Sire Contender

Contender is proving to be one of the most influential sons of Calypso II . Calypso II was an advanced level show jumper with Michael Ruping before retiring to stud where he sired a number of quality show jumping horses. He also sired a number of top grade dressage competitors.

Contender was bred by Niko Detlef , Westfehmarn , Contender is out of Gofine who’s grand sire was the late Ladykillerxx . Gofine produced several top show jumpers including the international performing horse Ulina .

Contender like many other class stallions before him won the Adelheidsdorf Stallion Performance Test in 1987. He went on to become the 1 – b main premium vice – champion in Oldenburg on the basis of his first crop of foals, before moving to Holstein after 3 years. At this point his first foals were starting their International Careers.

Contender is the sire of over 40 approved stallions and equally 40 national premium mares. He has dominated German Breeding values for many years now and continues to produce exciting young stallions from which our own gelding Greenacres Captain Z is descended.

Contender’s influence spreads through Germany mainly through his two sons Cordobes I and II . They were aquired by theWestphalian stud at Warendorf.

Cordobes I was the winner of his performance test in 1998 . His jumping score of 142.29 nearly matched that of his famous sire Contender which stood at 146.62 !

Dam SIre Landgraf I

Landgraf I , has been labelled by many as “the” Stallion of the Century. His genes are securely anchored in the breed of the modern sporthorse. His offspring have won just under seven million dollars mainly in show jumping and the amounts are still growing !
Nearly 60 colts by Landgraf I have been licensed for the Holsteiner stud book, like the champion of 1991, Linaro and the dressage talent, Loutano.

Some of his sons have already achieved top positions as performance sires, for example, Letus II, a jumping sire, and the versatile Landadel .
So far, three hundred and forty broodmares by Landgraf I are registered in the Holsteiner stud book, two hundred and sixety of these are in the Head Stud Book . Seventy have been awarded State Premium Grading, and a considerable number have been champion mares at shows.

Landgraf had a very good temperament which he passed on dominantly, together with excellent movement. In his Stallion Book of the Holsteiner Warmblood Breed, Dr Dietrich Rossow comments: “Imposing appearance with enormous crest and neck carriage. Smooth total top line and much presence. Beautiful face with marvellous eye. Long, rather broad neck, long sloping shoulder. Well shaped, muscular croup. Strong bone. Good in front. Good mover. Marvellous temperament. Phenomenal jumper; tight in front, lots of bascule, careful and talented. Huge number of international class jumpers. Up to now (the book was published in 1988) Landgraf is far and away the most important jumper sire in the world!” Landgraf was born in1966 and past away in 1996.

Dam’s Dam Sire Ronald

Ronald, who was for years the most popular stallion in Holstein, where he sired five licensed sons {among them the Champion of 1992, Rocadero – now in Australia} and more than a hundred top broodmares, many of whom became mothers of sires like Alcatraz, Libero, Lord Incipit, Larno, Le Grand – all exquisite sires and sporthorses. Ronald, like his famous father (Ramiro Z), went to Holland – where he stood for five years, and sired, among others, the showjumping sire Saluut, the father of the Australian stallion, Salute.

Ronald was a very good son of Ramiro with expression, presence and a smooth topline. Nicely shaped shoulder and croup. Heavy bone, correct legs and feet. Overstride in walk, very good trot, and good canter. Good under saddle, with considerable jumping ability with very good form. Ronald produced big framed horses with scope and rather flashy markings. He improved on the legs and feet of mares. His foals were born with light coats which darkened later. Masculine offspring are coarser while mares were more refined.

Ronald produced 5 approved sons and 88 approved daughters.