The British-bred superstar, Woodlander Farouche, has made history by scoring the highest marks ever at the FEI World Breeding Championships in Verden, Germany.
The Hanovarian mare scored 9.88% to win the six-year-old class ridden by Michael Eilberg. This is the second time she has won the championships as she took the title last year as a five-year-old, which makes her the first mare to have won the competition for both age groups.
Dr Dietrich Plewa from Germany, who was on the judging panel, said that Farouche was a “super horse, with a trot of the highest level, a really impressive walk and an expressive canter.”
The crowd who expected big things from the chestnut mare gave her a standing ovation for her test, which included 10s for walk and general impression.
“This mare is so celebrated here – today she has no nationality, everybody is sharing her success,” said Farouche’s breeder Lynne Crowden, who owns the horse in partnership with Alison Walton and the Eilberg family.
Farouche’s talents are no fluke as she has a very impressive pedigree. Her sire is the 2003 world young horse champion Fürst Heinrich, while her British-bred dam, Dornroeschen – who is also competed by Michael Eilberg – is by the 2000 champion, DiMaggio.
Crowden hopes to reproduce her mare’s success with her full brother, which she bred this year using embryo transfer.
“Farouche has raised the bar in my breeding programme” said Crowden. “I breed 12 foals a year in the hope I can breed another that can match her quality.”
Taking silver in the World Breeding Championships was the KWPN stallion Borencio, ridden by Emmelie Scholtens from the Netherlands, who scored 9.1. While bronze went to Sir Donnerhall II, ridden by Denmark's Thomas Sigtenbjerggaard, on a score of 8.78.
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