Animo

Animo
Born 1982, 168 cm
Breeder - P. Simons (Lanaken, Belgium)

With the death of Jalisco in 1994 and Galoubet in 2005, Animo is the premier remaining stallion son of the great Selle Français sire, Almé. However Animo is very definitely a product of Almé's time at the Zangersheide Stud in Belgium, and his dam line contains some of the famous names of Dutch breeding.
His dam sire, Amor is a Gelderlander stallion, imported from Holstein at the age of 3. Since he lived from1959 to1990 he produced many offspring who performed well in dressage, jumping and driving. The influence of Amor can still be seen in Dutch performance horses.

Jacob Melissen in the 1992/93 edition of his The Leading Stallions of the Netherlands, has this to say about Amor: "The stallion came to the Netherlands at the time that the breeding of riding horses had just about begun to develop and he was still there when Dutch sport horses had bcome famous all over the world. Amor's qualities were such that he not only had a modernising effect when the emphasis in the Netherlands was still on the agricultural side of breeding, but his valuable characteristics also proved useful when the trend had swayed towards the production of sport horses. And yet Amor has not bcome famous for producing top-class sport horses himself. Amor passed on the kind of qualities that are essential for sporthorses: movement, eagerness, temperament, sound bones, well-shaped neck, etc. Amor off-spring do not have the old-fashioned musclar front but carry their weight on the rear, propelling, as it were, their powerful personality. That is exaclty how you recognise his descendants, particularly when they are the typical light bays with dark manes, tail and lower legs. And they sure got a mind of their own, these Amors. No doubt, that's why there are not many of them who met the kind of rider to bring out their great qaulities at top level."

Some of Amor's more successful progeny are Opal, a dressage horse with Christine Stückelberger, the showjumper, Surprise who won the World Cup Qualifier of Amsterdam with Rob Ehrens - while Warrent was an interational jumper with Chris Keppler and Aristo competed with Margie Goldstein - other talented sons include Gondelier, Akteur, Vindicator and Zandingo. Another son, Eros, was important as a sire of dressage horses.

As a competitor Animo was a star, and his star shone most brightly at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where he was ridden by Morten Aasen.
Animo has been an excellent sire of sires, with the licensed stallions: Andiamo Z, Monaco, Placido, Revenge W, Regino, Animo’s Hallo, Animo II, Amerillo, Alfonso, and his two Australian based full-brothers, Alimo and Animate (both out of the international jumping mare, Lucillia by Lord).
His international showjumping progeny include Gina Lolobrigida with Franke Sloothaak, Bodyguard and Phillip le Jeune, Aniapollo and Norman del Joio, Mystery Lady with Katina Lampe, Allegiance and Laurua Kraut, Colorado and Harry Smolders, Billy Orange and Roelof Bril.