News

2 Mar 10 HEARTBREAKER SOUTH ISLAND 6 YR OLD SHOW JUMPING CHAMPION

We had a very successful weekend at the South Island Show Jumping Championships held in Gore. Heartbreaker was the only double clear to win the South Island 6 yr old Show Jumping Championship. Heartbreaker also jumped double clear to place 6th in the South Island 1.20m Championship, making it a great end to the season for him.

22 Feb 10 CANTERBURY 3* CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW

Heartbreaker continued to jump very well at the Canterbury 3* Show. After finding his 1.10m – 1.20m classes very effortless, we decided to start him in his first 6 year old class, 1.20m – 1.30m. He jumped a super clear round, but picked up 4 faults and 1 time fault as he got distracted heading to fence 3 which jumped straight towards the big tent, so Claudia circled him before it. So overall we were thrilled with him as he is still inexperienced, having only had 2 seasons of light competition. The last show of the season for Heartbreaker is the South Island Championships held in Gore this weekend.

15 Feb 10 NATIONAL SHOW JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS

We have just come back from the National Show Jumping Championships held at McLeans Island from 12 - 14 Feb. Heartbreaker competed in the 1.10m - 1.20m Championship classes. The first day was a Table C speed class where Heartbreaker jumped a steady clear round. This was of course well off the pace of the many more experienced horses in the class. So he finished 29th from the 48 starters. The Table C result was then converted to give each rider a penalty score, with faults the next two days to be added to that. So the winner of day 1 starts on 0, and everyone from there down is given increasingly higher faults. From the first day result Heartbreaker was given 8.6 penalties to carry forward. Day 2 was a two round competition where he jumped double clear and rose to 15th place, making the top 20 cut to go through to the final round. On the final day despite being a little tired, Heartbreaker again jumped a great double clear to finish on 8.6 and place 7th over all in the Championship, just out of the prizes. So we were thrilled with him!
This coming weekend we head back to Christchurch for the Canterbury 3* Show.

15 Feb 10 LONG OVERDUE UPDATE!

Gore Show Jumping Dec 09

Both Centavos and Heartbreaker competed very well at Gore. Centavos showed off his huge scope and classical technique jumping a beautiful clear round in the fox hunter class with just 1 time fault. Heartbreaker also jumped very well, just tipping a brick off the wall in the fox hunter, and then clear the following day in the 1.10m class. The weather then turned very nasty and we decided not to start Centavos and go home.

We have been rather slack at updating the news page recently! Unfortunately at the beginning of January, Centavos got a splint. He has been sore on it since so sadly has to miss the rest of the season. Heartbreaker has been going very well, and improving all the time. Both stallions foals continue to impress and we will keep updating the gallery with photos as we receive them.

Claudia has had lessons with Daniel Meech on both stallions, where she has learn't a huge amount. It is super to be able to train with someone of Daniel’s calibre.

Heartbreaker’s first show back after the Christmas break was Otago – Taieri A&P Show on the 24^th of January. He jumped a beautiful double clear at 1.10m in the busy main ring right next to the Topp Twins Entertainment, where they had the crowd singing and dancing along with them!

The following weekend we took Heartbreaker for one day at Waimate Show (we have to do day trips as there are no stallion boxes as yet) to compete in the fox hunter class to try to qualify for the finals the next weekend. He jumped double clear and we were very pleased with him. Next was Otago Show where he jumped a clear round in the 1.10m in the morning then started in the fox hunter final in the afternoon. He jumped clear in the first round, then unfortunately tipped a rail in the second round after getting a bit spooked but jumped very well. The next day he started in the 1.20m Championship. He jumped a super double clear over the Kevin Hansen built course, showing off his impressive scope and technique. This was Heartbreaker’s first start at 1.20m, and the fences were made even higher in the jump off. He finished 3rd behind Waitangi Jetstream – Tegan Fitzsimon and Olympia – Zoe Shore.

17 Dec 09

We had our first show back since injury breaks at Canterbury Xmas Cracker 2* Show last weekend. We were really pleased with Centavos and Heartbreaker who both jumped very well all show, with double clears in the 1.10m classes. This weekend we head to Gore to compete.

1 Dec 09

We have had a run of bad luck recently with horse and rider injuries. Centavos strained his shoulder so was out of work for a while. Then Claudia injured her hand and has been unable to ride. So we have missed several shows because of this, and also the shows held at Waimate as there are no stallion boxes yet. We are looking forward to getting back on track shortly and out to some competitions!

There have been many new Centavos and Heartbreaker foals arriving around the country with very happy owners. We have posted photos in our gallery, and will continue to update it.

1 Nov 09 FIRST SHOWS

Our first show of the season was Labour Weekend Show Jumping Show held at McLeans Island in Christchurch on 25th and 26th of October. Centavos and Heartbreaker both went really well, jumping clear rounds in each class. They finished the show double clear at 1.10m, which was only their second start at this height.

We traveled to Ashburton A&P Show the following weekend. As a result of an incident on our arrival, Centavos suffered muscle strain which was not apparent until he was jumped. We took him home to be checked by our vet, and at this stage we are unsure how long he will be affected.
Heartbreaker had one start in ring 1. He had one unlucky rail whilst taking in the sights of a big A&P Show!

FOAL UPDATES

We are beginning to have a lot of foals born. They have arrived safely, and their breeders are all very pleased. We will post photos in the gallery as we receive them.

31 Aug 09 UPDATE We recently said goodbye to our stable star, Euro Sport Valentino Rossi as he has headed to a new home in Australia. We imported Euro Sport Valentino Rossi from England 3 years ago. In that time he has progressed through the grades to Grand Prix level with huge success along the way. This long list of successes includes taking two NZ titles, 2008 NZ National Young Rider Championship, and 2008/2009 Cathay Pacific NZ Grand Prix Series Champion. We have a new addition to the competition team. Euro Sport Cumani is a 7 year old gelding by the 2006 World Equestrian Games show jumping individual gold medalist, Cumano. Euro Sport Cumani has been lightly competed to 1.15m, and shows a lot of potential. 14 Apr 09 SHOWS RECAP
CANTERBURY 3* Canterbury 3* was the final show of the season for Heartbreaker and Centavos. Both boys jumped beautiful double clears in the 1m class. They then finished the weekend by having their first start in 1.10m. Centavos went clear (1 time fault), showing off his huge scope and wonderful attitude. Heartbreaker also was very impressive, with just one unlucky rail. Overall Heartbreaker and Centavos have had a fantastic first season out. We are thrilled with both their ability and temperaments, and they were much admired. Valentino Rossi was the only clear round out of a good field to win the Grand Prix. SOUTHLAND 1* In very trying weather conditions Valentino Rossi had another great weekend taking out the Grand Prix, being the only double clear. MARLBOROUGH 1* We stopped in at the Blenheim Racecourse on our way up to the Horse of the Year Show for the Marlborough 1* show. It was a one day show and a great warm up for HOY. Valentino Rossi won the Grand Prix, again as the only clear round. He felt great and ready for HOY. HORSE OF THE YEAR 2009 We had a great time at HOY 2009. As always it was an incredible show and gets better every year. Valentino Rossi was a star. His and Claudia’s classes were all held in the International Arena. They jumped clear in every competition, however the tight times caught them out. The first class was the 1.35m on Wednesday where they finished 1 second over the time allowed for 1 time fault. On Thursday they competed in The Lady Rider of the Year Class. It was a big field with a line up of some of the best lady riders in Australasia. This time they came comfortably inside the time and Valentino Rossi thrilled the crowd showing off his huge scope and gorgeous technique. In a very fast 8 way jump off they finished a very creditable 6th after another great clear. Their final competition was the Premier Stakes, a 1* Grand Prix on Saturday. After another lovely clear again the time caught them out, coming home 0.5 of a second outside the time allowed! However we were thrilled with the week spent up there and had a great time. Can’t wait for next year!

12 Feb 09 NATIONAL SHOW JUMPING CHAMPS 2009
We had a really good weekend at the NZ SJ Champs at McLeans Island last weekend. Heartbreaker and Centavos competed in 1m and 1.05m classes, and continue to perform and develop extremely well. Valentino Rossi jumped very well throughout the 1* Grand Prix Championship. He completed the weekend by jumping double clear over a big track in the Final, securing 3rd place.

04 Feb 09 RECENT SHOWS
SCNO 1* We just took Valentino Rossi to this show. He jumped very well all weekend, winning the 1.30m and going triple clear for 3rd in a fast jump off for the Grand Prix. Otago 1* Heartbreaker and Centavos competed in the 1m class. Both jumped clear and went beautifully. We didn’t start them the following day as the wind was very strong and fences were constantly being blown over. Valentino Rossi had a great weekend. He won the 1.30m class on day 1, then went on to also win the Grand Prix in very windy difficult conditions. We now head with all the horses to the National SJ Champs in Christchurch.

22 Jan 09 ASHBURTON SHOW JUMPING
We took the team to Ashburton Show on the 17th & 18th January. We had a great weekend with all the horses performing impressively. Valentino Rossi continues to perform superbly, winning the Grand Prix. Heartbreaker competed very well in both his 1m classes, showing great scope and athleticism. Centavos did beautiful double clears in both his 1m and 1.05m Championship classes. Overall it was a great weekend. While Valentino Rossi heads to Waimate SJ Show this weekend, Heartbreaker and Centavos’s next outing will be the 31st Jan, 1st February at Otago.

16 Dec 08 XMAS CRACKER SHOW JUMPING
Last weekend (13 & 14 December) we took the team to Christchurch for the Xmas Cracker 2* Show. ES Centavos and ES Heartbreaker both performed very well in their classes and their manners were impeccable. ES Valentino Rossi was a little dull and flat over the weekend - not his usual bright self. He still managed to perform creditably in the 1.30m and 2* Grand Prix classes for 2nd placing in each. We have since found out that he had a viral infection so we look forward to him being back to his best shortly. Our final show for the year is this weekend in Southland. At this stage we plan on taking all of the horses.

09 Dec 08 SHOW UPDATES
SOUTH ISLAND CHAMPS As mentioned we were not able to take the stallions to this show however we still went with ES Valentino Rossi. Valentino Rossi and Claudia had a great show taking 2nd place in the 1.30m class on day 1, then winning the South Island 1* Grand Prix Championship the following day. ASHBURTON 2* SHOW We had a very successful weekend at Ashburton. Both ES Centavos and ES Heartbreaker jumped beautiful double clears in their 1m classes. Many people commented on them for their talent and wonderful temperaments. ES Valentino Rossi was once again at his best, taking out the 1.30m class, then going on to win the 2* Grand Prix. We now head to Christchurch with the team this weekend for the Xmas Cracker Show Jumping Show.

25 Nov 08 UPDATE
The South Island Champs this year are held at Waimate. Unfortunately this will be the third show this season which we have been unable to take the stallions to. This is because they currently have no adequate stabling for large stallions. Therefore the Ashburton Show on the 6th and 7th of December will only be the boys third outing – having had a large break in between! Following Ashburton our plan is to take them to Christchurch and Southland Shows, both before Christmas. The stallions have some super foals on the ground now. We hope to have more foal photos to put on the website in the next week or so.

03 Nov 08 SHOW RESULTS
We have had a busy last two weekends away at shows. It was both Centavos and Heartbreaker’s first shows. Their temperaments were outstanding and we were thrilled with how both performed, showing huge scope, great technique and neither looking like touching a rail! Aside from the show jumping, Centavos competed in Show Hunter classes. He started in the welcome hunter class at Christchurch and an 80cm and 90cm class at Ashburton, and he won every class! Our competition gelding Euro Sport Valentino Rossi (by Nimmerdor) has been competing with outstanding success. He has continually jumped clear rounds all season with many wins including his first Grand Prix start of the season.

16 Oct 08 FIRST FOALS BORN
Last Tuesday both Heartbreaker and Centavos had their first foals born. A beautiful colt and filly, both bay with white markings and very strong and healthy. We hope to have photos of the new arrivals on our website at the end of the month.

17 Sep 08 FIRST OUTING
Last weekend (September 13 & 14) Heartbreaker and Centavos had their first outing, attending the Jen Hamilton Show Jumping clinic. They were outstanding in both their temperament and performance over the two days. Both jumping around each course showing super scope and technique. They were much admired, and both look set to have an exciting show jumping career ahead of them!

04 Sep 08 OLYMPIC SHOWJUMPING 2008
It was very exciting to see such close relatives of Euro Sport Centavos, Euro Sport Heartbreaker and Euro Sport Cassini D’Eclipse, competing so successfully at the 2008 Olympic Games. The phenomenal Hickstead, individual gold and team silver medalist is by Hamlet, the dam sire of ES Heartbreaker. World No.1 ranked show jumper by the WBFSH Lantinus was one of the leading horses going in to the finals. He is out of an Argentinus mare, as is ES Centavos. Argentinus is also the sire of Special Ed, who won team silver with the Canadian team. Cassini D’Eclipse’s sire Cassini I had 3 of his progeny competing. A fourth was also initially selected but had to withdraw. All 3 easily qualified for the finals with Camiro and Cumano ranked 1st and 2nd after the 3 days going in to the finals! Carlsson Vom Dach also played a big part in securing team gold for the USA. Cassini D’Eclipse’s dam sire Caretino sired the successful Chupa Chup who also qualified for the finals. It is really fantastic to see these horses performing so outstandingly at the highest level.

13 Jul 08 NEW STALLION FOR EURO SPORT HORSES
We are very excited to announce that we have a fantastic new addition to our stallion team. Euro Sport Cassini D'Eclipse combines a star studded pedigree of the biggest and most famous names in Holstein. His sire is the living legend Cassini I, himself a world class show jumper and sire to countless jumping stars. These include Eurocommerce Berlin (Gerco Schroder) and Cumano (Jos Lansink), both World Show Jumping Champions. Interestingly Eurocommerce Berlin is also out of a Caretino mare, making him a 3/4 brother to Cassini D'Eclipse! Cassini D'Eclipse's dam sire is the equally outstanding stallion Caretino. Again Caretino was a champion show jumper himself, going on to be one of the world's most respected sires of both show jumping and dressage horses. Cassini D'Eclipse's dam is the wonderful young mare S Caretina. S Caretina has just joined the stables of new Belgium Show Jumping Team rider Niels Bruynseels to begin what looks set to be an exciting competition career. And if this wasn't enough S Caretina is no less than a full sister to South Germany's 2004 Stallion of the Year Caretello B! Caretello B had a fantastic competition career, blowing away many with his immense jumping power. Caretello B's progeny have already earned in excess of 1 million euro (2.1million NZD approx) in competition! Cassini D'Eclipse himself is a stunning young colt with huge presence and athleticism combined with beautiful conformation. At his foal testing in Holstein he received the ranking of 'Premium', the highest given and is gained by only a small number of the best foals. We have been incredibly lucky to secure this young stallion to present to the New Zealand breeders. He is sure to be a future star! Euro Sport Cassini D’Eclipse will stand to a limited number of mares in the 2009/2010 breeding season.

21 Jun 08 ARGENTINUS OUTSTANDING IN LATEST WBFSH RANKINGS
In the latest WBFSH rankings (World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses), Argentinus is the dam sire of the new world no. 1 show jumper Lantinus. Argentinus is of course also the dam sire of Euro Sport Centavos. Lantinus has been exceptional this year with wins and placings in many prestigious Grand Prix classes. His owners very recently turned down a staggering offer of 5.5 million euros for the star hanoverian gelding, (approx $12 million NZ). Argentinus is also the sire of no less than four of the top six show jumpers for the Oldenburg stud book which is ranked 6th out of the top 38 stud books in the world. Interesting Links: Video of Lantinus - http://www.dailymotion.com/jeannou29/video/x5gdpy_dscn5213lynch-denis-et-lantinus-3-a_lifestyle

04 May 08 HEARTBREAKER NZ HORSE & PONY COVER BOY!
It was very exciting for us to see our beautiful young stallion Euro Sport Heartbreaker on the cover of the latest Horse and Pony magazine (may). The photo was taken by Annie Studholme in March this year and it was a great surprise for all of us to see him on the H & P cover. It looks like he has an assured career in modeling!


22 Feb 08 BRIGHTWELL'S ELITE SHOWJUMPERS AUCTION ENGLAND
At the recent Brightwell’s auction held in England, the stunning black 3yo gelding Zantos was sold as the highest priced gelding. Interestingly Zantos is out of a Hamlet x Ramiro Z mare, the same cross as Nufrieda, Eurosport Heartbreaker’s dam. Zantos was described as having “showed the biggest jump of the night” amongst other exceptionally well bred stallions and mares from some of Europe’s best bloodlines including Cassini and Contender.

22 Feb 08 JANKO VAN DE LAGEWEG VISIT
We were very lucky to receive a visit in January from Janko Van De Lageweg of the famed VDL Stud in Holland. We had met Janko in Holland last year, and he was interested to come and visit our stallions. He was especially interested in Euro Sport Heartbreaker - in part because of his relationship to the great Nimmerdor, VDL’s foundation stallion. Janko was very impressed with Euro Sport Heartbreaker, and said he ‘could not find fault’ in the young stallion. Naturally we were thrilled with this approval! Interesting Links: www.vdlstud.com

24 Dec 07 MERRY CHRISTMAS
The Euro Sport Horses team would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

11 Dec 07 NZ’S WONDERFUL EQUINE REPRODUCTION SPECIALISTS
We are very excited with the success so far of our first season. This has been bought about primarily because of both stallions high fertility, and the expertise and co operation of all the vets and stud masters we have dealt with, without exception. Equibreed have been the most fantastic support. Their initial training for the stallions and ourselves, at their Matamata facility, was invaluable and has been the basis for developing our operation in Dunedin. It’s wonderful to know any queries we have we can ring either Lee, Dave, Victoria and Paula for expert advice which has given us the confidence and knowledge needed to perform well for our clients. For more information on Equibreed please visit their site www.equibreed.co.nz.

05 Nov 07 2007 WORLD JUMPING RANKINGS NEWS
Centavos and Heartbreaker’s bloodlines feature strongly on the latest FEI WBFSH (World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses) list for 2006 and 2007. Escudo I, Argentinus, Heartbreaker and Hamlet have all sired progeny featuring at the very top in the individual rankings. From this list the six highest placed horses count for their studbooks. The KWPN is ranked the No.1 studbook, and from this list we find Hickstead (by Hamlet), also a staggering 2nd overall in the world for jumping horses. The Hannoverian studbook is ranked 3rd, and includes Enorm by Escudo I. The Belgian Warmblood is ranked 5th, featuring Toulon by Heartbreaker. The Oldenburg studbook is ranked 7th, where Argentinus is the sire of both Special Ed and Arko. There are a total of 35 studbooks included in this World rankings list.

05 Nov 07 UPDATE
The boys have been doing an excellent job with their semen collections. We have been receiving great feedback on the quality of their transported semen.

16 Oct 07 RELATIVES OF CENTAVOS AND HEARTBREAKER
Relatives of Centavos and Heartbreaker continue to do very well. Centavos's dam Anabell (who is also mother of the outstanding young stallion San Brasil), has another daughter named Wabiola. Wabiola has been made a state premium mare, and recieved an 8 for paces and a 9 for jumping at her testing! Heartbreaker's 3/4 brother Heartbeat, is looking set to become a star not only in the showjumping arena but also as a sire. Heartbeat was recently ridden by WEG team gold medalist Gerco Shroeder, who described him as a 'a very good horse who is very careful and gives the rider a great feel'. Heartbeat also won Best Showjumping Stallion at the 2006 Danish Warmblood Stallion Licensing.

07 Oct 07 UPDATE
The boys continue to work very well under saddle, despite only having 2 or 3 rides a week. They have just started having outings in the main riding arena with other horses all around. They have been fantastic, and as usual a pleasure to work with. We continue to have lots of visitors and the boys just love the attention!

19 Sep 07 BOYS GOING WELL
Centavos and Heartbreaker are currently being lightly ridden a few times a week, just walking and trotting. Both are going exceptionally well. They are very attentive fast learners, and have the most beautiful soft mouths and excellent self carriage. They feel amazing to ride!

31 Aug 07 CENTAVOS AND HEARTBREAKER HAVE SETTLED IN WELL
The boys arrived almost 3 weeks ago now and have settled in well to their new life. They are kept in their paddocks full time now and have never been happier! They arrived with beautiful summer coats but are now unfortunately starting to get their winter coats even with multiple rugs! They have had many visitors and really enjoy the attention. Claudia has ridden them both briefly and they were perfect.

11 Aug 07 CENTAVOS AND HEARTBREAKER ARRIVE SAFELY IN NEW ZEALAND
Centavos and Heartbreaker arrived safely in New Zealand on Monday August 6th. They have been at equibreed for their first week, and passed their stallion training with flying colours! Thanks to the expertise and care of Lee, Dave, Victoria and Lance. Both stallions have shown to be highly fertile and very enthusiastic! We look forward to their arrival in Mosgiel.