The Holsteiner breeding stallion Contendro has passed away at his home, Haras de Saint-Lô, in France. He was 27 years old.
Contendro was by Contender out of Bravo (by Reichsgraf x Rasputin x Tin Rod xx) and bred by Manfred Birchler
He was first licensed as a premium stallion for the Holsteiner breeding society in Neumunster in 1999 and became the winner of the 100-day stallion performance test in Adelheidsdorf in 2000 with a score of 144.70 points. He got 131.09 for dressage and 147.29 for show jumping.
Oldenburg and Hanover approved him shortly afterwards. His sport career was rather insignificant with a handful of shows listed in the German FN database under riders Ole Kohler and Karl Brocks
He was listed as owned by Gestut Famos. In 2013 the Groupe France Elevage acquired him and the stallion moved to France.
Already by that time, Contendro had made his name as a versatile producer of show jumping AND dressage horses. In his career he sired no less than 74 licensed sons in Germany, of which 58 are in studbook I. He has 804 daughters registered as broodmare of which 135 are state premium. He has 2127 offspring registered for sport in Germany. Twenty-three of those compete at S-level.
His most famous dressage offspring includes Henri Ruoste's 2021 Tokyo Olympic ride Kontestro DB, Stella Hagelstam's Chopin, Belinda Trussell's Carlucci, Isobel Wessel's small tour horse Chagall, Alex Hardwick's British Young Riders team horse Calvin G and Emma Lienert's Intendro A van de Nachtegaele, German junior riders team gold medal winning Condio B, Tomasz Jasinski's Polish junior team horse Contendor, and Sarah Runge's small tour stallion Contendro's Bube.
"He was an extremely endearing horse, of a rare kindness and sensitivity that left its mark on the people who pampered him every day," said his owner upon the passing of the legendary stallion. From his early carer Helmut Klein, who came every year from Germany to visit him, to the team at Haras de Saint Lô. He was the first world No. 1 stallion to be present at Saint Lô, the first sire of an Olympic Champion... he left his mark on his time in Germany before continuing to Saint Lô and France!"
The Haras stated, "Between two mouthfuls of grass in his paddock and following a cardiac arrest, he left on October 7 as he had lived: with elegance."
Photo © Hara de Saint-Lô
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