The sire
Bardolino, who was recently sold to Hungary, was an upper level show jumper in Germany and for the past few years, was a stamping sire in the East German Gestüt Ganschow, one of the breed's biggest stud farms with over 70 active brood mares! Bardolino's sire Itaxerxes was the champion of his approval and an accomplished FEI dressage horese, while his offspring usually excelled in dressage as well. Interestingly, Bardolino was not the only Itaxerxes son in show jumping. Kir Royal show jumped for Great Britain. Bardolino is an interesting inbred to the stallion line of Heros, which stands for both Tenor and Tipparillo. Hero was by the last East Prussian champion stallion before WWII, Humboldt, who left the breed several exceptional daughters as well as the stamping sire Impuls. Heros most important genetic treasures were his son Thor (who shaped the modern Hessia warmblood horse and left the Trakehner breed with the excellent Mandant), and Tümmler, the first Bundeschampion of the eve4nt horse in Germany in 1979, important sire and later ATA approved stallion.
The dam
Darling VIII has a classical East German pedigree, which today, must be regarded as an outcross. Her sire Altan II was an important sport horse producer in East Germany and his outstanding son Lamarc, who sadly died way too early, was an elite stallion for the Mecklenburg warmblood breed an FEI dressage competitor. Altan's influence is a much needed diversion from the overly popular lines today. The second dam, Dariola, is one of Ganschow's most valuable producers. Her Cataract-son Dancing Man was an auction highlight in Neumünster (70,000DM) and qualified for the Bundeschampionat of the German riding horse. She is also dam of several premium mares and the extended Skadi family, which originates at Ganschow, stands for such exciting younger sport horses as Der Dürer (by Waitaki, recently approved, qualified for the Bundeschampionat of the German Show Jumper in 2006) and Darren Chiacchia's new hopeful Dynamik II, the United States leading 5 year old event horse at this time.
