Famous Hanoverians

Tags: Hanoverian Horse, Famous

 

The Hanoverian is one of the most popular Warmblooded breeds of horses used in riding competitions today, and with good reason. These horses are well known for their beauty, agility, intelligence and athletic ability, and these traits have helped the breed win gold medals in all three Olympic equestrian events. Along the way, there have been some amazing Hanoverians that have stood above the cream of the crop, whether they were remarkable for their breeding influence or their success in competition. Here are just a few of the most famous Hanoverians.

Bolero was a stallion foaled in 1975 that became a dressage horse but, more importantly, an extremely successful sire. Bolero was actually three quarters Thoroughbred, making the horse prohibited for Hanoverian registration at the time of his birth. The thinking for this was that the stallion's progeny wouldn't be successful, but his results were quite the opposite, and he became a very influential sire. With the added knowledge that Bolero only stood for nine seasons, his success seems even more extraordinary. Despite the fact that his offspring were not the best jumpers, they became strong dressage contenders. Bolero is the founding sire of the B line of Hanoverians that started in the 1990's.

Brentano II, a stallion from Bolero, is also considered to be a foundation sire of the B line, and like his sire, competed in dressage but was better known for his influence as a sire. Foaled in 1983, Brentano II went on to become champion at his two year old stallion licensing and was named Hanoverian Stallion of the Year in 2003. Brentano II went on to produce Olympic horses such as Brentina and Poetin.

Brentina is a mare that was foaled in 1993 and despite some health issues is still competing. Born at the state stud in Germany but sold at the October Elite Auction at Verden in 1994, Brentina went on to become one of the most successful horses in United States history. Some of her awards include two golds at the Pan American Games in 1999, silver at the 2002 World Championships and a bronze at the 2006 World Championships, and a bronze at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Perhaps the most surprising part of her success has been her ability to bounce back from health problems and still go on to win. She had surgery to correct a breathing problem in 2003 which was a success, and after the 2006 World Championships she was found to have a tendon strain, from which she is fully expected to recover.

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