The world of competitive dressage is facing a critical question: is the pursuit of a specific, “ideal” type of horse hindering the development of truly exceptional athletes? Renowned British dressage identity David Pincus has voiced concerns that breed societies may be losing their way, leading to a situation where finding a top dressage horse, particularly one with the requisite piaffe ability, is becoming increasingly difficult. This sentiment is echoed by many commentators who suggest that the focus on stallion licensing and young horse classes has inadvertently prioritized stallions that produce fleeting young horse stars over those with a proven track record of producing Grand Prix performers.
Pincus argues that the current system often demands that three-year-old stallions create an “optical illusion of balance, energy and power, despite only trotting in-hand.” He further criticizes the breed societies’ insistence on a “hypothetical type,” pointing out that horses like Valegro, considered one of the greatest dressage horses of all time, possess physical attributes that might actually lead to rejection in a stallion selection. Pincus humorously suggests, “Give me a good cob any day; at least he’ll hack if he fails in dressage.”
This assertion prompts an examination of the world’s top dressage horses to see how this theory holds up. The problem may be compounded by statistical “aids” implemented by breed societies and national federations. For instance, German FN breeding values often favor young stallions with no Grand Prix progeny, placing them above stallions with a multitude of progeny already competing at Grand Prix level. This leads to stallions like Fürstenball and Lissaro topping the FN standings due to their success in young horse classes, while established stallions like De Niro or Breitling, with numerous Grand Prix offspring, are overlooked.
Furthermore, many existing “rankings” of dressage competitors primarily reflect how far riders are willing to travel for a ribbon, rather than a true measure of equine talent. Consequently, horses like Valegro or Charlotte Dujardin’s newer star, Barolo (who has achieved multiple Grand Prix wins over 70%), may not receive the recognition they deserve, while less impressive performers garner undue attention.
A closer look at Charlotte Dujardin’s two top horses, Valegro and Barolo, reveals interesting insights. Valegro, as Pincus noted, deviates significantly from the modern dressage type. In fact, like many other equine stars, he was initially rejected at the KWPN licensing. His sire, Negro, is described as a short-legged, stocky stallion. While Negro’s sire was the dressage star Ferro, it’s worth remembering that Ferro began his career as a showjumper. Ferro’s dam sire is the substantial Holsteiner, Farn. Negro’s dam sire, Variant, is another somewhat old-fashioned type, by the Thoroughbred Afrikaner and out of a jumping mare, and is a granddaughter of another significant Holsteiner import to Holland, Amor. Valegro’s dam’s pedigree, on the other hand, strongly suggests jumping influence. She is by Gershwin, a 1.50m showjumping son of Voltaire, out of a mare by Nimmerdor, with further Holsteiner jumping bloodlines on the bottom line.
The chestnut Hanoverian gelding, Barolo, appears more aligned with the contemporary dressage type. This is fortunate, as his sire, Breitling, was known for producing prodigiously talented Grand Prix horses that were perhaps a little plain and old-fashioned in appearance, much like the stallion himself. However, if Barolo’s sire aligns with the theory that dressage breeders have overly focused on refinement, his dam’s breeding seems to contradict it. Barolo’s dam line is heavily concentrated with dressage breeding. His dam, Highlight, is by Hitchcock, by the Irish Thoroughbred Hill Hawk, who appears in numerous dressage pedigrees and is the damsire of all the Welt Hit stallions. Hitchcock’s grand-dam, Baronesse (by the Thoroughbred Bleep), is the dam of Bolero, an influential early dressage sire in the Hanoverian registry. Highlight is out of a mare by Wenzel, another pioneer of Hanoverian dressage, and out of a mare by Shogun, adding more Thoroughbred blood. This suggests that while pure dressage breeding can produce stars, strong jumping blood often plays a crucial role.
Another compelling example is Cosmo, ridden by the 21-year-old Sönke Rothenberger. Cosmo and the nine-year-old gelding are rapidly emerging as strong contenders for the German dressage team. They kicked off their season with a Grand Prix win at Jerez, even defeating British team gold medalists Carl Hester and Nip Tuck. Cosmo’s sire is the current world showjumping superstar, Van Gogh, who has amassed significant prize money. Van Gogh is pure jumping breeding, by Numero Uno out of a granddaughter of Ramiro and a daughter of Burggraaf. Cosmo’s dam also boasts strong jumping pedigrees, by the Landadel son Landjonker (known as Frühling in Holland). It is worth recalling that Landadel was the sire of Leonardo da Vinci, a horse successfully ridden by Sönke’s mother, Gonnelien, in international dressage competitions. Further jumping bloodlines are present through Farn and Amor, although the grand-dam is by Aktion, an international dressage competitor who, despite his Holstein jumper appearance, had Hungarian roots through Gyula Dallos.
Sönke’s father, former international dressage star Sven Rothenberger, was drawn to this jumping lineage. However, he also points out Van Gogh’s demonstrated dressage quality. Sven explains that Van Gogh held the highest dressage score in the stallion test for over eight years, making his ability to sire dressage horses unsurprising. He believes that Van Gogh’s older Holstein breeding contributes to producing “special horses, not normal horses,” characterized by big movements, elasticity, and a natural sense of well-being in their bodies. These horses exhibit fluidity and strength, essential for carrying weight, along with impressive gaits and a canter that Sven particularly admires.
A brief review of the pedigrees of other recent dressage stars further supports the idea that exceptional horses often emerge from outside the purely dressage-focused breeding lines. Salinero was bred for jumping, and his brother even competed in showjumping at the Olympic Games. Totilas, while by the Grand Prix dressage stallion Gribaldi, had a dam line strongly rooted in jumping bloodlines, including Nimmerdor, Marco Polo, and Amor.
The current world number one, Desperados, is indeed a product of specialized dressage breeding, sired by the esteemed De Niro out of a Wolkenstein II mare, with the addition of the French Anglo-Arab, Matcho, contributing to his striking black coat. However, it remains to be seen if he will consistently produce dressage stars from mares without a solid athletic foundation and a dash of jumping blood.
Similarly, the current top horse in the Netherlands, Voice, is solidly dressage bred, by De Niro out of a Rohdiamant mare, whose own dam is by one of the earliest influential Dutch dressage sires, the Trakehner Doruto, with only a trace of Amor in the bottom line.
While agreeing with David Pincus that many licensing stallion stars and young horse champions may never reach Grand Prix levels, an examination of the current top dressage horses reveals a mixed picture. Some are purely dressage bred, while others demonstrate the significant contribution of jumping bloodlines to their success. The debate over the ideal dressage type continues, with a growing understanding that versatility and athleticism, often found through diverse bloodlines, may be key to producing future champions.
