Gut Schönweide has returned the 2021 Oldenburg Saddle Licensing Champion Splendid to his owner and is reclaiming the purchase price on the basis of poor fertility.
Splendid is by San Amour I out of N-Infinity (by Dream Boy x Friedensfürst/T) and is bred by Dutch horse dealer Rob Zandvoort who lives in Kinrooi, Belgium.
Saddle Licensing Champion
The 3-year old Splendid became the champion of the 10th Oldenburg Saddle Licensing held in Vechta, Germany in April.
For 515,000 euro, the black sold to Swiss Adrian Gasser, who owns Gut Schönweide in Schleswig-Holstein, which made him the most expensive champion of all ten saddle licensings so far.
Not at Stud
On 10 May Gut Schönweide announced that Splendid would not be standing at stud because of fertility issues.
At the time, Schönweide communicated that "the first semen sampled are not sufficient in quality and amount to live up to the demands for breeding. (...) We are giving Splended a break from the preparation and licensing stress of the last few months and hope that his new semen will develop well in the next few weeks."
Chronic Inflammation of the Epididymis
Today, Gasser officially stated that they have returned the stallion to the original owner as the stallion's semen did not improve.
Gasser had Splendid thoroughly examined at the Hanover University Equine Clinic.
"Unfortunately, the report confirmed a clear unsuitability for breeding at all levels and (he was diagnosed with) a chronic inflammation of the epididymis, with a very careful prognosis for the future," said Gasser.
Return to Sender
The Swiss owner offered to start up a treatment and recovery programme according to the clinic's recommendation, with improvement to be expected by mid August. Zandvoort, however, did not want to take up on that offer, running the risk something might happen to the horse in that time period.
"We were not interested in a reduction in the purchase price," Gasser stated. "We understand that the seller did not want to have the time delay and the associated risks and preferred an immediate return of the horse. The decision to return the horse was very difficult for us. Splendid is an incredible stallion, a stunner under the saddle and he would have been a great asset to our young stallion station."
He continued, "sometimes you have to make (operational) decisions that are against your stomach. The future will tell whether it was right or not. In any case, we wish the boy all the best for the future and sincerely hope that he will still find his way into breeding."
Related Links
2021 Oldenburg Saddle Licensing Champion Splendid Gets Break from Breeding
Record Price for 2021 Oldenburg Saddle Licensing Champion Splendid
Splendid, Champion of the 2021 Oldenburg Saddle Licensing