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Best Breeder: Manuela Lachnit

May 24, 2019

Manuela Lachnit-Rippe is 51 year, lives in Nienburg a/d Weser (Ger) and breeds with between 8 – 10 mares. Her damline goes back to a trotter mare, because the famous Halla (Hans Günter Winkler) also descended from a trotter stallion. Apart from being the breeder of Tiger Lily (Jessica Springsteen), Balous Day Date (Molly Ashe), Miss Untouchable (Leopold van Asten) and Pentagon (Alexander Klafterbröck), Manuela Lachnit also produced double Bundeschampion Diaron (s. Diarado).

1) If you think of your best breeding product, what would be the explanation for its success?

I would have to start at the beginning. My parents were very fond of Hans Günter Winkler’s half-bred trotter mare Halla, they also wanted a horse like that. So they went searching for a trotter mare. Many of the horses who are doing well in sport – amongst them Tiger Lily – are coming from that trotter mare of my parents. It all starts with the mare, the dam.
Additionally a horse needs to have the right temperament. Tiger Lily is the proof of that. In the stable, when being handled, she was a little bit special, but she was easy to ride. The last part is the rider who ends up riding the horse. That really makes a difference.
Miss Untouchable (s. Chacco-Blue) was also a little special in handling. That explains the name we gave her, strangers couldn’t get near her. But under the saddle both of these horses really want to do it and give that little extra.

2) What specifically are you paying attention to when choosing a stallion for your mare?

As I said: it all starts with the mare. If she is not good enough, don’t start to breed her. You have to know your dam line, both its qualities and the weaker parts.
I make my choices primarily on the basis of feeling. I look at stallions with the eyes of a rider. I competed myself up till 1.40 m level, I lacked the power and didn’t turn into a top rider. But I look at stallions as a rider and I try to imagine how it would be like for me to jump them. If I am convinced that I would have had a pleasant ride, I will use the stallion for my mare. Rideability to me is very important. Also the movement of the stallion is something I take into consideration in show jumper breeding. Of course the canter is the most important gait. I look at the way of going between the fences, that should be easy.
That’s why I don’t care much for free jumping. It may look extremely well, but under the saddle things may turn out completely differently.

3) What are your favourite stallions amongst the proven progenitors?

Chacco-Blue. He may not have been the easiest horse to handle, but he compensates amply with his attitude and scope.

Quidam de Revel is high on my list. I always like to see some French blood in a jumper pedigree.

Diarado obviously also is one of my favourites. Our home bred Diaron (s. Diarado), who was the Bundeschampion twice, is the ultimate horse to me. But he still needs to prove himself at the highest level.

4) Which three young stallions do you find particularly interesting?

I used Diaron a lot with my mares who are not closely related to him. To use your own bred stallion, that’s something very special!
Another young stallion I think highly of is Chacfly PS. It’s all perfect what he has shown us so far.

5) With which studbook do you register your foals?

My parents had to go to Oldenburg with the trotter mare. We live more in the Hanoverian area, but the Hanoverian Studbook wouldn’t accept a trotter mare. Also in those days Oldenburg was a lot more liberal and we stayed in Oldenburg with the larger part of our horses. Today we register most horses with Oldenburg International, but I also have a Holstein mare and we register some with Hanover. It doesn’t make much difference any more, the studbooks today are very much alike.

6) Which developments in breeding do you foresee for the near future?
There is a development of which I’m not sure whether it is a good one. To name an example: many embryos are being flushed from the top dressage mare Weihegold. This causes breeding to narrow down, I don’t think this is favourable. For reasons of soundness we do need some outcross. Also in show jumper breeding we see a great focus on the best bloodlines and more and more embryos are being flushed. I’m happy to breed with an outcross damline going back to a trotter mare.