Stallion Grading, National Championship for Young Horses, Sale of Educated Horses, Gala Shows, auction of selected stallions and 250 horses will be competing in dressage, jumping and show.

Dansk Varmblod's stallion grading is taking place the 8th - 11th March 1999 in Herning.

Danish horse breeders are highly skilled experts The Danes have been breeding horses for centuries and have always been among the best in the world. Jan Pedersen, Chairman of Dansk Varmblod (the leading breeding society in Denmark), is also the chairman of World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses, which represents more than 100,000 breeders from 43 nations. Both societies have the Danish Princess Benedikte as patron and she is a skilled rider herself and warmblood breeder as well.

Søren Knudsen of denamrk riding Cajus to a bronze medal at the 2000 World Cham-pionships for 6 year old jumping horses at Arnhem. Gelding, F: Coronado; M: Lady B; MF Lagano Photo: Wiegaarden/Annemette Kristoffersen.

The horse breeders in Denmark have always been happy to import top bloodlines to improve their stock, and they certainly use semen from the best stallions wherever it has been available, but mainly from Germany, Holland and France. A limited number of first class Thoroughbreds and Anglo Arabians have also been used over the years.

Auction of 3 years old graded and not graded stallions

There will be an auction of 3-year-old graded and not graded stallions at 4 o’clock on Saturday 10th March. Photo: Wiegaarden/Gitte Larsen Andersen

Looking through the pedigrees of the 70 selected 3-year-old stallions forward for the stallion grading in Spring 2001 you will find names such as Lauries Crusador XX, World Cup I, Ramiro Z, Farnese, Almé Z, Abglanz, Raimond, Rosenkavalier, Absatz, Cor de la Bryere, Lady Killer XX, Ferro, Le Mexico, Donnergraf, Rubinstein, Ibikus, Nimmerdor and Welt Hit I -- all the important stallions that have been the most powerful forces in sports horse breeding over the past 20-30 years.

On Saturday there will be an auction of approximately 25 graded and not graded 3 years old stallions at 4 oclock.

If you go backwards in the pedigrees you will often find original Danish mares of Danish Oldenburg or Frederiksburg breeds. The Danish stallion May Sherif is the father of Matador who ridden by Kyra Kyrklund to No. 5 at the Olympic Games in 1988, No. 2 at the World Equestrian Games in 1990 and winner of the World Cup in 1991. Offspring from both May Sherif and Matador are still popular among international riders and May Sherif is the sire of several Grand Prix horses among them Andiamo, the World Cup winner in 1990.

Up to now, Danish breeders have mainly had success as breeders of dressage horses, but they achieved a breakthrough in 2000 with Lando by Lancier/Raimondo/Marcellus who won the individual silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney. There are also some very successful Danish showjumpers in USA of whom Concetto by Caletto I/Racot ridden by Meredith Michaels is an outstanding example.

Dansk Varmblod www.varmblod.dk