New 10-Day Advanced Stallion Performance Test Successfully Completed

It was a good start for the new Advanced Stallion Performance Test from the Oldenburg Registry North American Ineternational Sporthorse Registry (ISR-Oldenburg Registry N.A.) that all five stallions passed the test with sufficient points after they had performed the last dressage test on Sunday, March 22.

The ISR-Oldenburg Registry N.A. that started the 100-Day Stalion Test in the U.S. in 1986 as a pioneer as well came now up with this new stallion testing format for North America. According to CEO Ekkehard Brysch there were two main reasons to change the test format. First of all, the 100-Day Test is designed for young stallions (three or four years old) which have not started a specialized training for dressage, hunter or jumper. In fact, most of the stallions that pass an approval and need to do the test afterwards are already well trained in one of the disciplines and in most cases already showing. "To take a stallion away from its training program, rider and owner for 100-Days turned out to be more and more unreasonable," Brysch said. Also the new test takes into consideration that most stallions are training and performing for a special discipline. Consisting of two tests, the new format combines the requirements from the previous 100-Day Test (with the exception of a cross-country course) with a challenging dressage, hunter or jumper performance test on an age-relevant level. The stallions at the 2009 test performed the FEI Dressage Test for five- and six-year-old horses.

Not only that this test that lasts for 10 days is much more owner and horse friendly, it also shows more of the special skills of a stallion. "The 100-Day Test (or the 30 + 70 Day Test) may be the best format for young stallions and of course will remain an accepted test format for the Registry. But for the true evaluation of a more advanced stallion, the new format is by far the better choice," Brysch said.

And Petra Wilder, owner and trainer of the participating stallion Diamunde said, "I personally would bring any of my stallions back to this form of stallion testing. I am a very protective owner/trainer and felt that all my needs of caring for my boy were addressed."

The difference to the 100-Day Test and this new test is that the regular rider/trainer of the stallion presents it at the testing. At the so-called Basic Test the stallion performs in free jumping and the evaluation of the basic gaits as well as it undergoes the expert rider test for the scores for rideability. The training director who conducts and monitors the training over the whole 10 days comes up with scores for character and temperament as well as for willingness and ability to work. For this part, a stallion must achieve at least a total of 65%. In the second part each stallion performs in its preferred discipline at the age-relevant level. Two tests are performed under its regular rider, at one day an external top rider from that discipline rides the stallion and scores it. This year the Danish dressage professional Mikala Gundersen was the dressage expert and did a great job on the five candidates.

At the end the six-year-old Oldenburg stallion Rosall (by Rosario) finished with a total of 129.73 points (with 84.4% in the basic test) followed by another six year old Oldenburg stallion, Diamunde by Diamond Hit with a total of 118.97 points. The ISR-stallion G.Q. Romeo by J Quest finished with 94.40 followed by the Oldenburg Royal Crusade by Routinier with 93.92 and the Holstein stallion Reesling by Rantares with 93.30 points. All stallions achieved their Lifetime Breeding License from the ISR-Oldenburg Registry N.A. based on the sufficient results.

All experts and judges were convinced that this new test format has proven its ability to evaluate the performance skills as well as the interieur values (character, temperament etc.) as good as the 100-Day Test with the advantage to see and judge the stallion in its preferred discipline on a higher level. Reinhard Baumgart, experienced judge from the Hanoverian breeding area in Germany, said at the presentation of the results, that in his opinion this new test format is totally competitive to the 100-Day Test but more horse- and owner-friendly. "I do not need more that 10 days to find out about the quality of a stallion," he said. The ISR-Oldenburg Registry N.A. plans its next Advanced Stallion Performance Test for March 2010.