Exploring the Top 10 Show Jumping Stallions in Sweden 2023: Insights into Breeder Preferences
Online reporting system allows for early stats on number of coverings
Earlier this month the Swedish Warmblood association released the preliminary numbers of this year’s covering season. The Swedish Warmblood Association is equipped with a possibly unique online system for administration of coverings, which also creates the base for registration of the upcoming season’s foals. The system is used by stallion owners and insemination centres to list their available stallions as well as to report the number of coverings. The mare owners can add their mare and report on pregnancies and live foals the year after. Together this creates a transparent system which provides statistics on how much the stallions are used as well as pregnancy rates. Preliminary numbers are released in autumn, but we’ll have to wait another year to get the final numbers. This is mainly because some mare owners chose to add their mare and the result of the covering until the foal – if any – is born and due for registration, despite the higher cost for doing so.
The total number of coverings seem to have decreased substantially this year. A decrease of about 15 % compared to the final numbers from last year would probably mean a considerable decrease in coverings, although we shouldn’t speculate about the final results too much since the numbers from this year are still preliminary. Anything else then a decrease in numbers would have been very surprising though, as production of horses normally follow economic trends and we’re now facing economically rough times.
Overcoming obstacles: Swedish breeders' quest for international show jumping genetics
The top 10 most used show jumping stallions in SWB breeding this year display a mix of bloodlines, age, and merits. What they all have in common is that they have been standing at stud in Sweden the past season, as have actually the 21 most covering show jumping stallions in Sweden this year. The historically low value of the Swedish currency may of course have contributed to the use of stallions standing at stud in Sweden, but the main reason is probably to be found elsewhere. Geographically situated in the outskirts of Europe, Swedish breeders struggle to get access to high quality stallions based on the continent, often finding themselves being far down the priority list when distributors of semen for popular stallions on the continent make their deliveries. The insecurity regarding deliveries and quality of imported semen of popular stallions forces the average breeder to use the best options available in Sweden if they aim for reliable pregnancy results. Best option often means young sons of the most popular stallions on the continent, and sometimes stallions recently retired from top sport that have not yet attracted the attention of the large crowd on the continent. Swedish stallion owners certainly try their best to find the hidden gems, by buying young talented stallions at the European quality auctions. With some luck, they can eventually place the talented youngster with a Swedish based top rider and secure him for Swedish breeders for a longer period. But more often the best ones spend just a few years on Swedish ground, before they get sold to international riders, and leave Sweden behind for an international career in sport. This is not only negative – Swedish breeders have learnt to take the opportunity to use young talented stallions with interesting pedigrees at an early age, and with a little luck this contributes to a faster generation interval than by only using older proven stallions. It’s not a coincidence that now world renowned Cardento covered hundreds of mares in Sweden during his early years. With the general improvement of Swedish breeding of show jumpers, more and more young quality stallions out of proven sport dam lines are also born and produced in Sweden, to the benefit of Swedish breeders.
The top 10 most used show jumping stallions in Sweden 2023
Topping the list with 156 covered mares is Swedish national team rider Douglas Lindelöws promising 7-year-old stallion Asterix de Couleur, by Aganix du Seigneur – Hickstead – Numero Uno. Standing at stud in Sweden for the second consecutive year, Asterix has raised in popularity, being showed for the home crowds in the young horse classes during Gothenburg horse Show. In addition to his spectacular colour, Asterix brings somewhat new genetics to the Swedish breeders since neither his sire Aganix du Seigneur nor his grandsire Hickstead have been much used in Sweden before. In sport Asterix has placings on international 1.40 level. He is a product of Holsteiner mare family number 162, and his maternal great-great-granddam produced the world-famous sire Carthago Z. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
Runner up with 107 covered mares is the Swedish bred 12-year-old 1.50 stallion Diero Lux N by Diarado – Cortez – Indus. Diero Lux N is a product of Swedish mare family F.2 Spinda who is one of the most successful Swedish mare families. His great granddam produced the Olympic show jumper H&M Corrmint, hugely successful in the 90-ies with a young Malin Baryard. Diero’s oldest offspring are 7 years now and look promising in sport with quite a few offspring doing well in 1.30-1.40 classes. This, together with the generous condition that no covering fee needs to be paid until the breeder has a foal on the ground would certainly have contributed to his popularity this year. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
Ranked third with 93 covered mares is 4-year-old newcomer Chou Blue by Chacoon Blue – Balou du Rouet – Lordanos. He did his stallion performance test in Sweden earlier this year and obviously impressed the mare owners. There is performance on the dam side, his granddam being sister to one 1.60 horse, one 1.55 and one 1.50 horse. The mare family is Hannoverian mare family 5190004 Mazurka. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
As number four we find last year’s no. one covering stallion, the 18-year-old Casall-son Caracas, hugely successful in sport with numerous international wins and placings in international 1.60 with Belgian rider Jos Verlooy. This is his second year at stud in Sweden and he got 80 mares. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
Caracas is followed by the 17-year-old Cardento-son Corporal VDL, who recently returned to Sweden after an international sport career and whose Swedish offspring are doing well in sport. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
Another stallion whose offspring are very popular among Swedish riders and doing really well in sport with a high strike rate of 1.45 plus offspring, is the now 22-year-old Heartbreaker-son Heartbeat. This year number six on the top-ten-list. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
Number seven is 16-year-old Swedish bred Armitage-son Magic Park, on-the top 10 list for several years and still popular among the breeders. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
Number eight and nine on the list are both 4-year-old stallions, approved at the SWB stallion performance test this spring. Number eight Chaccafly CL was the stallion performance test winner and the first approved son in Sweden of the Chacco-Blue-son Chacfly PS. His granddam placed in 1.50 internationally and the direct dam line has produced quite a few international jumpers. Pedigree on Hippomundo. Number nine is French bred Janeiro de Bieville by Balou du Rouet. His dam competed 1.30 and her sister was placed in international 1.50. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
To finish off the top 10 is the now 11-year-old Emerald-son El Barone 111 Z, popular among breeders throughout Europe and pursuing a successful sport career with national team member Jens Fredricson. His oldest offspring are now six and among them are both approved stallions and participants in the world championships for young horses. Pedigree on Hippomundo.
Notably, five of the top ten stallions are provided by Lövsta stud, now a giant on the Swedish stallion market. Their success can be contributed to a careful choice of stallions, an impressive marketing effort and professional caretaking of the mare owners. Altogether it has generated a crowd of returning customers who choose to come back year after year. Very few other Swedish stallion providers can compete with the financial backup behind Lövsta stud, so a comparison would not be fair. But for the Swedish breeders Lövsta is a great asset who can compete with the international players on the stallion market and hopefully serves as inspiration to other potential investors in Swedish breeding.
| Name | Pedigree | Age | Own performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asterix de Couleur | by Aganix du Seigneur - Hickstead - Numero Uno - Capitol. Damline of Carthago Z. Mare family Holst Stamm 162 | 7 | Int 1.40 |
| Diero Lux N | by Diarado - Cortez - Indus - Utrillo. Damline of Olympic show jumper H&M Corrmint (Malin Baryard). Swedish mare family F.2 (Spinda) | 12 | Nat. 1.50 |
| Chou Blue | by Chacoon Blue - Balou du Rouet - Lordanos - Landadel. Grandmother sister to La Melonga (1.60) one 1.55 & one 1.50 horse. Hannover Stutenstamm 5190004 Mazurka | 4 | Placed nat. Swedish stallion competition 2023 |
| Caracas | Caracasby Casall - Colman - Barnaul xx - Athlet Z. Dam placed 1.60. Holst Stamm 8750 | 18 | Numerous 1.60 wins and placings |
| Corporal VDL | by Cardento - Grosso Z - Goldfasan - Lukas. Hannover Stutenstamm 4189002 Schliesserin, Schridde 487 | 17 | Int 1.60 |
| Heartbeat | by Heartbreaker - Ramiro Z - Pericles xx - Luitenant. KWPN Merrielijn 77, fokfamilie 335 | 22 | Int 1.50 |
| Magic Park (SWB) | by Armitage - Ahorn - Anart - Sombrero | 16 | Int 1.60 |
| Chaccafly CL | by Chacfly PS - Quiwi Dream - Levisto - Carthago. Granddam placed int. 1.45. Holst Stamm 6691 | 4 | SWB stallion performance test winner. Swedish nat. stallion competition winner |
| Janeiro de Bieville | by Balou du Rouet - Kannan - Le Tot de Semilly - Hidalgo de Riou. Dam placed nat. 1.30 | 4 | |
| El Barone 111 Z | by Emerald - Libero H - Zeus - Akteur. Dam placed int 1.50. KWPN fokfamilie 1816 | 11 | Int 1.55 |
