Ser tilbage på 2015 og frem mod 2016
Laisbo Horse´s som ejes og drives af Bettina og Gert Laisbo, på den måde at forstå, at Gert står for avlen, og når hestene er gamle nok, har han "egen rytter" til at klare den videre færd.
Et set-up som har vist sig værdifuldt: at lytte til hvad "fruen" gerne vil ride på, kombineret med hvad der rører sig på den internationale avls- og dressurscene.
Gert Laisbo fortæller:
When planning become a kind of business plan.
Now again sitting at our office, trying to plan the year ahead, it is this time with great optimism, although that I, as a small breeder, do have to state that I’m frustrated about what I saw at the Danish Warmblood’s pre-selection of stallions at the end of 2015. Not so much because that our own stallion prospect Gasolin’ wasn’t selected. We have to accept that he didn’tshow him selves in fully balance on those few minutes he got that day, but with the judges’ comments “excellent type, long legged with large frames”, as well as the damline he present combined with the new modern blood of Vivaldi, we truly believe he brought some new blood, as well as he was a prototype of the Danish Warmblood’s breeding objective to breed “noble, leggy and supple riding horses with high ride ability and strong health”, which has been told to breeders during various courses and seminars etc. incl. only to breed on quality mares. Not to disregard neither the horses nor the breeders/owners with the selection of their stallion prospects, but when I saw what was selected, I have a clear feeling that I’m not the only breeder/owner setting back and feeling frustrated.
With the very mild winter we had in beginning of 2015, our mares pretty fast showed oestrus, and I therefore did the first insemination of Kopyright in Feb. 2015, which led to expecting the first foal already medio January by Negro. The next two foals are expected ultimo March and April, respectively by Livaldon on our mare Harmony by Charmeur / De Niro, and Foxtrot on our mare Love’Light.
South-West Harmony by Charmeur / De Niro – Passed Oldenburg mare election successfully in 2015. Awaiting its foal in March 2016, before she will be broken-in and start a riding career.. (photo credit Laisbo Hors’es)
Decision wise with regard to selection of these stallion, I have for years been thinking of combining Dutch Warmblood with our Trakehner mare Kopyright, as history has shown that such combination has been done successfully several times before. And with the hype of Negro and his offsprings, this seemed as a natural way to go, although that I do hope that our offspring will be slightly longer legged than the father. Regarding our young 3 year old talented mare Harmony, which was purchased beginning of 2015, I’m just using the year to make a foal, as she will not be broken-in before end of 2016. And with the positive influence seen from Vivaldi and his offspring, especially on improving the front, the decision to use Livaldon was fairly easy, based on our good relationship with Gestuet Hörem. Finally with Love’Light, as I’m big favorite of the Donnerhall / De Niro blood due to its high rideability, I was never in doubt to use Don Deluxe, which I tried for three oestrus periods. Unfortunately without any luck, wherefore I just made an impulsive decision to try Foxtrot as I liked the movements I saw in Herning 2015 from this stallion. So this is a bit of a gamble, but less worried in this respect as the offsprings from Love’Light again and again has shown their qualities.
South-West F. B. I. by Fürstenball / Latimer – Upon winning the first round of the National Championship for 4 years old, sold to Monnica Pfingstl. (photo credit Laisbo Hors’es)
Riding wise, 2015 has been full of magical, exciting, enlightening and thrilling moments such as the clinic with our horse Donna Summer in Holte, which took the World by storm, and created a massive focus on both us and the joint-owner. When selling part of the horse to Anna Blomgren, it was never the plan to use Donna Summer as a “Circus Horse”, wherefore we were very pleased to see the exciting quality dressage moments also shown at this clinic, and we now look forward to see them in the dressage arena’s soon to prove that this can be handled too, and then we might have to accept that there has been significant interest for her from potential buyers. Furthermore Bettina won the first round of the National Championship for 4 years old horses in Billund on our homebred gelding F. B. I. by Fürstenball / Latimer, which led to an unexpected fast sale to the new owner. As well as Bettina won the National Championship for Trakehner with our homebred 4 year old Imperio/Le Rouge offspring Kut ‘n’ Move, which is now already pre-selected for final selection of 5 year old horses for WCYH in 2016. Finally, based on the competition results, with several victories, we have seen an increasing interest in our gelding Dancer Hit by Diamond Hit/Rotspon, which is really showing talent for the collected exercises. So with these result in mind, I’m pretty sure about our breeding philosophy for 2016, where I again aim at using stallions, which has shown that they can reach the top in sport as well.
South-West Kut ‘n’ Move by Imperio / Le Rouge – National Trakehner Champion for 4 years old and voted Most Talented Equipage 2015 (photo credit Laisbo Hors’es)
So, being a lover of input from top riders, always including my wife’s professional opinion and strictly demands, the investigation on various stallions has already started, as my aim about producing noble, high ride able dressage horses with strong health remains the same, independent of which breeding society they will be registred in. And although that it’s tempting to try San Amour on our Latimer mare, my selection of Stallions for 2016 is more or less done, again based on viewing a lot of the stallions offsprings, as well as their own competition results. So being just a small stable, with only two dedicated broodmares, I’m still trying to make things very professionally with our breeding. Therefore I’m almost sure to try For Romance on Love’Light and Dante Weltino on Kopyright, although that we are aware that even if we try this, it's not sure that the offsprings achieve the quality we want, which is why we now and then purchase young exciting material as well.
So as change isn’t to be feared and wise enough to know that not every day will go as planned. It’s staying the same that you should be scared off… There will be setbacks and disappointments, but still believing that change is the path to success, so we will constantly push to embrace change and be better.