Tristan Bryan
East Maitland NSW
02 4982 7424
0409 600 548
meridianestate@hotmail.com

Contenda was imported from Germany in 2005. His bloodlines are impeccable, he has great movement & a fantastic temperament not to mention his excellent ability to jump. He won his first dressage competition with a score of 80% in a young horse competition.

In Contenda's pedigree he has 2 crosses to Ramiro, 3 crosses to Raimond, 3 crosses to Ramiro, 2 crosses to Lady Killer, 4 crosses to Feiner Kerl & 2 crosses to Almjaeger. With all these multiple crosses to outstanding performance stallions, Contenda's progeny are destined to be exceptional performance horses.

Contenda's sire, Contendro is licensed with the Hanoverian State Stud. He is a superb jumper earning "9's" on jumping but also for temperament and overall ability. Contendro won his 100 day test. He has three excellent paces along with an outstanding jumping ability. He bred 600 mares in 2002, his foals are of consistent type, refined with good legs and good movement. Contendro is the hottest producing showjumper in Germany at the moment.

Contendro's sire, Contender also won his 100 day test and is first in his age group for production of successful offspring. He has been described as a "Significant sire with fabulous lines, good expression and great presence. Overall sire os exceptional class. Top conformation. Very well balanced, regular strides...Jumps as his pedigree would dictate with great ability, form and skill".

Today, Contender is the most prized hereditary transmitter owned by the Holsteiner Association.

Contender's dam, Gofine, produced top rating showjumpers with many sires. She produced Cornetto, who was reserve champion stallion in 1991 with champion going to Gofine's grandson sold to Italy.

Calypso II, the sire of Contender, was one of the most significant sires in Germany. His progeny are characterised by top jumping ability and excellent rideability. During his time in Holstein, Calypso II produced a number of licensed sons for Hanover which included Contender. The Calypso II son, Carbid is out of a full sister to Grundstein I and II.

Calypso II's dam, Tabelle produced SIX approved stallions, including the five Calypso brothers all of whom were successful in sport and who have proven to be valuable as sires.

Also of note,Tabelle is a full-sister to Samei, who was the dam of the great Granat, a world champion dressage horse with Christine Stückelberger.

Calypso II's sire, Cor de la Bryere was a legendary Selle Francais stallion. He was known for his tight, spectacular jumping style with great bascule. He produced over 30 approved sons and 200 hundred approved daughters! Although well known for his jumping progeny he also produced sensational dressage horses including the 1988 Olympic medallist, Corlandus.

Cor de la Bryere was described as "a stallion with great presence, good medium frame and energetic masculine expression. Good face with fabulous, quiet eye, rather small ears...good shoulder...good front legs...good basic gaits. Marvelous riding horse qualities. Spectacular jumper with scope, tight with front end, bascule and sharp with knees". He was by the famous thoroughbred, Rantzau who goes back to Dark Ronald by Bay Ronald. On his dam's side appears the great French jumper sire, Furioso.

Gofine's sire, Ramiro has been labeled, "Stallion of the Century". His dam was an internationally famous showjumper and he himself was tremendously successful at showjumping. He has influenced nearly all European performance studbooks and has produced numerous approved stallions.

Ramiro's grandsire Ramzes stood at the Holstein Verband to refine the heavy warmblood horses of the area. His sire was the great thoroughbred, Rittersporn, while his dam was the Shagya Arab, Jordi. Ramzes was an immediate success as a sire. The Ramzes son, Remus won individual dressage silver and team gold at the Tokyo Olympics and another son, Mariano, won the World Dressage Championship. Ramzes produced 5 licensed sons while in Holstein including Raimond and Rigoletto. Raimond was one of the most successful jumping sires of them all.

Gofine's grandsire (on her dam's side) was the great thoroughbred stallion, Ladykiller who produced many first class broodmares and approved stallions. He was Holstein's most important thoroughbred sire. He was also the sire of Landgraf I.

Landgraf I had a very good temperament which he passed on dominantly, together with excellent movement. His offspring won just under US$7 million, mainly in showjumping. Nearly 60 colts by Landgraf I have been licensed by the Holsteiner studbook.

Contenda's grandsire on him maternal side is Bolero. Bolero stood at stud for only 9 years yet has to his credit 51 approved stallions, 73 state premium mares and numerous top dressage horses. Champion dressage horses include Baryshnikov, Beauvalais, Bismark, Brentano I as well as the champion stallions, Bretano II and Buenos Aires.

Bolero has been called a guarantee for..."Easy to ride horses of elegant type and with a special aptitude for dressage". His line consistently produces horses with good shoulders and withers, modern toplines and elastic action.

Bolero is by the elegant English thoroughbred, Black Sky, imported to Germany in 1972. Black Sky's grandsire, Djebe was a son of Djebel, sire of the great stakes winning sire, My Babu who when exported to the USA established a winning line of hunter / jumpers. In Australia the My Babu son, Better Boy has been an influential sire of jumping horses.

Bolero's dam, Baroness is by another English thoroughbred, Bleep who traces on her dam's side to Hyperion and then of course to Bay Ronald. Her dam's sire, Athos, was regarded as a good sire of dressage broodmares.

Der Lowe was in his time the best thoroughbred stallion used in German breeding, producing especially good dressage horses as well as eventing horses. His most important stallion sons were Lugano I & Lugano II.

Lugano I sired 30 approved stallions and 70 state premium mares including Contenda's maternal grand dam, Lexa.