The outcross alternative

The stallion with the potential to revolutionize riding horse breeding - for breeders in search of something very special.

The special foal

August 2023, "Drentse Veulenveiling" in the Netherlands. There is a colt in the collection that has caught the attention of the Schürner family: Tim RSH by. Nashville Star-Dylano. Black, noble face, strong joints, long lines and on the dam's side a pedigree that is still a novelty in Europe, at least in riding horse breeding, an American Saddlebred line. And then this jet-black Beau comes springing into the auction hall, a stallion prospect from head to toe, whose sire was also the winner of his performance test and was sold to the Australian Grand Prix rider Simone Pearce in 2024. No need to think about it. A few minutes later, the hammer falls and Tim RSH has hit the jackpot: a stud at Gestüt Gut Neuenhof in Nideggen.

Stallion with premium quality

Now, three years later, the stallion prospect has become a stallion with no ifs or buts. Tim's movement potential is second to none. In terms of conformation, he also has many attributes that are in danger of being lost in today's riding horse breeding, but which are firmly anchored in his dam line - such as strong bones and healthy hooves. At the same time, he is highly noble. Clearly a premium stallion in phenotype. And in genotype he is an outcross alternative to the standard lines, based on a dam line that is one of the most famous in his breed.

Highly decorated trunk

The dam is a highly decorated Tuigpaaden mare from the same American Saddlebred line that produced the six-time world champion Belle Elegant. This mare is a legend in the breeding scene in the United States. Not only did she impress with her beauty and her own performance - two attributes that are non-negotiable for breeders of this breed - she also passed herself on in the same way. Four of her offspring also became world champions and some of them have also proven themselves in breeding.

Breeders' house with vision and mission

So how did this line come to the Netherlands? Tim's breeder Marcel Ritsma is an enthusiastic driver and breeder of Dutch driving horses, the Tuigpaarden, which also played a role in the development of the Dutch dressage horse. Ritsma wanted to refine his breeding, so he came across American Saddlebreds, one of the foreign breeds that are allowed to be used in Tuigpaarden breeding. The beautiful heads and elegant curved necks of American Saddlebreds are genetically secured. In his search for a suitable mare, he came across the mare Viva La Vida in Germany, a granddaughter of the above-mentioned Belle Elegant. Viva La Vida became the foundation dam of Ritsma's breeding, for which he was honored as Breeder of the Year at Neighbors in 2021. He says: "I put my hand in the fire for Belle Elegant's offspring. And Tim combines the best of all breeds, comparable to the horses that emerged from the mating of down-to-earth working horses with thoroughbreds like Ladykiller xx."

In the tradition of the great line founders

Today we know what we have to thank the Ladykiller xx sons Lord and Landgraf I for. Tim could be a similar success for sport horse breeding. He himself is the convincing result of planned breeding over generations and has the potential to expand and positively influence the gene pool of German riding horse breeding. He has been licensed by the Westphalian Studbook and is available to breeders this year with special conditions via the Gut Neuenhof stallion station: a stud fee of 400 euros must be paid at the time of insemination, the other 400 euros only after the foal has been in the world for 24 hours.