On the way back to old glory
The Verden licensing for show jumpers was a celebration. The measures taken in the medium and short term in the past were effective and enabled the Verband to put together a show jumping line-up like Hannover has not seen for a very long time.
A good ten years ago, in spring 2013, the Hannoveraner Verband cleared the way for its breeders to use internationally successful competition stallions and sires, even if they had not previously been presented to a Hannoveraner licensing commission. Four years ago, the evaluation scheme for show jumping stallions was adapted to give more weight to the jumping traits. In addition, the licensing commissions were made up exclusively of discipline-specific members. Another year later, the show jumping licensing was given its own event and a sport component was added with the Hannoveraner Show Jumping Masters. Over the past three years, the procedures of this event have been repeatedly adapted and optimized. This year, for example, the warm-up free jumping in the partitioned Niedersachsenhalle began with an in-out. A variation that suited most of the horses very well and provided the commission with additional impressions.
The registrations for the stallion preselection already gave a small preview of what the jumping lot could entail. Also, but not only due to the opening of the licensing to other breed populations, the number of registrations increased by more than 30 percent, and a look at pedigrees and dam lines gave hope for good things to come. The trend of previous years had strengthened the confidence of the jumper breeders to present their best breeding products for the Hannoveraner licensing. The result was a collection of 44 stallions. There had never been such a large number of show jumping stallions before. With a licensing rate of a good 61 percent, this result was also positive for 27 stallions. Nine of the licensed stallions were awarded a premium. A special feature, which can perhaps only occur with a certain regularity in Hannover, was the lot of three half-blood stallions from already proven eventing lines, two of which were licensed and one of which was awarded a premium. This statistic alone stands for a licensing that stands out in terms of quality and results.
Aganix du Seigneur Z has been the talk of the town for several years now. In Verden, he appeared for the second time as the sire of licensing candidates. In his inheritance, weaknesses in conformation and limbs can be found here and there, but his offspring show a special and powerful way of jumping. All three offspring come from special dam lines, they were licensed and two of them were awarded a premium. Among them is the top prize. The still juvenile bay, bred by Antonius Schulze-Averdiek, Rosendahl, out of an Eldorado van de Zeshoek dam, showed himself to be highly elastic, generous and with a good attitude at the jump. His granddam is a half-sister to Cornado NRW, who celebrated great successes around the globe with Marcus Ehning. The Celle State Stud bought the stallion for 175,000 euros. This was the first time in the history of the Verden licensing that a show jumping stallion received the highest bid at the Stallion Sales. The second prize-winning Aganix du Seigneur Z son is none other than the full brother of last year’s top prized stallion. At the time, Alibaba was sold to the Beerbaum Stables. His full brother, who was bred by Frank Johannsen from Buxtehude out of an Acorado dam, showed himself to have good reflexes, a good bloodline and a good overview at the jump. The auction hammer fell for him at 40,000 euros. He will complete his equestrian training in Sweden.
Rarely before have there been more stallions with performance-tested dams at a Verden licensing than this year. This applies in particular to the next two premium stallions by Chacoon Blue and Cornet’s Pleasure. Franz Bormann presented an athletic, well-constructed Chacoon Blue/Vagabond de la Pomme son with a squeaky-clean style, who impressed in each of his performances at stallion pre-selection and licensing. Dam and granddam are currently successful in 1.40 meter jumping competitions or higher. Franz Bormann was of course not a member of the licensing commission. His place was taken by Hergen Forkert. Franz Bormann’s young stallion was secured by a regular customer from the Czech Republic, who attaches great importance to genetics and athleticism. The stallion will meet a Hannoveraner jumper breeding that has been based on purchases from the Verden Stallion Sales for many years and from which interesting show jumpers can be expected in the future. The licensed liver chestnut by Varihoka du Temple/Casall bred by Hermann-Josef Thoenes, Grefrath, will follow the same path. The premium stallion by Cornet’s Pleasure/Vagabond de la Pomme from Zuchthof Dree Böken in Prieros has sport proven dams in three generations. His dam, who is six years old this year, will be competing for the first time in 2023 after giving birth to two foals and is already victorious up to 1.30 meters. His granddam is currently collecting ribbons with the Israeli Dani G. Waldmann in international courses up to 1.45 meters, and his great-granddam was successful internationally for Norway up to 1.40 meters. All of this is based on Algave’s outstanding dam line and results in this young stallion being a quick-reacting, very well and correctly built athlete who will enrich the stallion stock at Celle State Stud in the future and can give a further positive boost to the Hannoveraner Jumper Breeding program. State stud master Dr. Axel Brockmann invested 108,000 euros in this grey. As in the previous year, Cornet Obolensky produced another premium stallion via his son Cornet’s Edition. Holger Baum from Hofheim had bred the dynamic and ambitious grey out of a proven Chin Quin daughter. A half-brother of this stallion by Eldorado van de Zeshoek is internationally successful up to 1.50 meters with Cassandra Orschel. These were plenty of arguments for a regular customer from Belgium to secure this young stallion for 46,000 euros. A premium stallion by Colman/Check In bred by Rüdiger Löer, Weste, only came to the licensing. The large-lined and long-legged grey with energetic movements and jumping was able to improve from the stallion pre-selection to the licensing and was thus included in the premium lot.
For Pleasure was represented in the premium lot by a For Planet/Stakkato Gold son bred in Oldenburg by Ion Magerusan, Menslage. A big lined and long-legged grey, he fulfilled each of his tasks with great ease and was knocked down in the auction at 78,000 euro. The premium half-blood stallion already mentioned comes from the breeding of Prof. Dr. Volker Steinkraus, Ollsen, and thus from Butt’s eventing breeding. The grey by Grey Top/Heraldik xx is more than a half-brother to William Fox-Pitt’s Nations Cup winner Little Fire by Graf Top. The Ordalie dam line, which is without doubt one of the best eventing lines in the world, has produced a very special horse in this stallion. Typey, correct and light-footed, he is also able to master difficult situations at the highest level with his overview and cleverness at the jump. There was unanimous agreement in the commission and spectators that a half-blood with such quality can be valuable in the breeding of both eventing and show jumping horses. He will prove this after being knocked down for 44,000 euros to Belgium. He will remain in breeding and will also be available for use by Hannoveraner breeders. The show jumper country Belgium leads the buyer statistics of the Stallion Sales. Five of the licensed and not licensed stallions will move to the neighboring country to the west, which documents the close and positive link between these two breeds.
Lady Gaga by Lord Pezi/Fly High, who is outstanding in her heredity and bred by Johannes zur Lage, Bersenbrück, was named Hannoveraner Mare of the Year. She has the same great-granddam as premium stallion number nine by Taloubet Z/Chacco-Blue, who was also bred by Johannes zur Lage. Standing on stable limbs, the bay embodies the model of a modern show jumper in terms of type and athleticism: dry, striking with an impression and quick reactions on the leg and in the head. This stallion ranked second in the price structure at 165,000 euros and will also move to the Celle State Stud. Dr. Axel Brockmann brought regular customers from Canada on board as partners, who have often worked successfully with the Hannoveraner Verband and the State Stud in the past.
The stallion crop can be regarded as exceptional in the show jumping sector, while at the same time continuing the trend of recent years. It sets very high standards for the future in terms of quality and the related marketing result (total turnover 2023: 1,391,500 euros, 2022: 1,039,000 euros). The vast majority of the stallions were presented in a way that did justice to the young horses and enabled an objective assessment of the performances shown. This should also remain the standard for the future. Finally, it should be noted that the opening of the licensing has increased the quality of the jumping collection. Of the ten approved stallions from other populations, six were licensed and one made it into the premium lot. At the same time, an important finding is that many Hannoveraner and Rhineland stallions were also able to assert themselves at the top in a direct comparison of the stallions. Against the background of the overall quality of the licensing collection, this is an additional positive signal for Hannoveraner jumper breeder, who can be proud of this result as a whole.
