Team Rubi Acquires Irao PFC and Secures His Future for Portugal

Dressage

Portugal

French-Luxembourg couple Christine Jacoberger and Marc Kleyr, the owners of the legendary Lusitano foundation stallion Rubi AR, have acquired the 8-year old Lusitano Irao PFC to secure the horse for Portugal under the banner of "Team Rubi".

Irao PFC is an 8-year old Lusitano gelding by Rubi and out of former Portuguese 2006 WEG team horse Oxalis de Meia Lua. He was owned by his breeder Pedro Ferraz da Costa.

Ralao and Irao

The grey gelding is trained and competed by Rita Ralao, daughter of Miguel Ralao Duarte, since the horse was four.

The pair were the reserve champions in the 7-year old division at the 2020 Portuguese Young Horse Championships. They made their international show debut at small tour level in 2021, competing at the CDI's in Abrantes. They won three out of four classes and placed second once. Last week, the pair became the Small Tour Champions in the 2021 Portugal National Dressage Cup held at the annual Lusitano Horse Festival in Golega.

Kleyr-Jacoberger purchased Irao PFC last month in order for the horse not to disappear into "foreign" hands.

"I’m looking forward to all the challenges that lay ahead and I truly hope that we get the chance to create great memories together," said Rita Ralao when she heard that she will have a future for Grand Prix aboard Irao. "I'm thankful for the privilege."

Shattering the Glass Ceiling

Christine Jacoberger in traditional clothing with
foundation stallion Rubi

Christine and Marc are based in Luxembourg, but hold the Lusitano breed and Portugal dear to their heart. They share a love for the Portuguese Purebred Lusitano (PSL) since the 1990s even before they were married. In the early 2000s they invested in the Lusitano stallion Rubi, who wrote history for Portugal and his breed by competing in the Kur to Musical Finals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Rubi's offspring has been shattering the glass ceiling for the Lusitano horse. Rubi's son Coroado AR was the first Lusitano to twice break the 80% barrier in the Kur to Music under Maria Caetano. Rubi's offspring assisted in achieving a historic sixth place for the Lusitano breed on the 2020 WBFSH Breed Ranking.

Portuguese team trainer Kyra Kyrklund is thrilled that high qualities horses will not be sold abroad but are made available to Portuguese riders with whom she can build a broad base of rising Grand Prix hopefuls.

"Christine has already been for many years and still is a huge supporter of Lusitanos and Portugal," Kyrklund told Eurodressage. "By buying Rubi from the Alter Stud she did not only support him in his sports career by going to London Olympics and qualifying for the freestyle there, but she also has made a big impact on the breeding by standing him for stud. I hope this could be a beginning to a fruitful cooperation between breeders, stallion owners, sponsors and good riders to secure good horses for riders representing Portugal."

"Team Rubi", Supporting Young Professionals with Quality Horses

Vasco and Bariloche at the 2018 WEG in Tryon

The Lusitano horse breed is on the rise and becoming highly coveted by international, professional Grand Prix dressage riders as well as amateurs. The most talented young Lusitano dressage horses are constantly being sold abroad for high prices, the most recent example the Portuguese 7-year old champion Java da Hermida.

Kleyr and Jacoberger are driven to keep the best horses in Portugal. Since 2016 they have been supporting rider Vasco Mira Godinho and his wife Carlota and now they have invited Rita Ralao to join "Team Rubi."

"We are absolutely delighted with this new project," said Christine Jacoberger. "Irão was about to be sold abroad and we want to keep him competing for Portugal. We thought indeed that Rita very much deserved to continue the good work she has made with this horse."

Team Rubi

A dedicated dressage rider raised in a family that had a love for jumping and eventing horses, Jacoberger found her soulmate in the Lusitano horse. She praises their temperament, athleticism on noble expression.

Vasco and Garrett at the 2021 CDI Jerez de la Frontera

Christine and husband Marc are driven to support young talented riders who do not have their own sponsors to make it to the elite level sport. They match them with high quality Lusitano horses, preferably but not exclusively from the Rubi bloodline.

"The vocation of Team Rubi is to help young riders riding good Lusitano horses to have the opportunity to try to reach the Big Tour," said Christine. "We have now found a real connection with Vasco and Rita, who both share the same passion and commitment for their horses and dressage sport, while maintaining our standard of horse welfare and ethics. Vasco's wife Carlota is a talented international Grand Prix rider in her own right and helps him in the daily work of our three Team Rubi horses."

The couple launched the career of the 32-year old Vasco Mira Godinho, enabling his break through in international competition sport on their horse Bariloche JGR (by Rouxinol x Hostil). The new pair represented Portugal at the 2017 European Championships and 2018 World Equestrian Games. Vasco has three more Team Rubi horses in his barn: Iranico JGR (by Rubi x Hostil), Jeropiga JGR (by Rubi x Hostil) and Garrett (by Unico x Go Go) with whom Vasco was short listed for Portuguese Olympic team selection this year. Bariloche, Iranico and Jeropiga were all sourced at the João Pedro Rodrigues' stud, while Garrett was bred at Madalena Abecassis Stud.

Vasco on Christine's home reared Iranico JGR

"2022 is going to be an exciting year for us," said Christine. "Iranico, who we reared at home in Luxembourg, won the Medium Tour at the CDI Madrid last month with scores over seventy and he'll be slowly produced for Grand Prix next year. Jeropiga is schooling at medium tour level and will make her show debut, while Garrett will make his come back at Grand Prix after a summer break from sport."

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