{"id":9078,"date":"2012-10-10T11:26:54","date_gmt":"2012-10-10T00:26:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=9078"},"modified":"2015-04-29T11:13:22","modified_gmt":"2015-04-29T01:13:22","slug":"french-breeding-in-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2012\/10\/french-breeding-in-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"French Breeding in Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"french<\/a><\/p>\n

T<\/strong>he breeding scene in France was for so long the most regimented and formalised in Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

STORY: Chris Hector & PHOTOS: Roz Neave and Archives<\/h3>\n

A network of National Studs (Haras Nationaux)<\/em> covered the land, headed by god-like Breeding Directors and supported by a vast bureaucracy to administer the bewildering profusion of regulations and rules. And the French horse was just that \u2013 French. A rigid breeding policy shunned outside influences, and French riders were forbidden to compete for their country on \u2018foreign\u2019 horses.<\/p>\n

In an astonishingly short period of time all that has changed. Where once, stallion marketer Arnaud Evain had to sneak Voltaire semen across the border, arguing that it was to improve dressage quality \u2013 now the market is wide open\u2026 and those revered Haras Nationaux are in serious danger of disappearing altogether, while the silver-medal-winning French riders at the recent European Championships rode horses that dramatically underscored the changes. Of the four, only one, Lord de Theize is a \u2018pure\u2019 Selle Fran\u00e7ais. One team member, Silvana, is Dutch born and bred, while the other two, though born in France, are both by outsiders \u2013 Mylord Carthago, by the great Holsteiner, Carthago, who spent a season in France, and Kellemoi de Pepita, by Voltaire, that frozen semen may not have done much for the dressage scene, but Voltaire\u2019s progeny can certainly jump.<\/p>\n

The breeding scene in France is also marked by a curious set of contradictions \u2013 on one hand super slick and professional, on the other appealingly amateur. The highlight of the year are the Great Weeks \u2013 and the largest and most prestigious is the one at Fontainebleau, where jumping horses and riders from all over the country come together to compete in a bewildering series of classes. This was our first step in our journey to try and get a grip on where French breeding is headed\u2026<\/p>\n

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One of the regulars at Fontainebleau is Arnaud Evain<\/strong> whose breeders\u2019 group, GFE, has an appropriately grand marquee, overlooking the main arena. Faced with the bewildering profusion of rings and horses (and dogs running free) we sought his help to put things into perspective:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis week in Fontainebleau we will have almost 1800 horses, over 100 trade exhibitors. I think it is one of the most beautiful horse stadiums because it is in the middle of a 15,000 acre forest, and they have tried to respect as much as possible the environment and insert the stadium in the nature and the trees. You will see green everywhere you look\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere you will see only showjumpers: the four, five, six and seven-year-old jumping championships. We have the same concept of a big week in dressage in Saumur, for three-day eventing in Lion d\u2019Angers, for Endurance and for Driving. So we have five weeks, but this is the largest one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It is Arnaud who points to one of the contradictions in the French breeding scene:<\/p>\n

\u201cOver 80% of the French breeding purpose is showjumping. The French showjumping industry and the French horse quality, are two different concepts. The French Studbook, the Selle Fran\u00e7ais has been in the top three in the world for years, and is consistently one of the best in the world. When you go deeper and look at the rankings of the top 2000 horses with the WBFSH, you will see that 27% are Dutch, 23% German, 18% Belgium, and France supplies only 13% of the 2000 top horses of the world. That doesn\u2019t give an idea of the quality, the quality is higher than that, so there is a lot of market share that we can gain, we should be almost level with Belgium and Holland.\u201d<\/p>\n

What has caused this \u2013 bad marketing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is because of the better marketing of our competitors. We weren\u2019t bad, we just weren\u2019t doing anything. We have to market our horse industry much better than we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since we were drinking his coffee and enjoying his view of the arena, I thought it best to let our host talk a little about GFE \u2013 again this group signifies one of the huge changes in French breeding, from a virtual monopoly of the State Stud Stallions, to a majority of breedings going to privately owned stallions, either stallions owned by individuals, or a breeders\u2019 group, like GFE:<\/p>\n

\u201cGFE is a successful group for two reasons. Firstly, I was very proud the other day to be assessing the proportion of the horses at this Week by our GFE stallions, and it goes up to 26% in the five-year-old division, and 25% in the six-year-old division. One of the reasons there are so many of our horses here is the quality of our stallions. We are a private company, we are a profitable organisation, but managed by breeders. We have 360 breeders who are the shareholders of our company and it gives us a lot of energy. It\u2019s 360 brains providing ideas and concepts in marketing, it is a small army of breeders, and that is very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Which are your star stallions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started in 2003 it was Mr Blue, then we have had Corofino, Calvaro \u2013 the most represented stallion here this week. It is possible that 10% of the five-year-old finalists will be sons of Calvaro, we\u2019ve never seen that before. But now it is Kannan \u2013 every day there is a new Kannan showing up in the international results. When we bought Kannan a year ago, he had 120 international jumpers, and this morning it was 217. It is like a mushroom growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is he such a successful sire?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at Kannan, he is not very represented in the four-year-old championship, but he is the largest represented in the seven-year-old, because the Kannans are scopey, careful and with a very good brain. There are a lot of riders participating in this week, and many of them are not great experts and the horses have to participate, and Kannans, like the Mr Blues, they have the brain of going through and doing their best and being clear. That\u2019s why you see so many of them when it starts to get serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Purchased in Belgium, Kannan, is by Voltaire out of a Nimmerdor \/ Le Mexico mare\u2026<\/p>\n

As it turned out, the Seven-year-old Criterium was a triumph for Kannan since he put two horses into the final, a feat equaled only by the recently deceased, Quick Star, who was the sire of the Champion, Quatrin de la Roque, out of a Belgian-bred mare by Kannan. The gelding is a wonderful pan-european cocktail: Alm\u00e9, Nithard, Voltaire, Nimmerdor, Grand Veneur.<\/p>\n

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Reserve to the mare, Queldam who is by the the Dollar du Murier son, J\u2019ai L\u2019Espoir d\u2019Elle, out of a Uriel mare \u2013 which makes the youngster double bred to Uriel, since Dollar du Murier is also out of a Uriel mare. Third to another mare, Quorida de Treho, another Kannan, this time out of a mare by Tolbiac des Forets*HN (the number of descendants of stallions that bear the National Stud affix *HN was pitifully small, perhaps an indicator of the parlous state of the old Haras Nationaux, for so long the back bone of French breeding.)<\/p>\n

The highest placed stallion was the fourth placegetter, Quebec Tame, by the Hanoverian star of the German jumping team, For Pleasure (although let it be noted, a Hanoverian with a French sire, Furioso II, or to be absolutely correct, Vertuoso) out of a mare by the Quidam de Revel son, French Cancan.<\/p>\n

The line-up to the Seven-Year-Old final showed how thoroughly \u2018Europeanised\u2019 the French breeding scene has become with eight of the 12 finalists by \u2018non-French\u2019 sires. Two by Kannan, one by another KWPN representative, Casco (Cascavelle \/ Landlord) and another by Mr Blue, two Holstein stallions are represented, Casall and Chin Chin, along with For Pleasure, and the Oldenburger, L\u2019Arc de Triomphe (Landor S \/ Pilot). Flying the flag for France, we have Quick Star, with two, Le Tot de S\u00e9milly and J\u2019Ai l\u2019Espoir d\u2019Elle.<\/p>\n

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The six-year-old class was a rather more \u2018French affair\u2019: twelve of the nineteen finalists were by Selle Fran\u00e7ais stallions \u2013 eight were not only by SF stallions but also out of SF mares. But be careful how you count\u2026 the champion, Ruby de la Fosse is by the \u2018SF\u2019 stallion, Cabdula du Tillard but Cabdula is by the Trakehner, Abdullah, though out of a solidly French mare, Jalisco\u2019s full-sister, no less.<\/p>\n

The reserve championship went to a stallion, Rasper du Gery, by that Selle Fran\u00e7ais hero of the 2002 WEG, Dollar du Murier out of a mare by the Dutch stallion, Jasper and in turn out of a daughter of Nimmerdor. The French \/ Dutch alliance is repeated with the third placed horse, a mare this time, Ratina Kervec, she is by Diamant de S\u00e9milly out of a Kannan mare. The highest placed horse by a \u2018foreigner\u2019 was another mare, the fourth placegetter, Rafale des Forets, by L\u2019Arc de Triomphe out of a mare by Echo des Forets II*HN.<\/p>\n

Dollar du Murier was represented by two finalists as was Diamant de S\u00e9milly and Quick Star. Quaprice du Bois Margot had two finalists. The stallion is described as Holsteiner, but is by the SF sire, Quidam de Revel, albeit out of a mare by Holsteiner stalwart, Lord. For Pleasure also produced two finalists. Kannan was the sire of one finalist and dam sire of another.<\/p>\n

The Five-Year-Old Championship was dominated by mares, taking out the first 21 places! Three geldings filled 22nd \u2013 24th with the highest placed stallion Skenzo de Loujou (Diamant de S\u00e9milly \/ Laudanum xx) in 25th.<\/p>\n

The Champion, Angie du Pachis is another hybrid, by Dollar de la Pierre out of a mare by Ogano Sitte, a very hot stallion on the Belgian scene. Ogano Sitte is by Darco and from the famed Gute Sitte mare line.<\/p>\n

Of the top 15, eight were by SF stallions – three by Diamant de S\u00e9milly and two by Dollar de la Pierre. The Oldenburg branded, Hanoverian bred, Air Jordan (Argentinus \/ Matador), put two into the top 15, including the reserve champion, Australia (out of a Caletto mare) while Lux Z also produced two of the 15, although the Zangersheide-bred, Hanoverian-branded, stallion carries his share of French blood, with two crosses of Cor de la Bry\u00e8re and one of Alm\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The Four-Year-Old Championships are divided into male and female classes, with the two sexes only coming together in the consolation class. The winner of the Female Four-Year-Old Championship was Telula Hoy, is\u00a0 SF branded, but her Selle Fran\u00e7ais sire,\u00a0 Nartago is by the great Holsteiner, Carthago out of a mare by Hurlevent. The sires of ten of the top 15 are branded SF, with one Anglo-Arab, Laurier de Here*HN, the sire of the reserve champion, Tifanie de la Haye. The only horse with more than one finalist was the late, great, Argentinus.<\/p>\n

The Male Four-Year-Old Championship was another triumph for J\u2019ai l\u2019Espoir d\u2019Elle who sired the champion, Torilis d\u2019Ariel, the young stallion is out of a mare by the great Thoroughbred showjumper and sire, Laudanum. This class was more evenly divided with seven of the top 15 by SF sires, four by Holsteiners, two by Oldenburger stallions, and two by BWP stallions. Diamant de S\u00e9milly was the only stallion with more than one in the top 15 \u2013 his two finished 12th and 13th.<\/p>\n

There is no doubt that Diamant is a great stallion, but the odds are also loaded in his favour, over the past five years, he has covered 2,000 mares in France alone, covering 374 mares in the 2010 season. For all the open borders policy has introduced new blood to the French scene, traditionalists can take heart, Diamant de S\u00e9milly continues to proudly fly the tricolour.<\/p>\n

The top ten stallions for the 2010 season reflects the new balance. In second place behind Diamant, we find Mylord Carthago with 309 mares (50:50 \u2013 Carthago \/ Jalisco), the Dutch import, Kannan \u2013 296 (Voltaire \/ Nimmerdor), Epsom Gesmeray \u2013 208 (\u2018pure\u2019 Selle Fran\u00e7ais, Jalisco B \/ Starter). 5th \u2013 Tinka\u2019s Boy \u2013 198 (KWPN, Zuidpool \/ Zeus), 6th \u2013 L\u2019Arc de Triomphe \u2013 182 (OLD, Landor S \/ Pilot), 7th Lando \u2013 176 (Danish, Lancier \/ Raimondo), 8th Levistan \u2013 150 (HAN, Levisto \/ Argentan), 9th Orlando \u2013 148 (BWP, Heartbreaker \/ Darco), 10th Rockn Roll de Semilly \u2013 132 (Selle Fran\u00e7ais, Diamant de Semilly \/ Apache d\u2019Adriers).<\/p>\n

Oh Mon Dieu, what a change. From being the most closed of breeding areas, France is now perhaps the most open. 70% of the top ten sires are by stallions born outside of France\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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This question was unthinkable, ten, even five years ago. They are more than just studs, they are architectural and cultural treasures, perhaps more important for their political master, they are largish employers. The whole structure of French breeding was changed in 2010.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I asked Arnaud Evain to explain the changes\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe National Studs have been divided into two concepts \u2013 the Institute Fran\u00e7ais de Cheval and de l\u2019Equitation (IFCE), which you could call the office for horse developments, that will survive, and the other is the traditional National Stud structure with its stallions, this is a concept that will disappear because the private sector is growing with a lot of energy, and the private sector and local breeders associations, will grow, and the National pool of stallions at the Haras Nationaux will not survive more than five years. The involvement of the government, the agricultural division in the horse industry will stay through the IFCE, which is the fusion of the development part of the breeding from the National Stud and \u00c9cole National d\u2019Equitation at Saumur.\u201d<\/p>\n

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To get the other side of the story, we visited one of the most famous of all the National Studs \u2013 Haras Le Pin, which will be home to the cross country eventing at the next WEG in 2014. Situated in the lush pastures of the Le Merlerault district, Le Pin was purchased by Louis XIV in 1665 as a place to breed his horses, though work on the Stud was not commenced until 1715. Thirteen years later the magnificent establishment was completed, featuring the great horseshoe-shaped Court of Honour, with the Ch\u00e2teau across its lower end \u2013 and roomy stables of natural stone and brick. The first stallions arrived in 1730. It has been a stud ever since, surviving revolutions, wars, changes of regime, even occupation by the army, but right now it faces its toughest challenge ever. Will it survive?<\/p>\n

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Frank le Mestre with one of the Normandy Cob stallions at Le Pin, and (below) their most famous resident, Mylord Carthago.<\/em><\/p>\n

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If you were expecting a uniformed director of the old school, then you are going to be disappointed. The current director of Le Pin, Franck le Mestre, is young, he wear jeans and a sweater, and his assistant is an equally casually dressed, and equally charming, Claire Caillarec. They are both super friendly and helpful, although Franck is frustrated by his English which is good enough to understand my questions, but not up to the complexity of the answers he wants to frame. Claire does a splendid job translating.<\/p>\n

Franck explains that the current situation is in a state of flux \u2013 government funding is for a transitional five-year period: \u201cThe state used to give us money to maintain the National Studs, to improve the production of horses. Now the State has said that from 2015, they will give us no money at all for the stallions, so we have to find a new solution without government money. We won\u2019t disappear but we have to find a way to stand alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were 22 state studs, now there are 20 \u2013 will more state studs have to close?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTwo or three years ago, they told us we had to close most of the studs and keep only eight, but they don\u2019t talk about this any more, luckily the politicians want to keep the national studs for tourism, for employment in the local community, for children, for horse riding, for sports, and not just for stallions. Now we think they will keep all the 20 studs\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

But more as tourist attractions than serious breeding stations\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be more for tourism and sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is very hard to find good stallions and they are very expensive\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe buy the stallions when they are young \u2013 for example Mylord Cathargo at four years old, First de Launay at three years old, some we buy as yearlings, then we see which ones are good. Today we could not afford to buy Mylord, he would be too expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

What proportion of the mares go to the State Studs and what proportion to the private stallions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cToday, 60-70% goes to the private stallions, and about 40% to the State stallions. That is for Sport Horses, for ponies it is a higher rate to the National stud, for Thoroughbreds it is lower, and for Draught breeds and the Percherons, most come to the state studs. For Sport Horses is it going lower, because we have less State stallions, but we contract with the private stallion owners to sell semen for them. For example, Haras de Hus, we work with them and can sell semen from their stallions here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis partnership is really important for us. France Haras has just been established and maybe it will work and the national stallions can go on like they have before, or maybe the stallions will have to be managed by associations of local breeders \u2013 and if it is the second solution, then we will have to work a lot with the private breeders. That\u2019s how it works in Germany, at Marbach, at Neustadt, at Celle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fifty years ago, you would have been in a uniform, and been like the king, telling the breeders \u2013 you must send this mare to this stallion, did you get the job fifty years too late?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reply is swift and decisive.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I am not an official of the state stud. Fifty years ago I could not get the job because you have to do a special course and qualify. It is the same at Marbach, a woman is in charge, fifty years ago that would not be possible. Same at Celle, Axel Brockmann is very young \u2013 there is a new generation working in the studs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Can you find a way to keep this beautiful stud operating?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI am confident. The economic situation is hard, but we have to find a solution and we will. I am hopeful. Breeding is changing, it used to be the little breeder with one or two mares, now it is the bigger breeders with big studs with a lot of money. But while everything is changing, there are still little breeders and they need help to keep going, to learn, to get the best semen, and to sell their horses, and they are expecting us to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also work with the big private studs to transport the semen everywhere because our trucks are going everywhere in France. With stallion owners, like Mr le Courtois of Brullemail, we work well with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to create a new national stud. Initially they were created to produce horses to go to war. Now it is not just the stallions, it is also competitions, eventing, carriage driving, here we have 120 days a year of competition. There is also tourism, 140,000 visitors a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

BRULLEMAIL – The Private Stud<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that was our next stop, just down the road, one of the world\u2019s most beautiful studs, Brullemail. In July 2011, to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Haras de Brullemail, Bernard le Courtois staged a special auction of Brullemail stock. The weekend also marked the 15th anniversary of his partnership with the British born, Christopher King. Christopher is an international fashion consultant and he planned the celebratory party with admirable flair, wonderful flowers, flamboyant decorations, and show girls from Paris. Bernard\u2019s breeding operation has something of that same flair, the mares are just so beautiful, the bloodlines always have that touch of the exotic, Bernard is always pushing the barriers looking for that perfect breeding cross\u2026<\/p>\n

Bernard wasn\u2019t always a horse breeder, for much of his working life, he was an equestrian journalist, and it was while he was the editor of the French equine magazine, L\u2019Eperon<\/em> that he conceived a daring plan to rescue the great stallion, Alm\u00e9 from the clutches of Leon Melchior and the Zangersheide stud. Earlier Bernard had resuscitated the breeding career of the great Thoroughbred showjumper, Laudanum. The chestnut stallion was a jumping star with young Pierre Durand, and is the last Thoroughbred to win major European Grand Prix. Laudanam may have been a great performer, but standing near Bordeaux, his book comprised just nine mares in the season before Bernard adopted a tactic well used in the Thoroughbred industry and syndicated him and moved Laudanam to Normandy where he became an influential sire.<\/p>\n

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Using the same formula, Bernard sold shares in the great Alm\u00e9 and the stallion returned to France at the age of 18 to resume a stellar breeding career in 1986. He died in 1991, and his headstone is one of the first things you see as you sweep up the drive to the Chateau at Brullemail. Probably the next thing you are going to see is the largest dog you have ever set eyes on, since Bernard is also an internationally famed breeder of Mastiffs.<\/p>\n

Bernard is the perfect candidate to give us an informed overview of the French scene. For two decades Bernard carried on a passionate campaign against the influence of the statistical breeding values \u2013 the BLUP. While these indicators are compiled in all the major European breeding countries, it was only in France where they became a decisive influence, particularly in stallion selection. Nowadays, it is very difficult to even get your hands on the BLUP standings\u2026<\/p>\n

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There have been great changes in French breeding \u2013 the BLUP seems to be dead, the resistance to outside blood has disappeared, and it would seem that the great National Studs are also in the process of disappearing\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe BLUP is not dead because the National Stud continues to calculate it, but the Selle Fran\u00e7ais studbook has stopped using it only a few years ago \u2013 I have been Vice-President of the Selle Fran\u00e7ais stud-book since 2005. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThe magazine L\u2019Eperon <\/em>continues to publish the BLUP standings once a year, but for the breeder it is nothing, and for the Studbook, the BLUP is finished. It is something we have been hoping for twenty years\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And the introduction of foreign blood, is that a good thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was necessary. When the studbook managed by the National Stud, created the BLUP that made it necessary to import new blood. Because of the BLUP they had stopped using Thoroughbred stallions, and Anglo Arabs. In the 80\u2019s it was usual to cross with Anglo Arabs, but because of the BLUP, the Selle Fran\u00e7ais breeders stopped using the Anglo Arab and Thoroughbred. We were down to five lines, the lines of Ibrahim, especially the one through Alm\u00e9 and his grandson Quidam de Revel, the line of Nankin and his son Uriel, Grand Veneur and his grandson Diamant de Semilly and the line of Laudanum.\u00a0 I think the line breeding could have been dangerous, and we needed new blood, and because we didn\u2019t use Thoroughbreds and Anglos, then we had to find new blood abroad, especially in Holland and Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which have been the most successful of the imported stallions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is difficult to say because some of them breed a lot \u2013 not necessarily the best, but the more commercial. It is too early. We started to import frozen semen at the end of the 90s, so it is only just over ten years. I remember when I was the agent for Zangersheide, I sold the semen of Calvaro and Carthago, but at that time I sold maybe ten Calvaro and twenty Carthago, just a few. Later when the National Stud leased Calvaro, he bred 300 mares a year. I think the first big generation of the foreign stallions are less than ten years old, it is too early to know which ones are going to have a big influence on the Selle Fran\u00e7ais studbook.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe first stallion who bred a lot was Voltaire. He was half Selle Fran\u00e7ais, by Furioso II, and he bred 100 to 150 mares a year, but the success of the offspring was not so good in France. He had no son at the moment to continue the line with a Selle Fran\u00e7ais dam, but now, the most successful stallion in France is Kannan, who bred more than 500 mares in 2011, and he is a son of Voltaire. Maybe through Kannan, this line will be successful. He is the only stallion now in France who brings back the blood of the great French Thoroughbred, Furioso. We have no more pure Selle Fran\u00e7ais of that sire line, and now we get back the blood of Furioso through Voltaire and Kannan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are there distinctively French qualities that are under threat \u2013 are we going to end up with a universal jumping horse?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so. Of course, now in all the countries of Europe, the breeders use the same lines. The foundation stallions in Europe are Alm\u00e9, a Selle Fran\u00e7ais, Cor de la Bry\u00e8re, a Selle Fran\u00e7ais, Furioso II, a Selle Fran\u00e7ais but also the Holsteiners, Capitol and Landgraf I. They are the five \u2013 maybe also Darco, but Darco has no son to continue the line actually, but his influence is important in showjumping, more than in breeding for the moment. So all the breeders use the same sire lines but the horses are not the same \u2013 the land is not the same, the mentality of breeders is not the same, the way of managing the horses, the feed\u2026 it is all different in every country and because of that, the horses are not the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty years ago everyone said, \u2018in 2020 all the horses in Europe will be the same\u2019, same conformation, same breeding, same qualities, but it doesn\u2019t happen like that. The breeders and the land are not the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

The old structure of the farmer with one or two mares taking his mares to the stallions of the local state stud, that has all changed\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s finished. Many national studs are closed, all over Europe \u2013 they are museums, but there are no horses. I am not sure we will have National Studs in France in ten years. We will keep the buildings, but the organization of the breeding is no longer<\/p>\n

in the hands of the national studs. In every country, the breeders are the same, private people, mostly with one mare, just a few have more than five mares, and sometimes the qualities of the mares are not so good because these private breeders keep the mare that the wife rode, or the children rode, they don\u2019t have the mentality of the old farmers. The old farmers knew exactly what was the good conformation for a horse, they are farmers and they know how to look at animals. They look at their cows exactly the same way as they look at their mare, they want good\u00a0 conformation, they know the mother line of their mare. Of course they can be short-sighted in their choice of the stallion, because they use only the stallion that is close to their farm. But thinking back to the brood mare shows, 20 or 30 years ago, the mares were very nice, with good conformation and structure \u2013 now when we go to the brood mare shows, we can see tiny mares, there is not the same quality. The winners are always good, but sometimes the other mares, are not good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI find it when people ring me to help them choose a stallion, and I spend a lot of time on the phone, or email, trying to explain because they want to know what are the qualities and faults of my stallions to cross with their mares \u2013 but my question is, tell me something about your mare? What is the quality of the mare, how she moves, how she jumps, the conformation, and I think 40% of the people have never seen their mare jumping. I say, if you don\u2019t know what is the technique, what is the scope, the balance of your mare, then I can\u2019t give you any advice about my stallions. If you don\u2019t know anything about your mare, it is like taking a Lotto ticket when you select a stallion, and many people are like that now. They breed a foal but they don\u2019t know anything about the breeding, or the qualities they have to produce\u2026 it\u2019s a pity. That is only 40%, the other 60% they know what they want\u2026 or they think they know what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is it a problem that now the breeders don\u2019t just go to the local stud, the chances of finding an out-cross stallion become less and less because people all want to breed to the famous stallion with the beautiful stud brochure\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, if the director of the National Stud decided to put a stallion in a district for five or ten years, and the breeders used him every year, and the combination with the mares by the stallion that stood there previously was good \u2013 that was perfect. But if the combination was not good, then they produced bad horses for five or ten years. For example, in La Manche a Thoroughbred, Ultimate, bred a lot, and the breeders kept the daughters, and later, they put Ibrahim at that station, and the combination was fantastic, that cross produced Alm\u00e9. Now it is so different. For my stallions, 20% of the mares will come from around my place, within 100 kilometres, and the other 80% from all over France \u2013 it is more difficult to repeat the same cross.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course now the breeders are very sensitive to the publicity and the marketing, the video, the internet, and sometimes I talk to the breeders and say it is very dangerous to use the stallion you can see on the TV at the World Cup, because usually you will see horses that are ten years old, and the natural quality of the horse is not easy to see, because the work of the rider is so important. For example, after the Olympics, I used Lando. I had a very good mare to cross with him and I was very happy, the result \u2013 Ornella Mail – was exceptional. But some people say to me, it\u2019s difficult because Lando was very good with Albert Voorn for a number of years but you never saw Lando before that because he was very difficult to ride and Albert Voorn did a very good job to make him perfect. After when he was ridden by Otto Becker, the result was not so good. The influence of the rider is very important. The offspring of Lando are not well-known in Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the fashionable stallion Cornet Obolensky, I saw him when he was six or seven, and he was very difficult, he stopped, he refused to go in the ring and so on. But when you saw him with Marco Kutscher in the German team, then I can understand that people would want to use the stallion, but they don\u2019t know what has happened before. When you choose a stallion you have to know what the stallion was like when he was five or six years old, that is the perfect time to assess the natural quality of the horse. Three or four is too early, but at five or six, you can see if the horse has a good technique, easy to ride, after that the riders are so talented, they can mask all the faults of the stallion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, Hickstead, I never saw him when he was five or six, but I think it could be interesting to see a video\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t want to breed to him?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI never used him because he is very expensive, and the quality of the semen is difficult for the price, I would like to use him once because the horse is so fantastic. I could use a stallion like Hickstead once or twice to make an out-cross, or to make something special. But the stallion does not have a very good pedigree, he doesn\u2019t have a strong mother line, and I think the most important thing for a stallion is to have a strong pedigree. The horse that is a genius from nowhere is never a good stallion. I prefer a stallion that jumps not in the Olympics but in 1.50m Grand Prix competition with a good pedigree \u2013 this is more interesting\u00a0 than the star from nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In Holstein, they say their problem is that the breeders only want to use the old famous stallions and they won\u2019t give the young stallions a chance, is that the same in France?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn France it is horrible, because no one wants to use the young ones. It is very difficult to promote a young stallion. It is the mentality of the Germans for a long time that they like to use the winner of the Licensing, in France it is difficult. Last year the Selle Fran\u00e7ais studbook made a special promotion with winner of the three-year-old stallion show, with a special stud fee price, to try and get the stallion used by the breeders. In my catalogue I have three young ones, and this year they bred eight mares each. The seven-year-old one, he won an international Grand Prix for seven-year-old horses, but no one uses him. Just a few young ones breed a lot \u2013 if at Fontainebleau, they jump very very well \u2013 too well for me, too \u2018prepared\u2019 \u2013 then the people will use them in the year after that. A spectacular horse at the four and five-year-old final, can breed a lot, but for all the others it is difficult. The breeders in France prefer to breed to the older ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which of the French stallions do you think are the most important? I think you wrote that Diamant was yet to produce a really good competitor\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I have never said that to my knowledge. With three horses at the Lexington World games that would be an error to say but maybe we are still waiting for the\u00a0 super crack out of Diamant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is difficult, when a horse is successful, then they are a lot of people who are quick to say bad things about that famous stallion. I was at a show last weekend, talking with the breeders, and they were talking about Diamant \u2013 and yes, he bred a lot, but I think that is because people are happy with the production. The problem is at the beginning, when the stallion starts, the people who use the stallion are more intelligent because they compare the mare and the stallion, and they bring the right mare to the stallion. After that, when the horse is fashionable and very expensive, everybody wants to have a foal by this stallion, and they don\u2019t consider the conformation and jumping technique of\u00a0the mare before they send her to this stallion. Sometimes the first generation is better than the later ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor several years now, I buy Diamant stud fees because it is easy to sell the foals when they are from a good\u00a0 and beautiful well born mare. As he is very fertile in fresh semen, I made two embryo transfers in 2011 with Diamant and Katchina & her dam Elvira Mail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome other Selle Fran\u00e7ais stallions, very famous all over the world, like Quidam de Revel, Quick Star or Baloubet du Rouet\u00a0 were\u00a0 also\u00a0 criticised but finally they are some of the best in the world.\u00a0 I used all three with my mares and I have a fantastic young stock from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now Quidam and Baloubet are retired, Quick Star is dead\u2026 Who will be the next Selle Fran\u00e7ais foundation stallions?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the horse market like in France, has the financial meltdown affected the prices?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, like everywhere. In my stud farm every year since 2009, we have 10% less stud fees every year, now it is 30% less than it was in 2008. At the moment, the market is better only for a few stallions who breed 300 or 500 mares a year! I think many people breed don\u2019t really have the money to breed, and the quality of the mare is not so good, they don\u2019t want to spend much. Now the stud fee is less than it was 20 years ago, but everything except the stud fee is more expensive \u2013 the vet, the cost of the breeding procedure. Sometimes the cost of the vet is as much as the stud fee. Some of my customers have told me, to get a foal you have to spend two or three thousand euros and at the moment, they have to choose, to take my children away on holidays, or have a foal, and my mare can wait\u2026 Especially when I have not sold my yearling, I have not sold my two-year-old, and my three-year-old is still for sale. A lot of people have had a break with the mare, especially 2009, 2010, this year people have told me, I have waited two years, now I want to breed the mare, but because 80% of the breeders only have one mare, and many people stop breeding for a couple of years, the market is down. To sell a top horse is very very easy, better than ever, but the price for normal horse for the amateur market is really down, it is not the seller who decides the price, it is the buyer, and that is very dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Would you breed a mare of yours to a clone stallion?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I had here on my farm for a couple of months, the clone of ET, I remember ET, but the clone did not look like him at all, he has an ugly head, very long back like a dachshund. It was not at all interesting. I saw Quidam\u2019s clone when he was a foal at Zangersheide\u2026 I could use a clone of Quidam, but not for the stud fee of Quidam. I could make the test with the clone, but for \u20ac500 not for \u20ac5000. At the moment we are a bit anxious about that in the Selle Fran\u00e7ais studbook because a clone is not recognized in France, we can\u2019t breed with them. But we have a problem, Mr Velin who owns Quidam and the clone, told us, the clone and Quidam are the same horse. So we are worried that we might receive semen of the clone without knowing it, because a blood test will not tell the difference. There is no more semen from Quidam on the market because he is very old and the quality was not so good. Two years ago, breeders said, oh all the mares bred to Quidam are pregnant, and some people said, maybe that is because it is the semen of the clone! I am not sure, it is not easy to verify this. Last year, in France there were only 13 foals by Quidam. I suppose if they export the good quality semen of the clone, then there would be more \u2013 so I think there is no clone semen on the market but it is difficult to control. Some technicians say you can look at the construction of the spermatozoa and it is different. After insemination, after the foal is born, then there is no difference in a DNA test.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally for me, cloning is more interesting for the mare. The genetics experts say performance is 20% genetic, 80% is the environment of the horse, and it is dangerous to use a clone that has never competed. Okay use a clone, but after you see it competing like a real horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

You started the Stud twenty-five years ago \u2013 is it still fun?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSure, I breed a lot, maybe too much. I like very much to choose a young mare, and then choose the stallion and make a cross and write on a piece of paper the pedigree of the cross. That is fascinating. But the market now is very different. I was very lucky to start with Laudanum and Alm\u00e9\u2026 now there are so many new people on the market with a lot of money who can buy the best stallion for a lot of money. It makes it very difficult to find a new stallion, but when I have the opportunity to buy a good one, I make the effort. I bought Quite Easy, and this year I bought Utrillo vd Heffinck. For me, Utrillo is very interesting because he has very different blood \u2013 Clinton \/ Heartbreaker, I don\u2019t have any of this blood in my pedigrees, these are new genes for me. The horse has a very good conformation, very good jumping technique, I am very happy with the first generation who jumps very well in CSI.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the 25th anniversary of the stud farm we organized an auction, and one of the top prices was for a two-year-old filly by Utrillo who jumped very well, Violette Mail, an extravagant jumper, and I think Utrillo will be successful in France next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI bred 30 mares this year, I like that, but Christopher is telling me all the time to reduce the numbers because the market is so difficult. I try to convince him, that if 20\/25% of the amateur breeders have stopped breeding, then in a couple of years, there will be so many less horses on the market, and as a professional breeder, I should take this opportunity, and I hope the prices will be better. I am not very sure\u2026 but I enjoy creating those new crosses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA breeder has to look to the long term, not just see an Olympic horse on the TV and breed that to a normal horse, and hope to breed an Olympic horse. It is not like that, it is a job, it takes time, and dedication\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Haras Couvains \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>the dynasty<\/strong><\/p>\n

T<\/strong>he current top sire in France, Diamant de S\u00e9milly is the product of one of those classic \u2018horse families\u2019, in this case, the family Levallois. And like most of those families, the last three generations has seen the shift from Agricultural to Sport horse. <\/strong>The dynasty was founded by Louis Levallois, a stallion owner and horse dealer between the wars. However he dealt in work horses not showjumpers, mainly selling Normandy Cobs. After the war, the trade shifted away from agriculture. According to his son, Germain Levallois: \u201cThe farm horses went to the butchers by the truck load. The farmers kept only the most luxurious types to breed hunters. That was the first step towards the riding horse. Horses that displayed a great aptitude for hunting laid the basis for the Anglo-Norman horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(I am indebted to the French journalist, Pascal Renauldon for his article Le Tot de S\u00e9milly or the rehabilitation of Grand Veneur in Z Magazine, Feb\/April 2000, for these quotes.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Germain\u2019s advice was often sought by local breeders, and when Jules Mesnildrey was looking for a filly, Germain found him, Venue du Tot, a mare with a double cross of the great Thoroughbred, Ultimate.<\/p>\n

Germain Levallois makes the point that when he selected the filly the fashion in horse selection was rather different: \u201cShe looked very much like her dam and in those days one paid more attention to the conformation of the dam than they do now, when one is relying too much, I think, on genetics and indices. I always bought my horses for their conformation, their suitability, their balance and movements, and I have never changed my views. I am not against indices, but it is just one piece of information among many other important aspects. If I buy a colt, my main criterion is: is he an athlete?\u201d<\/p>\n

As the sire of her fifth foal, Jules Mesnildrey chose Grand Veneur, then a young stallion and standing at nearby Marigny.\u00a0 Germain Levallois purchased the Grand Veneur foal out of Venue de Tot and christened him, Le Tot de S\u00e9milly, and gave him to his son Eric to ride.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Together the pair made their names in the sport. They won 22 international and 63 national Grand Prix between 1988 and 1991, and almost \u20ac200,000 in prizemoney. He was the first French horse to be sponsored by<\/p>\n

the French Federation. At the age of seven, he was a member of the gold-medal-winning French team at the European Young Rider Championships, and placed fourth in the individual standings. The next year, he was second at the Nations Cup in Hickstead, and as a nine-year-old, was second in the Wiesbaden CSI Grand Prix, won the Bois le Roi Grand Prix and finished third in the Gijon Grand Prix and Nations Cup. When he retired in 1991, he had won \u20ac183,000.<\/p>\n

Jules Mesnildrey came to Germain Levallois again seeking a filly, this time with different blood. Germain found Venise des Cresles. Levallois offered a free service to Le Tot with the deal.<\/p>\n

The mare died giving birth and the breeder wanted to get rid of the foal: \u201cWe took it in and bottle-fed it, together with another orphan. The two were always running free in the courtyard and would follow us around like two puppies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The foal was Diamant de S\u00e9milly who made the four, five and six-year-old finals at Fontainebleau before going on to a star-studded international career, with Eric Levallois. Now he is France\u2019s most sought-after stallion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The dynasty at Haras de Couvains is into its third generation, with the fourth shaping up already. The breeding sire of the operation is spearheaded by Richard Levallois, with his brother Eric, in charge of the competition horses. Richard\u2019s wife, Sophie comes from an agricultural science background, and is very much part of the operation, and she was kind enough to take time out to explain how the stud functions.<\/p>\n

From its small beginnings, Haras Couvains is now a major player in the world breeding stage. According to Sophie: \u201cWe have more than 20 stallions. Some here, some we only sell semen. We own 16 stallions. We send semen all over the world, here there are nearly 700 mares who come in the breeding season. We own around 20 and with the EI that we do, we have around 25 foals a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Le Tot, who was the best stallion for your farm?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDiamant de S\u00e9milly, the son of Le Tot. He was in the World Championship team at Jerez \u2013 he had a temperature of 45 degrees before the show, but for that he could have finished much better, he was a little tired by the end and for the individuals he wasn\u2019t at his best. He produces very well, he is the best Selle Fran\u00e7ais stallion, even better than his father, Le Tot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What qualities does Diamant put on his progeny?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe has more blood than his father, because on his mother\u2019s side, there is the Thoroughbred, Amarpour. He brings more size, he brings also strength and a very good balance, so he produces horses that are very easy to ride, even by amateurs. He brings a very good mind because he brings the mind of his sire, Le Tot de S\u00e9milly. His progeny are much appreciated by the riders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you use much \u2018foreign\u2019 blood in your breeding program?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNot a lot, we prefer to stay more Selle Fran\u00e7ais, because we have many foreign breeders who come here to buy, and they want something they can\u2019t find in their own countries, and they appreciate the very good mind of the Selle Fran\u00e7ais. This is why we try to keep our best Selle Fran\u00e7ais mares. We also have a few with German blood, but 95% of our breeding is pure Selle Fran\u00e7ais.\u201d<\/p>\n

Has the pattern of breeding changed much \u2013 from the farmer breeder to the hobby breeder?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is changing a lot at the moment. The old breeding structure that was here in Normandy, with the farmers who had cows, and some mares, and they knew the horses very well, that is decreasing, that is a pity. There are many breeders who just have their mares for their children, and they keep them for reproduction later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is also a growing part, the new investors in horse breeding who come here with a lot of money and invest a lot in mares and stallions. They are growing very quickly but sometimes they don\u2019t really know what a good horse is. They buy, and invest a lot of money in what they think is the best but they don\u2019t have a real feeling for the horse, they don\u2019t have the horse knowledge. I think that is a pity because sometimes they bring horses from foreign countries, that the Germans don\u2019t want any more, and that can bring bad things into Selle Fran\u00e7ais breeding because they can bring bad minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Selle Fran\u00e7ais qualities are going down because of those crossings which are not always successful. The German breeding is very closed, the best they keep for themselves. For example, you can find semen of Cassini II in France, but Cassini I \u2013 you can\u2019t find any. Cassini II doesn\u2019t produce as well as Cassini I. When they sell stallions to foreign countries, I think they never sell the best ones. Sometimes they can make mistakes but most of the time they don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What are those Selle Fran\u00e7ais qualities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sophie\u2019s reply is one I have heard on several occasions on my trip through Normandy, it is complimentary to the horses, not so kind on the riders\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe very good mind, the easiness, because you know most of the time with the foreign horses you have to train them a lot and repeat always the same exercises, and the day after, you have to repeat it again. The Selle Fran\u00e7ais is made for the lazy rider, like the French riders, once they understand something, it\u2019s okay, it\u2019s done and you can leave the horse for a few weeks in the field, and when you ride him, he is the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the bloodlines from other parts of Europe are flooding into France, the rest of Europe is returning the compliment. In the 2007 Holstein stallion licensing, the champion, Diarado, was by Diamant de S\u00e9milly. Holstein director, Herbert Boley put together a consortium with Paul Schockem\u00f6hle and Dutchman Joop Van Uytert, to jointly stand the young stallion. At Schockem\u00f6hle\u2019s recent AOS auction, a two-year-old son of Diarado, out of an Argentinus mare, topped the sale at a staggering \u20ac450,000!<\/p>\n

No matter how much the shape of French breeding changes in the future, the blood of the Selle Fran\u00e7ais will continue to flow as long as there are competitions for jumping horses, and you hope that much of that idiosyncratic Gallic style of horses, and horsemanship will survive the upheavals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The breeding scene in France was for so long the most regimented and formalised in Europe. STORY: Chris Hector & PHOTOS: Roz Neave and Archives A network of National Studs (Haras Nationaux) covered the land, headed by god-like Breeding Directors and supported by a vast bureaucracy to administer the bewildering profusion of regulations and rules. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[715],"tags":[808,745,85],"class_list":["post-9078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-big-issues","tag-french-breeding","tag-selle-francais","tag-warmblood-breeding"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9078"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20955,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9078\/revisions\/20955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}