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Featured Foundation Sire:Gotthardby Christopher Hector

Warmblood Stallions of North America

—Warmblood Stallions of North America 2012,originally published in The Making of the Modern Warmblood

2 This article originally appeared in Warmblood Stallions of North America’s 2012 issue

This article is reprinted with kind permission of the author, Chris-topher Hector, from his 2010 book, The Making of the Modern

Warmblood, from Gotthard to Gribaldi. In his book, Mr. Hector explains that Gotthard almost didn’t make it into the book.

Gotthard just makes it into this history. He really doesn’t look that modern, although his offspring do on the whole look much typier than their dad*. The other problem is that Got-thard never really established a line. No stallion son ever really emerged to continue the dynasty. Why is he here then? Well there are just too many influential modern stallions with Got-thard on their dam line to leave him out—and also he was a great producer of top-level competitors.

For seven years Gotthard was the lead-ing sire of showjumpers in Germany. During his time he sired over thirty-four licensed stallion sons, the most highly rated of which was Goldberg, who was based in Westfalia for only four seasons. In Hanover, Gardestern I was the most important, while the private stallions—Goldpilz, Goldstern and Godehard—were all influential in their day. More recently his great-grandson, Grosso Z, has emerged as perhaps his most interesting heir. Got-thard was the sire of international showjumpers Goya, Goldika, Gonzales, Galipolis, Queensway Big Q, Goldfink, Golden Gate,

Graf Sieno and Graf 2. Gotthard’s son, Genever, sired Genius, the World Cup Showjumping Champion of 1992. Another son, Gold-pilz, is the sire of John Whitaker’s Gamon.

Gotthard has also been influential as a broodmare sire, and he was responsible for 25 States Premium mares.

World Cup winner The Natural (by Diskus) is out of a Gotthard mare, and Voltaire, the hugely influential Dutch-based Hanoverian jumping sire, was similarly out of a Gotthard dam. Indeed Gotthard mares formed the basis of Leon Melchior’s Zang-ersheide stud, then studbook, of jump-ing horses.

Gotthard’s progeny were wonder-ful jumpers, but were rather stiff and untalented for dressage.

Gotthard was by Goldfisch II, who was the sire of nine licensed stallion sons and who is the grandsire of another

great, Grande. Goldfisch II descends from the nineteenth century Thoroughbred sire Goldschaum. Goldfisch II had a reputation for producing beautiful horses and good movers, yet neither of his most famous sons had exceptional conformation: Graf was a small chestnut, like his son Grande, while Gotthard was not the most elegant of horses.

The great breeding expert Werner Schockemöhle, in his text, Die Grossen Hengste Hannovers, described Gotthard as “lucky” to be accepted into the stallion ranks at Celle:

Featured Foundation Sire

by Christopher HectorG Phot

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* There is a rumor that when the demand for Gotthard was great, way back in the days when stallions actually jumped their mares, the local stallion keeper oc-

casionally used his second stallion, a chestnut Trakehner, in his stead. Don’t laugh. There are serious questions as to the ancestry of several of the more important

sires we looking at in this book.

otthard

Gotthard. Born: 1949 • Died: 1978Color: grey • Height: 166cm • Breeder: Richard Kords

When he was a seven-year-old, as shown in this photo, no one wanted to use him.

Photo Werner Ernst

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“At the time he was not really ready. He looked weak and lacking in his expression—he was not developed sufficiently in the shoulder and in the formation of his neck. No one could guess at the time how lovely and expressive the horse would be ten years later. The fully matured Gotthard impressed through his perfect shoulder and his perfect neck, and even his head could be classed as nice—even though he had a few too strong cheek bones from his Arabian an-cestry—otherwise the head was clear and dry with a wide forehead and a lovely big eye. His croup could have been a little longer and a little bit more sloped in the top line. His hind legs were quite good but you have to admit that his hocks could have been better.”

Gotthard was bred on the famous farm of Richard Kords in Ach-thöfen, where the stallion brothers, Lugano I and II, were also

bred. His mother Ampa is by the grey Amateur, who not only gave Gotthard his color, but also his athletic ability. Gotthard’s grand-dam, Amelline H 31766, was by Altlobitz, who stood 169 cm and influenced the size of Gotthard’s progeny.

On his dam line, Gotthard descends from the Shagya Arab line of Amurath, also on the dam line of another influential sire of jumpers, Ramzes [last year’s Featured Foundation Sire in the Sporthorse Stallion Directory]. Amurath was born on the Austrian state stud of Radautz, and stood at Celle from 1902 to 1918, where he sired eleven Hanoverian stallions, before he left for Neustadt-Dosse.

The Shagyas trace back to the original Arab Shagya who was

Goldfisch IISire of Gotthard and eight other licensed stallion sons

and grandsire of Grande.

Amateur IGotthard’s damsire, who

gave him his athletic ability as well as his grey color.

I can only congratulate you on creating this masterpiece.The Making of the Modern Warmblood is not only a book, it's a lexicon.

I am very happy that I am the owner of one of these books. Often I will look into the book to read things which I don't know. It is very interesting and remarkable how much expertise,

detail investigation you unite in your book. Often historical developments in breedingassociations or breeders are presented in a portrait, but I think - from the perspective of a

trainer and judge - this is the fi rst comprehensive compilation. Furthermore the book isfi lled not only with unique knowledge, but also built up clearly and structured.

It is a very pleasant reading, we should recommend it to every horseman.

Christoph Hess

Available in the US exclusively from HORSES DAILY

www.horsesdaily.com

The Making Of The Modern WarmbloodBy Christopher Hector

642 pages packed with

information andfabulous photos.

Christoph Hess

information and

4 This article originally appeared in Warmblood Stallions of North America’s 2012 issue

When he was approved in 1951, Gotthard seemed short-framed, insignificant and stocky and it is not surprising that he was not particularly popular. Indeed he was put over all sorts of mares, including cold bloods; his daughter, Goldpuppe, who was a suc-cessful S level jumper, was out of a cold blood. He was even bred to Norwegian mares.

Gotthard spent his first breeding season, 1953, at Beversted, near Bremerhaven. For the next two years he was stationed at Langen before he returned to Celle, where, as a seven-year-old, he was a “reserve” stallion. This group of stallions waited for one of the other stallions to be injured or unable to breed, then one of them would go to take his place. For four seasons, Gotthard was on the reserve list.

In 1960 he was sent to Hänigsen, but was not well accepted by the breeders. In 1961, he went to Wilstedt before being sent back to Hänigsen in 1962.

So at the age of 13, Gotthard had nothing to show to indicate his worth. Even in 1966, when he was 17, his offspring had won only DM1,681—while stallions like Ferdinand had earnings of DM43,500, Agram of DM37,000 and Duellant DM33,700.

It was not until 1970, when his daughter Goldika (out of a Meck-lenburg mare with no papers) started her sensational jumping career with Gert Wiltfang, that the breeders found him attractive. That year, Goldika won a total of 17 “S” classes, including three Nations Cups!

imported to Hungary in 1836, where he was bred over a very diverse mare band that included representatives from Holstein and Lipizza as well as Siebenbuergen and Moldau. The stallion spearheaded a breeding program to produce an elegant riding, driving

and workhorse. It soon evolved into its own breed: the Shagya, described by Gerd-D Gauger in his article, “Not A Vain Illusion” (The Hanoverian, August 2001) as: “An ideal proportioned horse with good lines, not quite in accordance with the often-glorified beauty ideal of the original Arab, but still all-over clearly influ-enced by Arabian blood which overpowered its mixed roots.” Amarath III, shown at left, is one of the Shagya Arabs at Celle.

Gotthard continued

Gotthard

Goldfisch II

(1935, Han)

Ampa

(1942, Han)

{

{Ameline

(1937, Han)

Amateur I

(1922, Han)

Flugamme

(1927, Han)

Holdammer II

(1919, Han){

{

{

{

Antille (1914, Han)

Goldschlaeger I (1909, Han)

Amakosa (1910, Han)

Flugfeuer (1921, Han)

Alcansa (1912, Han)

Amulett II (1917, Han)

Fortissimo mare (1932, Han)

Altlobitz (1925, Han)

{ Schaetzchen (1904)

Paris (1904)

{ Lohblute (1906)

Alderman I (1909)

{ Feile (1915)

Fling (1911)

{Nodia (1901)

Ammer (1902)

{ Nopette (1908)

Amurath I (1898)

{ Schneeberg mare

Alcantara I (1908)

{ Lingen (1917)

Althof (1919)

{Neroli mare II

Fortissimo II (1926)

Gotthard, the great sire of competition jumpers, was finally recognized. He was to produce over fifty horses that went on to compete internationally. When a list of top stallions was published in 1975, Gotthard was number one in terms of prize money. Eventually his competing progeny numbered 398, with earnings of almost two million deutschmarks.

The Making of the Modern Warmblood, by Christopher Hector, is available in the US exclusively from www.HorsesDaily.com.

GoldikaIn 1970, when Gotthard was 21, his daughter Goldika (out of an unpapered

mare) began her sensational jumping caeer, and breeders finally noticed Gotthard and began using him. His competing offspring eventually numbered 398.

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