The Holsteiner by Margaret Murray, June 2002 History Rarest of Germanys warmbloods, the Holsteiner was conceived in the 14 century on the marshlands of Schleswig-Holstein in North Western Germany. The judicious breeding that created an internationally sought-after warhorse and tremendous utility agricultural animal was the design of a group monks from a monastery in Elmshorn. Using the native marsh horses as a base, they carefully tweaked and layered the phenotype with Neopolitain and Andalusion blood to create a warhorse that was in high demand by European Royalty. It does well to remember that at that time the Thoroughbred had not been invented, the English being too busy with their wars, both local and international. Andalusions of the day were considered highly desirable and about as good as a horse could get. From the turn of the century, up to the First World War, the famous Holstein coach horses and heavyweight riding horse were much more refined, better moving and more modern in type than the horses before and after the Second World War. The reversal of this type came about because of the declining need for Cavalry horses after the 1st world war, but an ongoing need for good agricultural horses. Pleasure riding (showjumping and competitive dressage)still being in its infancy as a past time. In the 30’s the 3rd Reich issued farm production regulations that strictly governed the type of horse breeding the farmers of Germany were able to carry out. East Prussia and Hanover were required to breed riding type horses, Oldenburg was to breed all round artillery horses while those in the district of Holstein were lumbered with the unglamorous task of producing the massive work horses that would pull heavy artillery. This was achieved not by diluting the desirable Holstein blood with foreign draft type horses but by appropriate selective breeding from within the Holstein gene pool. Therefore the Holsteiners well renowned characteristics of honesty, submissiveness, endurance, serviceable soundness and constant willingness to work were kept and consolidated. It was to provide the basis on which the modern Holstein sport horse was built. The rapid mechanization of agriculture and growing economic strength of Germany after the war put the older heavy type of Holsteiner into decline. With riders of the calibre of Fritz Theidemann (Retina), Hans Gunther Winkler, Fritz Ligges (Ramiro) taking showjumping abroad and winning, a market for a modern riding horse started to develop and the lighter types were quickly removed from the breeding farms, put into competition and lost to the breed. Refinement Phase H. Horstmann of the State Stud initiated a phase using refinement sires of English Thoroughbreds over the old Holstein mares and thus started the development of the modern Holstein type. Legendary sires Ladykiller, Cottage Son, Marlon, Manometer, and a prolific Polish Anglo Arab called Ramzes were used during this period. Despite heavy criticism by other breed organizations, the Holsteiner Verband persevered with this plan, modifying it to a consolidation phase when Mass. J Hell came back from France with the Anglo Norman Cor de la Bryere. The fabulous success of the Holstein across Europe and America is due to the dedicated and resolute breeding principles of the farmers of Schleswig Holstein. They do not accept every moderately talented horse that comes along into the studbook as some organizations do. For a non Holstein to be granted a breeding licence it must be immaculately bred with a proven and successful family or with some extraordinary performance achievements behind it (as in the case Cor De La Bryére The famous Anglo Norman Sire of Alexis (Hanoverian) or Quinduem De Revel (SF) and Donnerhall (Oldenburg). Any stallion given a licence to breed and who does not quickly produce some desirable offspring in the Holstein style is quickly unlicensed. This ruthless approach has kept the small studbook clean, consistent and manifestly successful. The Holsteiner Horse. Reputation Their reputation at home and internationally is beyond compare, synonymous with quality and elitism. This is reflected every year in the prices they fetch at the annual riding horse auction in Neumunster in November. In 2001 the average price was 86, 000 DM for a 4 year old. From the WBFSH International Breeding Guide show that although Holsteiners represent one of the smallest stud books in Germany they contribute an disproportionately high quantity of winners in international competition. Holsteiner in New Zealand In New Zealand we have all the most successful, and proven Holstein bloodlines represented by several stallions. Ramzes II, a grandson of the highly regarded Holsteiner Rigoletto v. Ramzes/Idee. The verband sold Rigoletto to Holland where he had a hugely successful career as a sire of exceptional jumping horses. The Ramzes II son Belmont Golden Boy continues the line. Rigoletto can also be found in the breeding of Keith Atkinson and June Marsden’s exceptionally charming stallion Sacramento from his dams sire Romedio, a son of Rigoletto. Of the few horses Romedio sired here in the last couple of years of his life, Delta stud of Pukekawa has a handsome example in their bay stallion Romeo. John Cottle’s desirably bred stallion Ramirez has 2 lines of Ramzes, via the preferent sire Ramiro v. Raimond/Ramzes. And through his dams sire Roberto v. Ritter/ Ramzes. Ramiro was the top stallion of his performance year and was successfully show jumped at 2.2 meters in puissance as well as standing at stud. On the basis of his breeding success he was declared horse of the year at jumping Amsterdam in 1992. Salute the Stars has a high proportion of good Holstein blood. Dams sire Contact (Hol) by CDB. His sire although registered as a Dutch Warm blood is the Holsteiner Salute v. Ronald/Ramzes out of a Dutch/ Holstein mare. Corey &Ivan Mindlin’s Goldstar has Holstein blood from Sultans dams sire Joost (Hol), a very well thought of Dutch bred horse who is popular as a jumping sire. Voltaire II has the famous Nimmerdor (Hol) as the sire of his dam. Nimmerdor has a showjumping index of 169 and stands at 19th in the WBFSH ranking for showjumpers. He is prolific as a sire and his offspring can be found competing in Europe and America. Lorenz v. Ladykiller and Monopol v. Moltke have 2 grandsons in New Zealand, Keith Atkinsons Lucas, and more recently the very elegant Landstreicher of Delta Stud in Pukekawa was imported from Holstein Park in Queensland. HP owner Gerhart Quuast is a 3rd generation breeder and has his horses competing successfully at all levels of showjumping and dressages in Australia. A 3/4 brother to Landstreicher recently sold for $A450,000 to a dressage rider.