Microsoft word - the influence of shagya blood in warmblood breeding

The Influence of Shagya Blood in Warmblood Breeding
Submitted by Terry Hey
Although rare and relatively little known in America, Shagyas have
had a profound influence on European warmblood breeding
programs. Studs in Trakehner, Hannover, Holstein, Holland,
Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Westphalia and many others have
been using the Shagya for years to bring refinement to warmblood
breeds. The stallion most responsible for this influence was the
Anglo-Shagya stallion Ramzes. He is often incorrectly referred to
as an Anglo-Arab. However, his dam was the Shagya mare Jordi,
who was sired by Shagya X-3, and sired by the Thoroughbred
Rittersporn. Ramzes and his offspring made such significant
improvements in warmblood breeding that the Germans coined a
phrase “No riding horse without his blood”. The descendants of
Ramzes are well-known in the sporthorse world. They include such
stars as jumper Salut II; legendary dressage sires Roemer,
Olympic dressage horses Romantico and Rembrandt, Hilda
Gurney Trakehner, Condus. The list goes on to include such greats
as Rampal, Ramiro, Der Radetsky, and Romadour II. Look closely
at the pedigrees of “R” line warmbloods and you are very likely to find Ramzes. Shagya lines can be found through other
warmblood families as well. The outstanding Trakehner sire Burnus, whose most famous descendants include the stallion
Habicht and the current world class eventing stallion Windfall II, was sired by the Shagya stallion Lapis by 561 Siglavy.
Weltmeyer had Shagya blood as well, tracing back to Shagya XVII. The present day premium Oldenburg mare Allegra by
Frohwind, is out of a Shagya mare named Aifa. Shagyas are known as the great improvers, passing on refinement without
losing size or bone, wonderful temperaments, overall balance and harmony, and lovely, floating gaits. Their success in FEI
sports speaks for itself.
Hungarian Warmbloods carry a high percentage of Shagya blood; some of them are fully half-Shagya and have also had
much success in the FEI sports including the mare H.Aldas, sired by the Shagya stallion *Shandor.
Pictured are examples of Shagya/warmblood crosses: the chestnut filly WS Elodie, out of the Shagya mare Emilagra (by
*Shandor), owned by Kathy Richkind of New Mexico, and Hera, owned by Adele Furby of Montana, a grey filly by *Shandor
out of Heritance, a Trakehner mare with Shagya lines whose pedigree goes back to Lapis, a purebred Shagya stallion.
WS Elodie was sired by the Trakehner stallion Feuertanzer, who was chosen by Kathy Richkind in part because
Feuertanzer’s sire line traced back to Lapis though Martini, and his dam line traced back to the Ramzes son Condus.
This unusual combination of two different Shagya bloodlines in the stallion’s pedigree made his selection as a partner for
the Shagya mare Emilagra an interesting combination, and the result was this lovely filly, now 16 hands at four years of age,
who is beginning her dressage career but has also shown outstanding promise as a jumper. In addition to being registered
as part Shagya, she is also registered as Trakehner and last summer was accepted into the main mare book of the
Oldenburg NA registry.

Please visit our website www.shagya.net to see these and other exceptionally high quality sport horses.

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