When looking at the great variety of bloodlines that are used today in Hanoverian breeding, they can be divided into the following groups:
- Classical, old Hanoverian lines: A/E-Line, F-Line, D-Line and G-Line
- Lines based on refiners after the Second World War: e.g. Trakehners such as Semper Idem and Abglanz or thoroughbreds such as Der Löwe xx and Pik As xx - Younger lines with origin in Hannover, going back to stallions such as Bolero or Lauries Crusador xx
- Lines with origin in other sport horse breeding areas, which have spread in Hanover. These are mainly Holsteiner and French lines.
Altogether it is remarkable, how big the influence of the English thoroughbred was in the development of the sport horse breeding in all breeding areas.
The A/E line
Adeptus xx
The current E- and former A-line goes back to the thoroughbred stallion Adeptus xx, who was used at the Celle State Stud from 1884 to 1904. Today's famous representatives of the line are Escudo I (dam by Arkansas), who has made an excellent name for himself especially as a jumper sire. His most successful offspring in sport is Embassy II, who under Hans-Dieter Dreher collected well over 1 million euros in prize money. His older brother, Embassy, produced SAP Escada FRH, among others, who became European Team Champion in 2013 under Ingrid Klimke and Team World Champion in 2014. Embassy is the sire of Edward, born in 2005, who has an above-average talent for both dressage and show jumping and in whom great hopes are placed as a sire.
Another branch of this old Hanoverian line established itself in Westphalia. Born in 1969, Ehrensold moved to the Westphalian State Stud and was to establish a new line here. Especially the Rhineland stallion Ehrentusch (mother by Rheingold) made a name for himself as a sire of talented and rideable dressage horses. Everyone is currently talking about his grandson Escolar (by Estobar), owned by the stallion station Gut Neuenhof. The D-Line
The D line also goes back to a thoroughbred stallion, Devil's Own xx, who stood at the Celle State Stud from 1894 to 1906. This line is one of the most widespread dressage horse lines in the world today. This is mainly due to the Oldenburg stallion Donnerhall. He is a son of the Hannoveraner stallion Donnerwetter by Disput/Matador, who stood at Grönwohlhof in the 80's and 90's and was trained up to Grand Prix level by the famous Herbert Rehbein. His wife Karin Rehbein trained Donnerhall, whose dam Ninette was an Oldenburg mare by Markus, to be the most successful dressage stallion in the world at the time. They won gold with the German team at the European Championships in Verden in 1997 and at the World Championships in The Hague in 1994 and in Rome in 1998. Donnerhall and his most successful son, the Hannoveraner stallion De Niro (dam by Akzent II), who served at the stallion stations Klosterhof Medingen and Böckmann from 1996 to 2017, made this line the most successful dressage line in the world.
The D-line is widely branched and had or has strong jumping lines to offer, too. For example, the stallion Diskus by Domspatz/Senat in the 70s amd 80s or Don Carlos, who was born in 1962 and his sons Don Juan (born 1975, dam by Eljen), Dynamo (born 1974, dam by goldfalk) and Drosselklang II (born 1984, dam by Frustra II) produced many international show jumpers.
The G line
The Hannoveraner G-Line was the most powerful Hannoveraner-Line for many years. Horses from this line were or are highly successful both in dressage and jumping. The founder of this line was the thoroughbred stallion Goldschaum xx, who was born in 1891. Two stallions have shaped this line in recent decades: Grande and Gotthard. Grande by Graf/Duellant was active from 1962 to 1987 at the Achim and Landesbrück stations of the Celle State Stud. Horses with an unbelievable willingness and ability to perform came from this line. In dressage, Isabell Werth's successful horse Gigolo by Graditz, who dominated dressage worldwide in the 1990s with many gold medals in European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games, deserves special mention. The Grande grandson Grannus by Graphit/Ozean/Gotthard had a lasting influence on the discipline of jumping. From 1978 to 1993 he stood at the Oldenburg station Klatte. He was one of the best jumper sires in the world; currently there are high hopes for the 2007-born Celle State Stud stallion Grey Top by Graf Top/Singular Joter/Calypso II.
The Goldfisch II son Gotthard was at the Celle State Stud from 1953 to 1978. The grey stallion, whose talent was only recognized late, became probably the most famous jumper sire in Germany of his time. Ludger Beerbaum's successful horse Goldfever goes back in direct line to this branch of the G-line, among others team Olympic Champion Sydney 2000, winner of the Grand Prix' of Aachen 2002 and 2003 and in the Grand Prix of Calgary 2002. His lifetime winnings amounted to more than 2.3 million Euros.
After the Second World War, the entire warmblood breeding was transformed into a pure sport horse. Further refined stallions were used. In this phase two original Trakehner stallions in particular exerted a strong influence and founded new stallion lines which still exist today. The Dampfroß son Semper Idem, used from 1946 to 1954, was to make a name for himself as the founder of a special line of show jumpers, even though high-quality dressage horses such as Anky van Grunsven's Salinero by Salieri, Olympic champion in 2004 and 2008, also descended from this line. The famous Stakkato by Spartan/Pygmalion, born in 1993, goes back to Semper Idem. Since 1997, he has mainly influenced Hannoveraner jumper breeding. The 'Hanoverian Stallion of the Year 2007' has fortunately also left behind outstanding sons such as Stolzenberg (born 1999, dam by Sandro), but above all Stakkato Gold (born 2001, dam by Werther), who stands at Gestüt Sprehe and who is highly regarded by the FN estimation of breeding values as a jumper sire.
Stakkato Gold
In dressage, the Abglanz blood is strongly represented above all by Absatz Akzent II (by Absatz) is the dam's sire of the outstanding De Niro. Through Weltmeyer's dam Anka v. Absatz the Abglanz line is also significantly involved in the stamping stallion Weltmeyer.
Holsteiner influences
The Holsteiner was not approved for Hannover until the 1980s. Only in the course of the stronger specialization and the development of the Hannoveraner jumper breeding program was it decided to also allow Holsteiner genetics for Hannoveraner breeding.
The most widespread Holsteiner stallion line is the line of Cor de la Bryère, a Selle-Français stallion born in 1968. His son Calypso II, who also stood at the Amselhof in Walle, was the first Holstein stallion to move into the Celle State Stud. His blood is very widespread in Hannoveraner breeding today. His grandson Contendro was particularly successful, since 2001 first as a State Stud stallion, then as a private stallion in breeding. Through his Hannoveraner offspring he made a name for himself as an outstanding sire of eventing horses and has been leading the WBFSH stallion ranking list for this discipline since 2015. But of course other stallions from the Cor de la Bryère line also had a great influence on Hannover, such as Cambridge, Chambertin and his son Chacco-Blue, Calido by Cantus and the Clinton son Cornet Obolensky.
Of course, the line of Sacramento Song xx, the thoroughbred stallion born in 1967, who was used as a refining stallion in Holstein, too, must not be missing. His son Sandro, himself an internationally successful show jumper with Franke Sloothaak, goes back to a Hanoverian dam line. Sandro's son Silvio I produced the outstanding Shutterfly, under Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum one of the greatest show jumpers of the 00s. However, this line gained a wider influence in dressage. The Sandro grandson Sandro Hit, bred in Oldenburg, was to become an outstanding sire for international dressage horse breeding, whose influence still exists.
Firth of Lorne by For Pleasure
The Oldenburg Furioso II son Purioso was sold to Holland, where he founded an outstanding dressage line. Through his son Cocktail he became the grandfather of the outstanding Jazz, whose blood also found its way to Hannover. The Furioso II brother Mexico, to whom the famous Dutch stallion Ferro goes back, served in the Netherlands, too. Famous sires like Sezuan, Zack and Ampere can be assigned to this branch of the Furioso xx line. Unbelievable, if you imagine that stallions like Furioso II, Voltaire, Jazz, For Pleasure, Florestan and Ferro have their origin in the same stallion line.
The line of the French Selle-Français top sire Alme Z has also had a significant influence on Hannover to date. Stallions such as Acord II, Baloubet du Rouet, Quidam de Revel are famous names from the jumping sector, which are or have been used in many breeding areas, also in Hannover. But here, too, an important dressage line was developed from a jumping line via the stallion Quattro, imported by the Böckmann station, who was himself a stallion with dual talent and to whom well-known sires such as Quaterback and Quantum Jump can be traced.
Stallion licensing and stallion sales in Verden
On the last weekend of October the time has come again: The Hannoveraner Verband opens its doors for stallion licensing and stallion sales. From Wednesday, October 24 to Friday, October 26, around 100 highly talented young stallions from the best bloodlines will be competing for the sought-after positive licensing decision in the Niedersachsenhalle.
Licensed and non-licensed young talents will find new owners at the stallion sales on Saturday, October 27. The young stallions of the age-group 2016 are not only highly interesting as future sires. Quite a few international careers in sport started at the licensing.
Check out the stallion licensing candidates here.
For more information, visit www.hannoveraner.com
Photos © Tilgner, Lafrentz