Vivaldi, Luxuriouzz, Red Viper Nominated for KWPN Horse of the Year 2025 Title

Breeding

KWPN

Grand Prix horse Luxuriouzz, World young horse champion Red Viper, and the late legendary breeding stallion Vivaldi have been nominated for the 2025 KWPN Dressage Horse of the Year title.

The title will be handed out at the 2026 KWPN Stallion Licensing in 's Hertogenbosch in February. The winner is decided by popular vote.

KWPN wrote the following about its three nominees:

Luxuriouzz van de Waalsehoeve

(Johnson x San Remo) Bred by W. Plomp, Tull en 't Waal

The 9-year-old gelding Luxuriouzz v/d Waalsehoeve, ridden by Thamar Zweistra, competes under a second name, Hexagon's Luxuriouszz NOPT. The chestnut developed strongly this year in the international Grand Prix Tour. The duo achieved several excellent podium finishes in the Netherlands, including at CDI3* 's-Hertogenbosch, CDI3* Exloo, and CDI3* Rotterdam. At the European Championships in Crozet, the gelding made a solid contribution to the Dutch team, which finished fifth. With a score of 70.264%, Zweistra and Luxuriouzz also qualified for the Grand Prix Special.

Red Viper

(Romanov Blue Hors x Sir Sinclair) Bred by C. Kerbert, Enschede

The approved stallion Red Viper achieved several striking results at national and international levels in 2024 and 2025. Ridden by Bart Veeze, the dark chestnut stallion captured both the world title for five-year-olds and the Pavo Cup victory, after which Dinja van Liere took over the reins. Under her, Red Viper effortlessly continued his impressive performance. At the World Championships for six-year-olds in Verden, he placed third in the qualifier and defended his world title with a superb 90.400% in the final. At the stallion competition in Kronenberg, he achieved another strong result, winning the Z-class with 92.2 points.

Vivaldi

(Krack C x Jazz) - Bred by A. Versantvoort, St Oedenrode

Although Vivaldi hasn't competed in competitions for years, he's one of the most influential dressage sires of his generation. The chestnut stallion, who passed away on 21 October 2025 at the age of 23, made a name for himself as a young stallion with victories in competitions including the Pavo Cup and the Z-level Stallion Competition under Hans Peter Minderhoud, but his true impact lies in breeding. Up to and including 2025, the KWPN has registered no fewer than 1,237 offspring, and he sired nine approved sons. In addition, Vivaldi sired more than thirty Grand Prix horses, and his pedigree is strongly represented in the second generation, with successful grandsons such as Indian Rock, Incognito, and Extreme US. Vivaldi was declared preferent in 2018 in recognition of his exceptional contribution to breeding.

The voting is open from 21 November till 31 December 2025.