![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Ludwig-Christmann.jpg\")
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by Ludwig Christmann<\/p>\n
(this article originally appeared in the April 2020 edition of Der Hannoveraner<\/em> There is a lot of interest in Dutch genetics, especially with respect to dressage horses. So there are good reasons to take a closer look at KWPN\u00a0 dressage horse breeding.<\/strong><\/p>\n What is the origin of the breed?<\/p>\n The Netherlands was home to two warmblood\u00a0 breeds. The Groninger was bred in the north and was similar to other European breeds, the Altoldenburger and the Ostfriesen.\u00a0 The Gelderlander was bred in the south, its build is lighter. It was originally used as a workhorse for agriculture and as a cart horse.<\/p>\n After World\u00a0 War II, as mechanization in society and agriculture\u00a0 gained momentum and equestrian sports increased\u00a0 in popularity, these horses were also used under saddle.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gelderlander was a real all-rounder:\u00a0 for work in the countryside, at the weekend\u00a0 for riding in dressage, jumping or eventing, and, on\u00a0 Sundays, as a means to get to church. Its characteristics were just as versatile: a strong horse with a good walk and trot with a lot of flexion in the\u00a0 joints and a sublime front leg technique with a lot\u00a0 of shoulder freedom and knee action.”<\/p>\n At the time, the selection process for character and willingness\u00a0 to perform already existed: \u201cPeople parted with\u00a0 horses that did not want to work,” is how Johan Hamminga,\u00a0 a dressage trainer up to the Grand Prix-level\u00a0 and a member of the KWPN licensing commission, describes the Gelderlander.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0 literature (Wikipedia), the Andalusian, Neapolitan,\u00a0 Anglo-Norman breeds as well as Norfolk Trotters\u00a0 are mentioned as breeds that influenced the Gelderlander.\u00a0 The latter breed, which originated in\u00a0 England, has also influenced various trotter breeds,\u00a0 among others.<\/p>\n Eclatant – Hannoverian influence in The Netherlands<\/em><\/p>\n Changing the breeding process towards\u00a0 creating riding horses began as early as the\u00a0 1950s with imported stallions such as the Anglo-Norman, L\u2018Invasion, or the Holstein, Normann, and \u00a0later Amor, to name a few. But also the Hannoveraner,\u00a0 Eclatant by Duellant\/Ableger\u00a0 out of the mare\u00a0 line of Nehrung (breeder: Claus Schmoldt, Hollerdeich)\u00a0 played a role.<\/p>\n Eclatant was born\u00a0 in 1963, and sold to the Netherlands at Verden\u2019s stallion\u00a0 sales in 1965. In the 06\/1965 issue of ‘Hannoversches\u00a0 Pferd’, he is described as a \u201cstrong\u00a0 stallion with a very steadfast character, a short\u00a0 cannon-bone and very good, swinging movements.”<\/p>\n In 1969, the existing studbooks merged and the\u00a0 Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands\u00a0 (KWPN) was founded. Since 2006, there have been four official breeding directions: the dressage horse, the\u00a0 show-jumping horse, the carriage horse and the\u00a0 Gelder horse.<\/p>\n Doruto – one of the first of the dressage sires…<\/em><\/p>\n Gribaldi, Totilas was his most famous son<\/em><\/p>\n Foreign genetics were heavily used\u00a0 In the development of the dressage and showjumping\u00a0breeding lines: Trakehner stallions such as\u00a0 Doruto (born 1962 by Komet) and Gribaldi (born\u00a0 1993 by Kostolany), Holstein stallions such as\u00a0 Flemmingh (born 1987 by Lacapo), Selle Fran\u00e7ais\u00a0 stallions such as Le Mexico (born 1970 by Mexico who was \u00a0a full brother of Furioso II), but also Hannoveraner\u00a0 stallions were used.<\/p>\n Flemmingh – one of the important Holsteiner imports<\/p>\n Especially Voltaire by\u00a0 Furioso II\/Gotthard (born in 1979; breeder: Erika\u00a0 Kuwert, M\u00fclheim), had a strong, positive influence\u00a0 on the development of the breeding of Dutch show\u00a0 jumpers.<\/p>\n Lord Leatherdale<\/em><\/p>\n Lord Leatherdale by Lord Loxley\/Ferragamo,\u00a0 born in 2003 and bred in the Rhineland by\u00a0 Zuchtgemeinschaft Pleines in Uedem, continues to\u00a0 be popular in the breeding of dressage horses.\u00a0 Among others, he is the sire of Glamourdale, the\u00a0 World Champion of Young Dressage Horses 2019.<\/p>\n Glamourdale<\/em><\/p>\n story continues below the advertisement<\/em><\/p>\n About the breeding principles<\/strong><\/p>\n In the book ‘The KWPN Horse’ which was published\u00a0 by the KWPN in 2012, the breeding objectives\u00a0 and selection characteristics of the Dutch dressage\u00a0 horse are described in detail. The breeding goal is explicitly defined as striving to produce a horse\u00a0 that has the conformation and movement to be successful in Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Many criteria are similar\u00a0 to those in Hannover, but some accents are definitely\u00a0 set differently.<\/p>\n \u201cRaising the forehand is one of\u00a0 the basics of dressage and that is why we prefer\u00a0 an upright (vertical) neck carriage in the dressage\u00a0 horse,” is the formulation in The KWPN Horse.<\/p>\n Great importance is also attached to the horses\u00a0 being constructed uphill and, above all, to them\u00a0 moving uphill, bringing the forehand up in the movement,\u00a0 having good self-carriage and being light-footed.\u00a0 For this they should be supple in the joints\u00a0 with an active hind leg and a bit of knee action.<\/p>\n What are the experiences in the Hannoveraner Verband\u00a0 with Dutch genetics?<\/strong><\/p>\n (Editor’s note: I am sorry to give you a crick in your neck but this is the only way I know to present the information in a readable form)<\/em><\/p>\n In the Hannoveraner Yearbook Stallions 2021, the breeding values of\u00a0 nine KWPN dressage stallions are published and\u00a0 shown in the chart above. The estimated breeding values from the studbook evaluations confirm\u00a0 an overall positive heredity with regard to the conformation\u00a0 of horses. The average was 118 ranging\u00a0 from 91 to 143.<\/p>\n Amp\u00e8re, 138 for type, 143 for conformation, 124 for canter, but 90 for walk, FN young horse value 141 (0.96 reliability), highest level achieved 148 (0.86)<\/em><\/p>\n Vivaldi – 118 for type, but the best walk of the Dutch stallions, 112, FN breeding value for young horses, 150 (0.95) and for highest level achieved, 184 (0.82)<\/em><\/p>\n Zack, 132 for type, the best canter score, 130, and a good score for walk, 111 – FN breeding value for young horses 134 (0.96) \u00a0and for highest level achieved 160 (0.88)<\/em><\/p>\n Bordeaux gets the lowest score for type, 90, but he is the third highest on the FN values for young horses, 143 (0.97) and the second highest for highest level achieved, 170 (0.90)<\/em><\/p>\n From a statistical point of view, these breeding values are quite well secured. Between\u00a0 29 and 49 daughters per stallion were evaluated,\u00a0 the accuracy is between 0.78 and 0.86.<\/p>\n The\u00a0 Hannoveraner breeding value dressage is estimated\u00a0 from the assessments at the broodmare tests\u00a0 and from the evaluations at Verden\u2019s auctions. The\u00a0 number of horses evaluated was between 13 and\u00a0 52 per stallion, the accuracy between 0.68 and\u00a0 0.88. Changes may still be expected in the breeding\u00a0 values, which show a low accuracy.<\/p>\n Of the breeding values for the basic gaits, the one for canter is the highest with an average value of\u00a0 111 and a range of 87 to 130. Clear individual\u00a0 differences can be seen. The worst breeding value is the walk with an average value of 98 with a\u00a0 range from 81 to 112. The average values for trot\u00a0 (106) and rideability (105) are in between. The average overall dressage breeding value is 105\u00a0 with a range of 94 to 119, which is rather sparse\u00a0 for potential dressage specialists.<\/p>\n The picture is\u00a0 completely different when looking at the sport based\u00a0 breeding values. The average FN breeding\u00a0 value for young horse tests (which includes results\u00a0 from stallion performance tests, broodmare tests\u00a0 and dressage horse tests) is 134 with a range of\u00a0 117 to 150. Eight of these nine stallions already have a breeding value for \u201chighest achieved\u00a0 class”, and the result is outstanding. The average\u00a0 breeding value is 157 with a range of 133 to 184.<\/p>\n story continues below the advertisement<\/em><\/p>\n Interpreting the results\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n From my impressions at mare performance tests, I can confirm that offspring of Dutch stallions are\u00a0 more often endowed with less swinging trot movements \u00a0than the Hannoveraner or Rhineland\u00a0 mares. The canter often is the best gait, the walk the weaker gait.<\/p>\n Hannoverian Breeder, Ingo Pape<\/em><\/p>\n Could it be that the horses\u00a0 need more time in their development allowing\u00a0 their undoubtedly present talents to emerge? German breeder, Ingo Pape\u2018s comment fits this, \u201cIn the first phase under\u00a0 the rider, the Dutch horses often appear to be running.\u00a0 The movement is not very swinging. The horses\u00a0 then certainly need the influence of a suitable\u00a0 rider to add stability to the rhythm, as well as springiness and increased suspension to the movement,\u00a0 whose mechanics are labor-intense.”<\/p>\n It is\u00a0 fitting that the Hannoveraner breeding values,\u00a0 which are mainly based on the evaluation of three and\u00a0 four-year-old horses, are relatively low.<\/p>\n With\u00a0 increasing age and appropriate rider encouragement,\u00a0 the movement sequences are developed,\u00a0 resulting in higher horse show-breeding values.<\/p>\n Furthermore \u2013 just sufficient movement with less swing can be advantageous for the collection. A\u00a0 pre-disposition for Grand Prix does not require very\u00a0 big movement; the rideability of a Grand Prix-talent\u00a0 does not have to be easy. There are enough\u00a0 examples of successful Grand Prix horses, including\u00a0 Hannoveraner, that were difficult and required\u00a0 great riding skills.<\/p>\n In conversations with Hannoveraner breeders, there\u00a0 was scepticism about the use of KWPN stallions.\u00a0 The scepticism is based on self-made experiences.<\/p>\n Henning Schulze from Tiddische near Gifhorn, who\u00a0 is one of the larger breeders in the district association\u00a0 of L\u00fcneburg, observed that rhythm and impulsion\u00a0 are often lost and the walk is not good\u00a0 enough. \u201cBut without a walk, I can\u2018t sell a dressage\u00a0 horse today,\u201c he says.<\/p>\n Herbert Kruse from\u00a0 Hamburg, also one of the larger and more successful breeders, who has already produced numerous \u00a0licensed stallions such as Don Nobless, emphasizes\u00a0 the importance of rideability, \u201cI need rideable horses\u00a0 that the recreational rider can also ride. The\u00a0 horses must be ‘clear in the head’ \u2013 that is the\u00a0 be-all and end-all.\u201c He sees deficits in this respect in many Dutch stallions.<\/p>\n Rudolf Schepergerdes from Meppen knows the\u00a0 market in Emsland very well. He is a successful\u00a0breeder himself, but also the contact person for\u00a0 many foal buyers and sellers. \u201cI see a decreasing interest in foals by KWPN stallions. Breeders tell me that starting the young horses is more complicated,\u201c\u00a0 he says.<\/p>\n Toto Junior<\/em><\/p>\n But he has had good experiences with offspring\u00a0 of the Hannoveraner-bred Totilas son, Toto Junior,\u00a0 who is popular in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n \u201cMany breeders\u00a0 in Emsland use stallions from the neighbouring\u00a0 country, to be able to offer different genetics\u00a0 than those, which everyone has,\u201c he adds.<\/p>\n Heinrich Behrmann, a successful and experienced\u00a0 Hannoveraner breeder from Stedebergen near Verden,\u00a0 is convinced of the Dutch way. Numerous licensed\u00a0 stallions come from his breeding, of which\u00a0 the great Bolero is best known.<\/p>\n \u201cI really became\u00a0 aware of Dutch dressage horses at the World\u00a0 Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden\u00a0 in 2009 with the stallions Westpoint and Wynton.\u00a0 After that, I got involved with the Dutch studbook\u00a0 and the development of their sport horses. I\u00a0 came to the conclusion that they select more sharply.\u00a0 I have been using KWPN stallions in my breeding\u00a0 program for ten years.”<\/p>\n Don Juan de Hus<\/em><\/p>\n “It started with Don Juan de Hus, whom I saw for the first time in Hoya.\u00a0 The horse had an incredible aura and a top canter.\u00a0 I had two very good foals by him. He also confirmed\u00a0 his positive heredity with D\u2018avie FRH, the\u00a0 double World Champion of Young Dressage Horses\u00a0 bred by Dorothee Heitm\u00fcller, who I was allowed\u00a0 to raise. I have also had good experiences with\u00a0 Bordeaux. I am very convinced of Asgard’s Ibiza (Desperado \/ Jazz), by\u00a0 whom I have nine offspring so far. They are all super correct horses with a great charisma and good\u00a0 manners. For me, Ibiza as a sire is on the same level as Valentino xx and Absatz in the past, who\u00a0 have particularly influenced breeding in the Verden\u00a0 area.”<\/p>\n Asgard’s Ibiza (photo – Hengsthaltung Martin Determann)<\/em><\/p>\n “I analyse the dam lines very thoroughly before\u00a0 I use a stallion, because it is also true for the\u00a0 KWPN that not every horse is needed. There is a clear line in the selection of dressage horses in the\u00a0 Netherlands and selection process is very strict.\u00a0 The most important criteria are self-carriage, a stable topline, an active, diligent hind leg, correctness,\u00a0 good angulation of the front leg in the trot and\u00a0 light-footedness. The greatest value is placed on\u00a0 the canter. I remain Holland-minded.”<\/p>\n Arend Kamphorst is ‘Holland-minded’ almost by\u00a0 birth. Born in the Netherlands, he is one of the\u00a0most successful Hannoveraner breeders with the\u00a0 Dree B\u00f6ken breeding farm in Prieros, Brandenburg.<\/p>\n \u201cI look around everywhere for the best stallions.\u00a0 With the KWPN stallions, I like the impressive front end, which \u2013 from my point of view \u2013 comes from\u00a0 the Groninger. However, I would like the walk to be\u00a0 better,\u201c he says.<\/p>\n Emma Blundell is a successful\u00a0 Hannoveraner breeder in England and, looking\u00a0 from the outside, has a no-nonsense view. She sees benefits in combining the advantages of German\u00a0 horses with those of the KWPN dressage horse.<\/p>\n Emma Blundell’s Mount St John Freestyle and Charlotte Dujardin at the WEG in Tryon<\/em><\/p>\n The trainers’ view<\/strong><\/p>\n Matthias Klatt is Chairman of the Breeding Committee\u00a0 Dressage of the Hannoveraner Verband and\u00a0 is a successful dressage horse breeder in Hahausen\u00a0 (Harzvorland). He rides up to advanced S-level and is a sought-after trainer.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, the German training\u00a0 scale stands above everything. The training goals associated with it cannot be achieved as\u00a0 quickly with many Dutch horses. The horses have to be ridden differently.”<\/p>\n Is there a different training \u00a0philosophy in the Netherlands, is riding done\u00a0 differently there?<\/p>\n Matthias Alexander Rath, dressage\u00a0 rider and trainer at the breeding farm Schafhof\u00a0 in Kronberg, made his own experiences with\u00a0 Dutch horses (Totilas, Bretton Woods) and with\u00a0 German horses (Foundation, Destacado FRH). He is\u00a0 convinced that this question can be answered with\u00a0 ‘yes’.<\/p>\n Matthias Alexander and Totilas soon after the purchase of the stallion<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI have ridden in the Netherlands myself.\u00a0 Seat and influence are different. The horses are not constantly on the rider\u2019s leg, as it is common in\u00a0 Germany, but they have to react to the leg all the\u00a0 more quickly.”<\/p>\n Johann Hinnemann knows the dressage sport in\u00a0 the Netherlands very well. He with his KWPN gelding\u00a0 Ideaal was Team World Champion with the\u00a0 German team in Toronto\/CAN in 1986. He was one of the trainers of the dressage senior squad in the\u00a0 Netherlands in 2003 and 2004 and his expertise\u00a0 as a trainer is in demand worldwide. He answers the question about a different training philosophy\u00a0 in the Netherlands with a clear ‘no’.<\/p>\n Johann Hinnemann and Ideaal<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe vast\u00a0 majority of riders in the Netherlands ride according\u00a0 to the same classical principles as in Germany. That doesn\u2018t rule out that there are individual black\u00a0 sheep, just like there are in Germany.”<\/p>\n He considers\u00a0 it a great responsibility for the judges to\u00a0 show, where the limits are. But that is a completely\u00a0 different topic.<\/p>\n Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen is a member of\u00a0 the Hannoveraner licensing commission, a trainer\u00a0 at Verden\u2019s auctions, the national trainer of the junior\u00a0 and young rider squads and a sought-after\u00a0 dressage trainer. Comparing the mechanics in the\u00a0 movement, he likes the powerful push-off of Dutch\u00a0 horses. The impulsion of the (German) horse has\u00a0 advantages especially at a young age. A little less\u00a0 impulsion can definitely be an advantage for the\u00a0 piaffe, but not for the passage and for the lateral\u00a0 movements.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Hannover, the mechanics of the\u00a0 movement have much improved over the past ten\u00a0 years. In addition, the very good basic rideability is\u00a0 an absolute highlight of the Hannoveraner breeding\u00a0 program. When I am on the road internationally, I am often commended also by the Dutch for\u00a0 the great horses that we have for our young riders.”<\/p>\n Gonnelien Rothenberger competing for The Netherlands riding the Hannoverian stallion, Weyden. He was also competed by Sven.<\/em><\/p>\n The Rothenberger dressage stable in Bad Homburg\u00a0 has a lot of experience with both German and\u00a0 Dutch horses. Gonnelien Rothenberger, n\u00e9e Gordijn,\u00a0 comes from the Netherlands and was internationally\u00a0 successful for her home country.<\/p>\n S\u00f6nke Rothenberger and the Dutch-bred Cosmo at Aachen<\/em><\/p>\n Son S\u00f6nke\u00a0 collected the greatest successes with the\u00a0 Dutch-bred Cosmo (team gold in 2018 at the\u00a0 World Championships in Tryon\/USA, Team European\u00a0 Champion in Rotterdam\/NED in 2019);\u00a0 daughter Sanneke was U25 Individual European\u00a0 Champion in 2016 with the Oldenburg Deveraux\u00a0 and highly successful with the Hannoveraner Wolkenstein\u00a0 II daughter Wolke Sieben.<\/p>\n
\nand is re-produced with permission)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eclatant-.jpg\")
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