the mare is more important than the father. In particular, I have horses that are by two different stallions with the same mare. One of those is Disco Lady, who competes in Grand Prix with Taylor Harris,” Neil says. He adds others out of the same mare have all been good, sired by horses like Indoctro, Balou du Rouet and Heartbreaker. “We have to sell the horse on the suitability of the horse on the purpose that it is going to do,” Neil continues. “Sometimes, a particular stallion like Diarado breeds jump- ers, equitation—he’s got a very laidback character. He’s very popular.” Another modern stallion, Chacco-Blue, sired eight
competitors at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. “When you see the Chacco-Blues, a lot of them have different types of mothers. It’s not a particular type of mother you’re looking for with that stallion,” Neil says. When looking for a horse for an amateur, Max says he
prefers an equitation type who comes out of northern Germany or Holland, and notes the Zangersheide is getting very strong, too. “I’m very happy with the Oldenburg sport horses,” Max
continues, “who are very strong in the jumper divisions. Paul Schockemöhle is behind that. He’s done a very good job.” Ray believes bloodlines have a certain degree of impor-
tance. “There is definitely a lot to genetics and good genes being passed along. We’re not at a point where that’s a real science yet. A lot of the breeders in Europe think they have learned a lot about good combinations and good bloodlines. And you’re still taking a shot, but it’s a slightly more calcu- lated shot at producing a great athlete,” he says. Similarities among horses of the same parentage can lead
to stereotyping relatives. Can a sire or damsire’s reputation predict its future? “If you have any questions about the way you try the
Top: Bruno Diniz Das Neves riding the 2008 Holsteiner mare Adele XIII (Limbus x Fier de Lui Z). Limbus is an example of a sire with a high percentage of Thoroughbred blood. Bottom: Susan Artes on Laurence Z, a 2011 Zangersheide (Lordanos x Baloubet du Rouet), last November at HITS Thermal.
26 January/February 2019
horse, maybe the bloodlines give you extra answers. Maybe you will stay away from something that tends to have known complications genetically,” Bruno surmises. “You can see some bloodlines give more spooky horses, a little bit more special horses. Some bloodlines give the very
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