VERDEN, GERMANY: The Danish team members have arrived in Verden. Among the eight Danish horses three are bred by the same breeders, and two of them are the incredible full sisters Fiontina (will present by Andreas Helgstrand DEN) and Fiontini (will present by Jurado Lopez ESP) bred by embryo transfer.
Two mares have been making headline news in the Danish as well as the international equestrian press. The two highly decorated Danish Warmblood mares are full sisters by Fassbinder x Romanov and both produced by embryo transfer. The chestnut is called Fiontina and the bay Fiontini.
The World Champion gave them 10!
At the Blue Hors Young Horse Championships for 5-year-old dressage horses at the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing in Herning in March this year the reigning World Cup Champion, European Champion, Olympic Champion and World Champion Charlotte Dujardin undertook the task of test riding all 32 finalists. She completely fell in love with Fiontina and Fiontini and gave them both 10 for capacity.
– I would give her 11, or 100 if I could, Charlotte said about Fiontini whom she also scored 10 for rideability.
Fiontini won ahead of her full sister Fiontina who placed second. Five months prior to the Blue Hors Young Horse Championships Fiontina had won the Danish Equestrian Federation’s Championships for 4-year-old dressage horses in Odense.
Exceptional Danish mares for sport and breeding
At the FEI/WBFSH World Championships in Verden, Denmark is represented by a team of unusually good 5-year-old horses. Among the top candidates are the two full sisters, Fiontina and Fiontini who are not twins but full sisters flushed from two different pregnancies and born 2½ months apart as embryo transfer foals.
Both the sire Fassbinder (ex Atterupgaards Fassbinder) and the dam Rapitalá were owned by the breeders, Hanne Lund and Henrik Hansen, who since then have sold Fassbinder (by Fürst Heinrich x Caprimond). Rapitalá is graded with a silver medal and so is her daughter Fiontini, whilst Fiontina is graded with a breeder’s medal in gold.
Both sisters had a natural foal last year; Fiontina a son by Charmeur and Fiontini a daughter by Sezuan. This year Fiontina had a son by Grand Galaxy Win T born by embryo transfer (ET), and both mares are expecting ET foals by Sezuan in 2016. Their dam Rapitalá is also the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Sezuan and a yearling filly by Charmeur.
Breeders Hanne Lund and Henrik Hansen, who have also bred the 6-year-old Danish representative in Verden, Zardetto, want to give Fiontina and Fiontini the chance to prove themselves in the showring whilst still producing foals by embryo transfer. They believe the best sport mares produce the best sport horses for the future.
