TEXT: JANET STEVENS PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHANN THERON THE TOP SPOT HQ visits The Majestic Knabstrupper and Painted Appaloosa studs, in the Overberg 16 HQ 63
From right to left): Painted Mosaic (2008 Appaloosa Sport Horse filly, bay near leopard, by Alpha Waps Pistachio out of Nightingales Blue Doll); Painted Black Pearl Rock (2008 Appaloosa Sport Horse filly, black near leopard, by Peyres Executive Rock (French Imp) out of Nightingales Terracotta); Painted Victoria s Secret (2009 Appaloosa filly, black near leopard, by Kondos Eagle Vision out of Thunder Mary Lou) and Sartor Phasmina (2009 KNN Mainbook Knabstrupper Sport Horse filly, chestnut leopard, by Sir Donnerhall out of Amaline) HQ 63 17
After several years of successfully breeding Appaloosa and Appaloosa Sport Horses, Marna Smith, an Animal Scientist with an MSc in Quantitative Genetics and Owner of The Painted Appaloosa Stud, became obsessed with breeding the perfect coloured sport horse, by means of genetic principles. Marna concluded, after studying animal breeding, that the Knabstrupper, which had attained extremely high achievements throughout the major equine disciplines in Europe, could offer a solid genetic base for both performance and colour. So that Marna can reach this high performance level, she has imported South Africa s first KNN approved Knabstruppers. HQ magazine went along to Marna s Hoekplaas Farm, near Botrivier, in the Overberg, now also The Majestic Knabstrupper Stud, to find out more about this breed. What are the physical traits of a Knabstrupper? It is very difficult to describe this majestic breed; only by seeing them can you fully understand their appeal. There are two categories of Knabstrupper. The elegant, baroque type has an expressive head, large eyes set widely apart, and a pronounced nose, with the lower jaw being broad and defined. They have a well-balanced build, with good depth and breadth and are 15.3hh+. The Sport horse is more refined; 16 to 17hh and looks like the modern European Warmblood. Describe the Knabstrupper s temperament They are full of character; very friendly, expressive, clever, trusting, placid they aren t spooky. My two Knabstrupper fillies will separate from my herd of Appaloosas, come to me, and put their heads down on the ground so that I can scratch their ears, which is very unusual behaviour for horses. Which of the Knabstrupper s physical attributes do you consider most important? The Knabstruppers come from a long line of dressage breeding, particularly of Spanish origin. I look for a horse that moves well, which means that it must have a certain conformation. Knabstruppers move very extravagantly, putting a lot of effort into every step. 18 HQ 63
THE PAINTED APPALOOSAS We couldn t ignore Marna s Appaloosas, so we asked her for a brief résumé about them too. Qualities: Extremely clever, sure-footed with good movement, very hardy with good resistance to parasites. Proven ability in jumping and dressage. Temperament: Strong-willed. Physical attributes: There are many different types, but I prefer the older Spanish, baroque-lineage type, with a more refined look. Height 16hh+. Breeding goals: I like a pretty, tall, athletic, balanced horse. I have two programmes; I breed Appaloosa Sport horses to sell to people to compete in dressage and jumping and I breed my core herd of pure Appaloosas for future breeding stock. I select my mares for mothering ability, rideability, height, movement, good straight conformation and a good mane and tail then I cross them with a proven warmblood lineage for either dressage or jumping. The resulting foals will outperform their parents. I mostly follow one dam line and then find top international sires, to produce top quality foals. To keep my mares in good physical shape and to ensure rideability as well as good health, I ride them up until they are nine months pregnant. There is no performance testing done on Appaloosas, so we don t know which line is good for which discipline. I would like stallions to be licensed, so that the lines can be improved for performance. I love my Appaloosas and I feel I can make a difference by breeding a horse that can stand his ground in any arena. Selling: I have been breeding Appaloosas for 11 years and Appaloosa Sport horses for four years. I sell Appaloosa Sport horse foals, for competing, at the same price as good Warmblood foals. I used to sell youngsters for other people to bring on, but I now school most of them on the farm, where I can train them in a relaxed environment. I then know that the foal has had a solid foundation on which to build further schooling. KNN Mainbook Knabstrupper Sport Horse filly, Sartor Phasmina (chestnut leopard, standing at 16.2hh, by Sir Donnerhall out of KNN mainbook mare Amaline) HQ 63 19
Warmblood mare, M.O.T Granella by Gran Fernando (German Imp) with her 2011 black spotted blanket Appaloosa Sport Horse filly by Peyres Executive Rock (French imported homozygous 93% foundation-bred Appaloosa) 20 HQ 63
2009 black near leopard Appaloosa Sport Horse filly, Painted Victoria s Secret (by Kondos Eagle Vision out of Thunder Mary Lou) They also exhibit uphill conformation, as they are lifted in front, so collection comes naturally to them. Straight legs and good feet come as standard. Why do Knabstruppers make excellent competition horses? They are not fazed by anything and they are extremely clever. They will be the same horse that you have at home in your dressage arena, as the one you take to a show. Jumping lines have been identified in the Knabstruppers to the level of 9.5 as good as international Warmbloods. What are you hoping to achieve with your breeding of Knabstruppers? I want to breed something different that stands out. I looked for a breed that had a well-established, genetic base. Knabstruppers have been selected for a high level of talent over many generations. The probability of breeding something good out of such stock is therefore so much higher. Competitive riders tend to overlook the performance of coloured horses, as they come from a mixed lineage. The Knabstrupper is very popular in Europe, and I m sure it will also become popular in South Africa, as it offers so much it has colour, a special character and is suitable for any rider. I want to do embryo transfers to my Appaloosa carrier mares, who are hardy and experienced mothers, so that I can try to produce additional foals. But I don t want to do mass production, which is why I bought from top quality Warmblood Knabstrupper lines, which avoids inbreeding and will produce top quality foals. Due to their qualities, Knabstruppers are very expensive horses, but you will always pay for a good quality horse. What are Knabstruppers rideability ratings? Very high 8 to 9.5 which is a huge advantage when competing. What is KNN? KNN is the mother studbook for Knabstruppers. Each registered horse will receive a KNN number and passport with microchip or K branding. To receive a breeding license, Knabstruppers must pass a performance test, including rideability, dressage, jumping, and endurance as well as an in-hand evaluation for conformation traits and absence of other unwanted traits like rat tail, grey gene and blue eyes. HQ 63 21
KNN Mainbook Knabstrupper Sport Horse filly, Sartor Danish Design (bay leopard standing at 16.2hh, born in 2009, by Sir Donnerhall out of KNN mainbook mare Lea) Explain some of the genetic analysis involved in breeding Knabstuppers Generally in South Africa, we do not realise the potential of genetic analysis in order to estimate breeding values, and we are therefore not implementing important principles in our breeding programmes. Most breeding is based on what we see and not based on the additive component that we don t see. No wonder we are net importers of performance horses! In Europe, performance testing has become a very important factor, which enables a breeder to select a breeding animal based on its breeding value for a certain trait. The more information available about its offspring and relatives, the more accurately the breeding value can be predicted for producing the required trait in the resulting offspring. The coat patterns of the Knabstrupper are a product of the Leopard complex (Lp) gene, which produces mottled skin, striped hooves and white sclera also known as the human eye. The effect of the Lp gene on a horse s coat is a command to be white. The level of pattern on a horse is affected by the horse s base coat colour for example black, chestnut or bay. Although all Knabstruppers have a unique coat pattern, there are basic patterns, which range from bold leopard spot to just a little roaning and, of course, there are solidcoloured horses. The Lp gene always carries the roaning effect, varying from a few hairs to outright body roaning. Horses born with two Lp genes are called fewspot or whiteborn and they can range from pure white to just having a few white hairs and will usually only have a few spots or none at all. They also usually have striped hooves, which help to identify them. Colour is easier to select for and relatively easy to add on. However, performance is governed by more than one gene and increases the difficulty of selecting for these genes. Through genetics, we can also breed for resistance to disease and low worm counts. How did you choose your Knabstuppers? I visited the 2010 World Congress on Genetics, Applied to Livestock Production, in Leipzig, Germany. I then spent a month travelling by train to most of the renowned Knabstrupper studs throughout Europe, as well as attending grading shows, which gave me a feel for the breed and an appreciation of its capability of performance. One Knabstrupper that really 22 HQ 63
2008 Appaloosa Sport Horse filly standing at 16hh, Painted Mosaic (by Alpha Waps Pistachio out of Nightingales Blue Doll) Palomino snowcap Appaloosa mare, Vixenvale Foreign Affair (standing at 16.3hh) and a black leopard Appaloosa mare, Painted Pure Image (right) 2011 chestnut lace blanket Appaloosa Sport Horse filly, Painted Sandy (by Peyres Executive Rock out of Mayfair (SAWHS inspected mare with a premium for movement) stood out was the famous Zanko, a stallion that achieved multiple gold medals at the World Para Dressage Championships in Athens, under the guidance of his Norwegian rider Anne Lubbe. My dream of owning Knabstruppers became a reality when I bought two fillies and a colt. My fillies are Sport Horse types and will reach 17hh+. Danish Design, a bay leopard, is a once-in-a lifetime horse and so special that I just had to have her, regardless of cost. As a yearling, she was already a beauty and perfect in every way. I saw thousands of HQ 63 23
(Top) Like the Knabstruppers, Marna s Appaloosas are also selected for their sport performance ability (Left) KNN Mainbook Knabstrupper Sport Horse filly, Sartor Danish Design, showing her strong canter horses during my trip to Europe, even some chosen for the elite auction, and out of all of them, I concluded that Danish Design was my best possible choice and there was NOTHING that could match her. She is elegant, tall, has perfect conformation and uphill movement, moves like a ballerina and has an exceptional temperament and an amazing pedigree. She is by the world famous Sir Donnerhall (Sandro Hit, Sandro Song, Donnerhall, Donnerwetter, Ramino, Ramiro Z, Flemming) out of a very attractive, super-bred, graded, Knabstrupper leopard mare, named Lea (by the well-known stallion Rasmus Af Hallundbaek). Sir Donnerhall is rated very highly, with a dressage breeding value of 166 and a reliability of 96%! This filly will definitely have superior rideability as her parents and grandparents mainly achieved 9-10 for this trait! I was so pleased with Danish Design that I also bought her half sister, Pashmina, a chestnut leopard filly, also sired by Sir Donnerhall out of a purebred Knabstrupper mare Ameline (by Ravaldi). Ameline also relates back to the very famous Knabstrupper bloodline of Don Ibrahim, the sire of Zanko. It is not often that you will find performance lines like this, already combined with colour, forming the starting point for a breeding programme. Because I strongly believe in genetic diversity, I bought a young, baroque-type colt, Amadeus, to fit the two fillies. Amadeus, a black leopard, is a purebred Knabstrupper with the most influential Danish and German Knabstrupper lines of all time. He also relates back to very good Warmblood lines that include Royal Z II. A Grand Prix jumper in his own right, Royal Z II has sired both top-performing dressage horses and show jumpers globally. Amadeus is by the famous Upal van Horholm (by Ursus Norholm), the only Knabstrupper stallion to receive a distinction in the 70-day performance test against all other breeds, and winner of the 2001 approval test. He received a remarkable 9.5 for jumping ability and mostly 8.5 and 9 s for the other traits. His dam, a magnificent KNN mare named Nicole, also relates back to some of the most influential Knabstrupper lines. In these three horses, I have got exceptional Knabstrupper lineage in combination with our modern Warmblood breeding of today, perfected through generations. The result is a modern, intelligent, noble, colourful horse; full of character, who will impress anywhere. I would like to give a very special thank you to Ruth of Sartor Stud for her capability as a breeder and for providing me with such good horses and service until the very end. 24 HQ 63