![\"StakkatoGold\"](\"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/StakkatoGold1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nStakkato Gold at his moment of glory – first in the 7\/8 year old class at Neum\u00fcnster<\/em><\/p>\n The Number One Jumping Breeding Stallion in Germany is\u2026 wait for it, Stakkato Gold (breeding value 172). Now I was one of the privileged few who actually saw the highlight of Stakkato Gold\u2019s jumping career when he WON the 7\/8 year old Young horse class at Neum\u00fcnster in 2009, his last season of competition before he was injured. All told, Stakkato Gold won \u20ac7,983.<\/p>\n Nor has he been any super sire since his retirement from the competition ring. Balouska won the Grand Prix of Oman***, Seal won the Grand Prix of Verden, and was second in the Grand Prix of Offenburg, both two star CSIs, Silence was second in a World Cup qualifier in Wellington, and third in the World Cup at Thermal, Stakorado won two Grand Prix in Leszno and Siauliai. That\u2019s it, then there\u2019s a respectable number of young horses working their way through the ranks. Not surprisingly, Stakkato Gold does not even make the WBFSH top fifty jumping stallions list, which is solely based on international performance results.<\/p>\n Compare Stakkato Gold\u2019s career with the equal third placegetters on the German FN topliste, Cornet Obolensky and Stakkato Gold\u2019s dad, Stakkato, with a breeding value of 166. Cornet Obolensky was an international jumping star, and won \u20ac777,876 AND has so far sired 33 horses competing at a 1.60m level, including superstars like Cornet d\u2019Amour (winnings \u20ac836,864) , Coronado NRW (\u20ac616,157) and Cornet\u2019s Cristallo (\u20ac349,822), and there are early signs that he might be a good sire of sires\u2026<\/p>\n Stakkato was always an honest competitor with lifetime earnings of a quarter million Euros, rather than a super star like Cornet, but he has produced some very interesting offspring, including the stallion, Satisfaction FRH (\u20ac267,963) and the mare, Souvenir (\u20ac391,705).<\/p>\n Second place on the list with a value of 167 to the very cute Perigueux (by the very modestly successful Perpignon) ridden by the charming Eva Bitter, but the highlights of his 2014 season were three wins, in a 1.45 at Donaueschingen***, and the two star GPs of Allersehl and Treffen. Five of his offspring have made in to the sja database, with some minor young horse placings\u2026<\/p>\n Fifth to Comte (165), another stallion with an underwhelming performance career, one fifth placing at S level for earnings of \u20ac3,449, with 52 progeny competing with winnings of \u20ac11,114.<\/p>\n What a relief to get to the equal sixth ranked horse, Comme il Faut (163), this son of Cornet Obolensky, has actually done something! Second in the World Champs for Five-Year-olds at Lanaken with Franz Josef Dahlmann in 2010, he has had two very promising seasons in 2013 and 2014 with Marcus Ehning, good results in 7\/8 year old classes, then two seconds in 2014 – at Paderborn***, 1.50m class, and in the Grand Prix at Dortmund ***. Of course he hasn\u2019t produced any international progeny yet, but his bloodlines are interesting since his dam is by Ramiro, and was a pretty useful jumper in her time, Ratina Z\u2026 finally after all the scores of foals Ratina and her clones have produced, a good one.<\/p>\n The other stallion in sixth is Heartbreaker, a great son of Nimmerdor, with results of his own, and progeny starring all around the world. Rounding out the top ten we have Cloney (=8), Diarado (=8) on 161, and even an international competitor, and a super star at that, Montender (160).<\/p>\n Preparing this stuff provides gainful employment for someone in the FN office, but wait, it gets more absurd when we turn to the FN\u2019s dressage topliste. The leading dressage stallion in Germany is \u2013 Lissaro, the \u2018accidental dressage horse\u2019. The bay was bought\u00a0by well known jumping breeders, Paul Mais and Edith de Reys of the Van De Helle stud in Belgium who were hoping they had purchased a jumping star. Lent to a German stallion station, the youngster started winning riding horse classes with the studmaster\u2019s daughter, the 3 and 4 year old riding classes at the Bundeschampionate, then the five-year-old dressage class at the Bundeschampionate, and Reserve Champion Five-Year-old at the World Champs in Verden. With great fanfare he was sent to Edward Gal to pursue his international dressage career, it hasn\u2019t happened, nor did it happen when he was leased to Celle\u2026 still he has a breeding value of 176, go figure that out.<\/p>\n The Dutch stallion, Vivaldi is second…<\/em><\/p>\n Second with a value of 174 to another stallion that never made it to the top sport \u2013 Vivaldi (Krack C \/ Jazz). In 2013, his owner put an end to a competition career which had stalled at Prix St Georges, and he was moved from Hans-Peter Minderhoud\u2019s training stables to the Van Uytert stallion station. He is yet to produce a top competition horse\u2026<\/p>\n The 3rd<\/sup> ranked horse, Don Schufro on 172, was a decent competitor on the international scene and he has produced Grand Prix horses, and Games and WEG representatives, which we cannot say for the =4th<\/sup> placed Floriscount on 170. Floriscount is by another of Hans-Peter\u2019s young horse stars that never made it to Grand Prix, Florencio, but maybe he has thrown to his dam sire, Donnerhall, since Floriscount has reached Inter 1, winning in April of last year with Oliver Oelrich at Nieuw en Sint Joosland, which is not exactly Aachen but it\u2019s a start\u2026<\/p>\n F\u00fcrstenball at the Bundeschampionate…<\/em><\/p>\n Also on a value of 170 we have another young horse star, F\u00fcrstenball, by another young horse star, F\u00fcrst Heinrich (although he died before he had a chance to make it to Grand Prix).<\/p>\n At last, a Grand Prix stallion, Damon Hill<\/em><\/p>\n Really we have to wait till we get to sixth to find a genuine Grand Prix star in Damon Hill (169), and although he has yet to produce a Grand Prix performer, there are some interesting horses coming through the ranks. Every time I have examined success at major championships, I find the same result, the stallions who have themselves been successful at Grand Prix, are the most successful sires of Grand Prix horses.<\/p>\n Seventh to another unproven hopeful, F\u00fcrst Fugger (166), then we get to a couple of genuinely proven breeding stallions, Jazz and Breitling, before we finish the top ten with two more unproven hopefuls, Bordeaux and Rock Forever.<\/p>\n Floriscount tops the Hanoverian standings…<\/em><\/p>\n The Hanoverian topliste in the 2015 Stallion Book, is equally speculative. Top place on 161 to Floriscount, followed by F\u00fcrstenball (160), Florencio (155), Londontime (150), Dimaggio (149) \u2013 he has sired some interesting horses, including the Olympic rep, Half Moon Delphi, F\u00fcrst Nymphenburg (145) another pretty young horse star, F\u00fcrst Romancier (142) ditto, Belissimo M (139) \u2013 hey, something has gone wrong with the system, this stallion has actually competed Grand Prix, and sired the most exciting up-and-coming dressage horse in the world, Bella Rose, then two more that haven\u2019t: Don Frederico (138) \u2013 although he has actually produced a couple of Grand Prix stars in Diva Royal and Don Johnson, and Sir Donnerhall I, another fading young horse star.<\/p>\n The Hanoverian top ten of jumping stallions is perfectly easy to follow: Contendro I (156), Calido (154), Stakkato (153), Stolzenberg (153), For Pleasure (152), Perigeux, Balou du Rouet, Comte, Canstakko and Embassy I.<\/p>\n It is a blessed relief to turn to the WBFSH rankings for 2014, here are two groups of proven stallions, some of which have themselves competed at the highest level:<\/p>\n WBFSH Top 10 Dressage Sire Ranking<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 (2) GRIBALDI – 29,497<\/p>\n 2 (1) DE NIRO – 25,253<\/p>\n 3 (4) FLORESTAN I – 16,621<\/p>\n 4 (5) DONNERHALL – 16,585<\/p>\n 5 (3) JAZZ – 14,556<\/p>\n 6 (7) MICHELLINO – 12,375<\/p>\n 7 (8) SANDRO HIT – 12,072<\/p>\n 8 (12) FERRO – 9,694<\/p>\n 9 (6) DON SCHUFRO – 8,386<\/p>\n 10 (9) COME BACK II – 8,013<\/p>\n The brackets indicate the sire\u2019s ranking position in 2013.<\/p>\n WBFSH Top 10 Show Jumping Sire Ranking<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 (2) KANNAN – 14,130<\/p>\n 2 (6) CORNET OBOLENSKY – 13,508<\/p>\n 3 (5) DIAMANT DE SEMILLY – 10,882<\/p>\n 4 (1) BALOUBET DE ROUET – 9,834<\/p>\n 5 (12) FOR PLEASURE – 8,525<\/p>\n 6 (4) HEARTBREAKER – 8,420<\/p>\n 7 (28) CARDENTO – 7,149<\/p>\n 8 (10) CONTENDRO I – 6,947<\/p>\n 9 (13) INDOCTRO – 6,542<\/p>\n 10 (17) QUIDAM DE REVEL – 6,189<\/p>\n I know which lists I would be going to if I wanted to find a stallion for the coming season\u2026<\/p>\n The View from Hanover\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Not surprisingly, my friend, Ludwig Christmann, the deputy breeding director of the Hanoverian Verband. has a somewhat different take on the standings, and I am grateful he has sent me this translation of his recent assessment of the standings in The Hanoverian<\/em>:<\/p>\n The integrated breed value estimation of the German Equestrian Association, which is published annually towards the end of the year, revealed an outstanding result for Hannover.\u00a0 This estimation can be considered the breeding result for the year.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Dr. Ludwig Christmann<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n All available information from mare tests, stallion performance tests and competitions (divided into young horse classes and open classes for horses of all ages) are entered into the computation.\u00a0 Germany\u2019s dressage horse producer with the highest breed value estimation in 2014 is Lissaro by Lissabon\/Matcho AA out of the breeding program of Juergen Dittmer, Neuenkirchen.\u00a0 The Stakkato-son Stakkato Gold out of the performance dam Wertherroeschen by Werther (breeder: Arend Kamphorst, Prieros) leads the division for jumpers.\u00a0 Both sires carry the Hanoverian brand.<\/p>\n When Lissaro\u2019s breed values were published for the first time last year, he right away made it into the top ten of the best dressage sires.\u00a0 THE HANOVERIAN considered this a surprising development.\u00a0 One year later, additional information is available, which added to his breed value and made it jump up even more.\u00a0 Lissaro now is leading the list of dressage horse producers with 176 points and an accuracy of 87 percent.\u00a0 One could again call this a surprise or better a small sensation, since the big names, which today are connected with the breeding of dressage horses, are missing in his pedigree.\u00a0 Therefore it is very interesting to research Lissaro\u2019s development.\u00a0 Why this high breed value?<\/p>\n Lissaro himself laid the foundation for it.\u00a0 Paul Mais, who operates the breeding farm van de Helle in Belgium, bought Lissaro as a two-and-a-half year old, premium stallion\/jumping on Verden\u2019s stallion market in 2007.\u00a0 One year later, he sent Lissaro to the 30-day-test in M\u00fcnster, where the stallion obtained surprising scores.\u00a0 He obtained scores of 9 and better for all three basic gaits, a 10,0 for his rideability and an 8,56 for his aptitude for jumping.\u00a0 Everybody knows the rest of his career path.\u00a0 He became the federal champion (Bundeschampion) three times with rider Claudia Ruescher, as a three- and four-year old in the divisions for riding horses, as a five-year old in the dressage division.\u00a0 He won the silver medal at the World Championships for young dressage horses in 2010.<\/p>\n These outstanding results make Lissaro a truly exceptional horse.\u00a0 The Federal Championships for riding horses do not provide data for the breed value estimation, the Federal Championships for dressage horses, however, do.\u00a0 He won every time he participated except at the World Championships in Verden, when he finished in second place twice.\u00a0 His top performance record produced a solid breed value base.<\/p>\n During his first year of breeding at the stallion station Ruescher-Konermann in Westphalia, he produced several remarkable horses, which were mainly registered in Westphalia.\u00a0 His son Lassaro out of a dam by Monsieur was approved in M\u00fcnster-Handorf in 2013 and received the premium of the association.\u00a0 Louis D\u2019Or Gold, another approved stallion out of a dam by Landro L, performed an outstanding 30-day test in Muenster-Handorf in 2013 (final score \u2013 dressage 8,8; breed value dressage 143) and has already won dressage horse classes.\u00a0 This information is entered in the breed value estimation as successes of descendants.\u00a0 He also was the top selling horse on the spring auction in M\u00fcnster-Handorf in the spring of 2013.<\/p>\n The Oldenburg son Lilliano by Lissaro\/Sir Donnerhall is another top horse.\u00a0 He became the Reserve Federal Champion of three-year old riding horse stallions in 2014.\u00a0 23 daughters of Lissaro participated in mare performance tests including six in Hannover.\u00a0 Two descendants were presented in pre-selections for Verden\u2019s auction program.\u00a0 Lissaro has not yet met the publication requirements for the Hanoverian breed value estimation (only ten daughters have been tested).\u00a0 37 descendants have already participated in dressage horse classes, 27 won a ribbon.<\/p>\n The breeding manager of Westphalia, Wilken Treu, confirms the positive impression, which Lissaro\u2019s daughters made in the mare performance test, \u201cLissaro brought about a lot of good in Westphalia.\u00a0 His descendants were able to quickly convince the judges with superb interior and very good rideability in the mare performance tests.\u00a0 Lissaro passes on an excellent walk and all his offspring have a very good brain.\u201d<\/p>\n Valuable relatives<\/strong><\/p>\n Lissaro descends out of the dam line of Serone, which calls the breeding farm of Juergen and Jutta Dittmer in Neuenkirchen (Cuxhaven County) its home for decades already.\u00a0 His dam Marquesa by Matcho AA is the full sister to Maurice, champion stallion at the stallion licensing as a two-year-old.\u00a0 He successfully competed in dressage classes at the S-level.\u00a0 Marquesa proved herself as a broodmare.\u00a0 She delivered two additional stallions, which were also approved in Verden:\u00a0 Cinzano by Contendro was one of the top-selling jumpers on Verden\u2019s elite fall auction in 2008 and sold to Brazil, while Giuliano by Graf Sponeck won S-level jumper classes (1.40 m and up) eleven times.<\/p>\n Why was Marquesa bred to Lissabon?\u00a0 \u201cWe were looking for a stallion with dual talent and a super interior.\u00a0 We noticed Lissaro\u2019s sire Lissabon on a stallion exhibition in Aachen,\u201d says Jutta Dittmer.\u00a0 Because of his bloodlines, Lissabon by Lordanos\/ Sion\/ Contender\/Grannus would be categorized as a jumper.\u00a0 He is definitely classified as a producer with dual talents according to his breed values, 133 for dressage and 146 for jumping. \u00a0Lissabon has been sold to South Africa, where he produces foal crops of high quality on the breeding farm Callaho.<\/p>\n Expectations were fulfilled<\/strong><\/p>\n All expectations of Family Dittmer were fulfilled, \u201cLissaro was one of the foals with the strongest, most reliable character; I still love him,\u201d says Jutta Dittmer.<\/p>\n Lissaro inherited jumping ability from both parents.\u00a0 He won jumper horse classes at the A-level as a four-year old; one year later, he placed very well at the L-level.\u00a0 These successes and the high free-jumping scores of his offspring resulted in a jumper breed value of 138, which is far above average.<\/p>\n Lissaro\u2019s high valuation comes to no surprise to Anette Ruescher-Konermann, the sister of Lissaro\u2019s first rider, Claudia Ruescher-Konermann.\u00a0 \u201cOur entire family always believed in Lissaro.\u00a0 His rideability values are very high and he has a very good attitude.\u00a0 Lissaro did a lot for us and he is still our favorite.\u00a0 The riders value his offspring because of the excellent attitude.\u00a0 We could have sold many of his offspring.\u201d<\/p>\n Wolfhard Witte, the manager of the stallion testing station Adelheidsdorf, has ridden Lissaro for the last few years.\u00a0 The pair earned many victories and placings in S-level dressage classes.<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate Lissaro\u2019s strong nerves and his performance willingness.\u00a0 He has a fabulous disposition.\u00a0 When we collect him in the morning, he is fresh.\u00a0 Afterwards he changes gears and becomes a riding horse.\u00a0 His attitude is exceptional.\u00a0 The feedback of the breeders, which have descendants by Lissaro, is positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Lissaro is standing at stud at the State Stud Celle since 2012.\u00a0 He certainly is not the classic producer of foals, which impress in type and movement at a very young age.\u00a0 He passes on to his offspring not only his dual predisposition, but also many positive attributes, which become very important for competitions later in life: working willingness, strong nerves, rideability and a very good walk.\u00a0 Even though he has a high-quality pedigree, it is not very common in the breeding of dressage horses.\u00a0 He offers the opportunity to try something new.\u00a0 Compact, long-legged and typy mares are probably the best fit.\u00a0 Lissaro\u2019s high dressage breed value is predominantly based on the results from classes for young horses \u2013 mare performance tests, stallion performance tests, dressage horse classes.\u00a0 It will be exciting to see how his descendants will perform at the higher levels, once the demands increase.<\/p>\n First time release<\/strong><\/p>\n The Dutch sire Vivaldi by Krack C\/Jazz follows in second position behind Lissaro with a dressage breed value of 174.\u00a0 This is an excellent entry, since a German breed value for this stallion has not been published before.\u00a0 Vivaldi has proven himself as a producer of powerfully moving, young horses.\u00a0 Hanoverian breeders continue using him again and again.<\/p>\n One of his Hanoverian descendants is Celle\u2019s state stud sire Livaldon with a dressage breed value of 146.\u00a0 He completed an excellent 30-day-test, which reflects positively on his sire\u2019s breed value.\u00a0 Vivaldi\u2019s highest partial breed value results from classes for young horses (base classes) – in his case dressage horse classes.\u00a0 Nineteen descendants competed in these classes, seventeen placed.\u00a0 More than half of these descendants were Dutch horses, which competed in Germany.<\/p>\n Included in this number are many stallions, which represented the Netherlands at the World Championships for young dressage horses, like Eyecatcher (WC bronze 2014), Dreamboy (bronze 2014 in the division for six-year olds), Desperado with high placements at the World Championships in 2013 and 2014, and Dancer Forever, World Champion of six-year old dressage horses in 2014.\u00a0 A strong pre-selection has influenced his database for the breed value estimation.\u00a0 Only the top horses from the Netherlands added to his breed value.<\/p>\n It will be interesting to see, how well Vivaldi fits to the German mare base in general and to the Hanoverian mare base in particular, and if the descendants, which are produced in Germany, will confirm this high breed value.<\/p>\n The stallions Floriscount and F\u00fcrstenball follow the evergreen Don Schufro.\u00a0 These two stallions obtained the same integrated dressage breed value of 170.\u00a0 Both are young sires and representatives of the Furioso xx-line.\u00a0 They impressed with their first crops.\u00a0 Fuerstenball is a son of F\u00fcrst Heinrich, Floriscount by Florencio, a grandson \u2013 both originated from a combination of F\u00fcrst Heinrich and Donnerhall, both are Oldenburg stallions, whose pedigrees are strongly influenced by Hanoverian blood.<\/p>\n Dressage winner in the 70-day-test<\/strong><\/p>\n Floriscount, born 2005, is a year older than F\u00fcrstenball.\u00a0 Clemens August Graf von Merveldt, Vechta, is his breeder.\u00a0 His semen is available through the State Stud Celle.\u00a0 The Hanoverian breeders used Floriscount a lot from the beginning.\u00a0 The chestnut stallion won the dressage section of his 70-day-test in Schlieckau in 2008.\u00a0 As a nine-year old, he won at Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire with rider Oliver Oelrich.<\/p>\n The mare performance tests are an important pillar for his high breed value.\u00a0 Forty-four mares contribute to his breed value; the majority was tested in Hanover.\u00a0 Floriscount probably was the most prominent mare sire on the Hanoverian mare shows during the 2014 season. \u00a0There was hardly another stallion, which sired as many class winners and show champions as Floriscount did.\u00a0 Next to the discipline-related breed values, he also obtained above average breed values for type\/riding horse points (133) and foundation (137) in the Hanoverian breed value estimation.\u00a0 He passes on three good basic gaits, from which the canter often stands out.\u00a0 His breed value of 192 for this gait clearly underlines its excellent quality.<\/p>\n Many of Floriscount\u2019s attributes also apply to Fuerstenball (breeder: Georg Sieverding, Emstek), which stands at the breeding station Schockem\u00f6hle.\u00a0 The mare performance tests are the most important source of information for his breed value.\u00a0 Forty-two mares were tested, seventeen of them in Hanover.\u00a0 The canter is also his top gait.\u00a0 His breed value for type\/riding horse points (168) is superior. – this calculation is based on the assessment of his daughters at the time of the mare inspection.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nHanoverian stallions in the lead<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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