Zangersheide Facbook

Name:

Zangersheide horses

Category:

Sports & Recreation - International Sports

Description:

A group for us who own, work with or have other relationships with a Zangersheide horse!

Or just for everyone who admires them!

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Open: All content is public.

Recent News

News:

Zangersheide's breeding philosophy has caught on throughout the world; the Z of Zangersheide has become a quality brand that can not be ignored by any showjumping horse enthusiast !

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When Leon Melchior started his studfarm, his eye fell on Hanover straight away. That is where the world's best showjumping horses in those days were coming from: Askan, Donald Rex, Erle, Feiner Kerl, Goldika, Lavendel, Simona... Particularly because Leon Melchior himself - although briefly, in view of his age- had started in international competitions, he managed to lay his hands on several Hanoverian sport mares.

Many of the present stock descend from mares of this first period, such as Girl-Z and Fairness-Z. But also Holstein was in the picture already: Melchior's own showjumping horse Heureka-Z laid the basis for the most important female line of Zangersheide, that of Ratina-Z. In a time in which the horses performing at the desirable level were almost exclusively geldings, getting hold of even those few mares was an art by itself. Meanwhile Hanover had changed course. The classic jumping giants were not "modern" enough and Leon Mechior saw that the sport potential of his beloved Hanoverians was gradually waning. With the introduction of the French stallion Almé Z, Melchior killed two birds with one stone.

The formidable Normandy sire fitted precisely in the picture which Gotthard & Co. had left behind at Zangersheide. Besides, Almé Z had a totally different bloodline: although renowned in France as the "golden combination" Ibrahim-Ultimate xx, it was unknown in Hanover. In addition, Almé Z had more than proven himself in the sport. The result was what genetics call "the heterosis effect", meaning: extra vitality by crossing two different breeds. This worked so well that the next step produced something entirely different. Another sport performer of repute, Ramiro Z, placed a solid Holstein stamp on the Hanoverian-French Zangersheide-mix in following generations.

At that moment the small Holstein breeding region had overtaken the much greater Hanover, where successful showjumping was concerned. When the Zangersheide foals eventually carried three quarters or ore foreign blood, the Hanoverian studbook manager decided in 1992 to no longer provide Z foals with a Hanoverian brand. This created the birth of Studbook Zangersheide, a liberal showjumping horse studbook following Leon Melchior's well-known concept. Studbook Zangersheide is recognized by the Belgian government and has meanwhile grown into "primus inter pares" in the WBFSH (World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses), a studbook of world standing!

These technical blessings have now become common practice all around. Therefore we can say that Léon Melchior’s pioneering has now obtained a 100 percent social basis. Zangersheide is already occupied with new research such as the further study into the possible heredity of OCD, the more efficient use of sperm by means of endoscope and a diluent, newly developed by Zangersheide. In short, anyone who wants to make a profit from showjumping horse or dressage horse breeding, works following the Z-filosophy!

Zangersheide Stud