The Premier Magazine for Jumping, Dressage, Hunter, and Eventing Sires

Article:Stallion Inspections:History and Perspectiveby Dr. Maren Engelhardt, Germany

Warmblood Stallions of North America

—Warmblood Stallions of North America 2014

2 This article originally appeared in Warmblood Stallions of North America’s 2014 issue

Traditionally, a directed and selective warmblood breeding program has a more or less robust approval system. This is neces-sary because each registry’s approval system will determine the characteristics and quality of its horses. The approval process has changed significantly for all the European registries in the last 100 years. Originally designed to pick potentially valuable breeding animals, female and male, the selection events, and especially the stallion approv-als, have moved far beyond the simple evalua-tion of breed-ing stock. A stallion approv-al these days is a big-budget endeavor with considerable economic revenue.

The first warm-blood stallion approvals date back into the early 1500s, when the State Stud in Baden-Württemberg was founded in Marbach. Equally important in the mid-1700s were the official foundations of the State Studs in Trakehnen (East Prussia) and Celle (Hanoverian). Selection criteria at the time differed quite a bit from what they are today, and varied more between the horse breeds than they do today. Horses were used for everything from riding to driving to heavy agricultural work. Breeding goals in the different regions reflected the needs of the area; some tended to produce horses that were more

substantial and heavy for work in the fields and forests, and some leaned more toward the requirements of cavalry mounts: speed, endurance and stamina. As one can imagine, the selec-tion criteria back then indeed varied considerably. The common ground on horse inspections seemed to be an animal with four legs and two ears, but conformation, movement, athletic ability and temperament were very diverse. Interestingly, the actual

under-saddle or in-harness test of a stallion’s work-ing attitude and ability were very important factors in determining approval status. The pure “confor-mation” critique we apply today was actually unthinkable. You didn’t approve what you couldn’t ride or drive first!

Ever since the end of World War II and the drastically de-creased need for war mounts and tractor substi-tutes, warmblood horses have become a lot more uniform in

type, rideability, athleticism and temperament, even though most of us will still have a pretty good picture what the differences are between, say, a Holsteiner and a Trakehner. Still, the approval procedures are rather similar these days, with smaller nuances between the warmblood breeds.

A young Hanoverian stallion candidate on the triangle in Verden, Germany. The horse is expertly presented, shows excellent self-carriage, good hind end engagement and an attractive front arm with good shoulder freedom. No wonder this stallion was later approved! Shown is the approved Hanoverian Streetfighter. (by Stak-kato - Contendro). Photo by Kiki Beelitz.

Marseille, newly-approved Trakehner stallion owned by Northeast Trakehners.

Stallion Inspections:

by Dr. Maren Engelhardt, Germany

History and Perspective

3www.WarmbloodStallionsNA.com • Online Stallion, Breeder, and Trainer Listings

The Modern Stallion Approval

So what is the bottom line of modern day stallion approvals?For one thing, we have moved away from actually performance-testing our horses before we breed them, at least in a majority of cases. It is true for almost all warmblood breeds that the horses are 2 years old, give or take a couple of months’ variation due to what month they were born. There are exceptions. The Trakehner Verband recently announced that sons of Thoroughbred or Arabian parents may be presented as 3-year-olds in the same crop of stallion candidates; and just this year, the first purebred 3-year-old Trakehner stallions came up for approval in Germany. The rule is now extended to all horses. The idea behind it is to gradually increase people’s perception and shift the entire ap-proval process to happen at a more mature age, where riding can become part of the process. But we’re not there yet. The other major approval places in Germany adhere to the 2-year-old rule for their major fall stallion event.

The Stages of a Stallion Inspection

At all inspections, the in-hand presentation of the stallion on a hard surface is obligatory. This is the phase where the approval committee gets a chance to evaluate correctness of the founda-tion (limbs), straightness of the movement, and generally the conformation and type of a young horse that is stood up in front of them. Sometimes, this is also the phase where one can draw

preliminary conclusions about a stallion’s temperament and character. Is he intimidated by the atmosphere? Is he coopera-tive, or rude, trying to evade his handler, or maybe even attack him? Does the horse stay focused on the job, and is he supple enough to show a good relaxed walk?

Another phase that is happening everywhere is the free jumping. It was the Trakehner Verband that introduced free jumping as part of the approval process, the first of the registries in Germa-ny to do so, in the 1980s. For most registries, free jumping is also obligatory for all stallion candidates—including those that are bred for dressage. In recent years, some European warmblood breeds have started to separate dressage horses from jumpers with a focus on their respective “talent.” Some other registries have stated breeding goals that clearly say “versatile sport horse,” meaning that free jumping is an important part of a general sport horse evaluation.

This phase is important for the assessment of the actual jumping potential (technique, scope, power), and equally important as an early evaluation of work ethic, athleticism, the ability to adapt to new situations or mistakes, balance, focus and many other men-tal traits. Free jumping can have just as strong an impact on the approval of a dressage colt as it has on a jumper colt. In that, it is a unique tool available to approval commissions everywhere.

Another common concept is that of the “at liberty” presentation. The format can differ, but the bottom line is the same: now the

Stallion at hard sur-face inspection. Note the “open angle” of the feet: the horse is positioned in such a way that the inspec-tor can see all four legs in their entirety, front leg on the side of the inspector is positioned slightly in front, and the hind

leg on the same side is slightly out behind. Weight should be kept equally distributed on all four legs. The neck is carried freely and uphill, the back and topline are easy to see. Shown is the approved Trakehner Grimani (by Gribaldi - Monteverdi). Photo by www.jutta-bauernschmitt.de.

Free jumping in Münster-Handorf, Germany. A stallion is over the last jump (of a total of 3 to 4) in the jump chute. This facial expres-sion along with the technique and his bascule (the opening of the back over the jump) indicates a

horse that is willing and positive about the task, and also shows significant talent as a jumper. Shown is the Trakehner stallion candidate Sir Rico (by Manrico - Napoleon Quatre) Photo by www.jutta-bauernschmitt.de.

Different stallions at various moments during their at liberty performance. Playful horses win a lot of fans, as do those that show off with spectacular movement, balance and rhythm. This is a crowd favorite part of the approval. Shown from left to right are: approved Trakehner premium stallion Banderas (by Le Rouge - Friedensfürst), Trakehner champion stallion Imhotep (by Gribaldi - Michelangelo), and approved Trakehner Sir Easy (by Easy Game - Tuareg). Photos by www.jutta-bauernschmitt.de.

4 This article originally appeared in Warmblood Stallions of North America’s 2014 issue

stallion candidate is turned loose in the arena and is more or less guided by handlers with whips. He gets to display his movement free and with as little human manipulation as possible. The at liberty phase is a favorite with the crowds and often really brings out highlights for individual stallions. On the flip side, it can show off horses that are overwhelmed with their new-won free-dom, become tense and hectic and lack relaxation and elasticity, often also indicated by frequent cross cantering. A few years ago, the KWPN began with a new approach to this phase. Instead of just letting the horse run around, a group of handlers positioned at equal intervals around the arena gently guide the stallion on a large figure eight, using the space available. With that, the horse has to show lead changes eventually. At the end of this phase, the horse is then guided into a long “canter chute”, where he then gets a chance to stretch out and show off his trot and canter on a straight line, and without the ability to break free and run in circles. This system is now also used at several German ap-proval sites and is gaining in reputation.

Some approval sites, such as Verden for the Hanoverian Verband in Germany, combine the at liberty and free jumping phase. The horse is first shown free, and once used to the arena and noise, is lead through the jump chute. This saves time and allows the horses a maximum in comfort in these new surroundings.

Another format can be found at several inspection sites in Europe: the triangle phase. Here, the horse is shown in hand on a more or less well-defined large triangle. This is a chance for the commission to see how straight the horse moves, and how well impulsion and rhythm are developed. The corners of the triangle serve as break points here: The stallion has to slow down, and maneuver around this corner, then find his stride and rhythm right away for the next long side. Triangle performances are somewhat old-fashioned, and with the “new” concept of running on a large oval instead of following the triangle lines, one might wonder what the commission can actually gain in knowledge form this phase. However, it persists almost everywhere and has a special appeal especially in Verden at the Hanoverian approv-

als. Here, the triangle is part of the hard surface performance. A large grass triangle surrounds the concrete hard surface stretch, and the long sides of the triangle are filled with the masses once the approval begins. Here in this glorious spot, often in wonder-ful Indian Summer fall sunshine, the young stallions are seen for the first time and it does remind one of great festivities to see the horses all brought out in perfection, trotting along this elaborate triangle in Verden.

Walk rings are an inherent part of the approval process in most registries as well. Here, the commission stands in the middle of the arena and the stallion candidates are walked in hand on a large circle around the commission. This phase is also used for discussion of individual stallions, which is why this sometimes takes fairly long. These walk rings once again offer an opportuni-ty to assess more than just the quality of a gait. In fact, this is the only time that the approval candidates appear in a group of up to ten horses in the same ring, and group dynamics and behavior can play a part here.

A novel invention is the presentation of stallions on the lunge line. In Oldenburg, this phase is now part of the approval process: the commission evaluates the young colts on the lunge line (with girth and side reins). In Hanover, this part is obliga-tory, but it is not part of the official evaluation score (not yet at least). Other approval sites are just now beginning with this type of quality control. Many people are in favor of this method to assess the ability of a future performance horse. However, this is also arguably the phase where humans will manipulate the most, and one may ask just how the commission is supposed to distinguish between clever training, and natural ability. The jury is still out on this.

All in all, stallion approvals are a lengthy process and usually take place over a few consecutive days. These events have become major attractions to spectators from all around the world, and the thrill of the obligatory auction at the end draws even more. This is big business, no question. However, with all the changes that have taken place in the world of warmblood breeding in the past 100 years alone, it will be interesting to see where we will stand in, say, 25 years down the road. Already, under-saddle approvals of older stallions are taking place and gain in popular-ity, and why should they not? While the stallions are still not mature, this is the first indication of how a horse behaves under saddle. And since full approval also means that a stallion has to pass a regular performance test, it would follow naturally that we should determine riding horse abilities as early as possible—preferably before any given young stallion has bred 100 mares in his first year and later turns out to be of less than desirable riding quality.

Triangle perfor-mance of a later approved premium stallion, showing a horse that is supple, alert, relaxed and shows very good mechanics in his movement. Shown is the Trakehner reserve champion Guardian (by Impe-

rio - Consul). Photo by www.jutta-bauernschmitt.de.

“ Your publication is always the one I look forward to as a breeder!”- Rachel Jensen Jones, Crossroads Farm, Arizona

“As I look through the magazine from 2013, I appreciate all your work.  And yes, it is still on my coffee table!”- Tina Potter, Northeast Trakehners, New Hampshire

Breeders compliment Warmblood Stallions of North America

5www.WarmbloodStallionsNA.com • Online Stallion, Breeder, and Trainer Listings

Warmblood Stallions of North America

Creating A Network for North American Breeders

Warmblood Stallions of North America is

the only magazine devoted exclusively to

promoting Warmblood, Sport Horse, and

Sport Pony stallions in the U.S. and

Canada. We print15,000+ copies, and

get them out directly to breeders across North America. Warmblood

Stallions of North America is open to all stallions in the sport horse

disciplines, and is the official stallion directory for warmblood and

sport horse breed registries.

www.WarmbloodStallionsNA.com

Top jumper, hunter, dressage, eventing, and sport pony

stallion profiles, with photos, video and reference links.

FREE Breeders Directory, Trainer Directory.

Online advertising

options for stallions

and businesses.

www.WarmbloodStallionsNA.comF

We invite you to become part of the premier stallion pro-motional network in North America, whether it’s with a print ad in our annual magazine, an online ad or free listing, or simply liking us on Facebook @WarmbloodStallionsNA

Print MagazineF