Ein Magazin über Pferde und ihre Freunde
Criollos originated in Argentina, but are popular all over South America and the Caribbean, and now have a lot of fans over here too. These medium-sized gaited horses are easy to handle, with high endurance and strong nerves. Brigitte Brunand Gion-Franzestg Schaniel breed these cool Latinos in the heart of the Grisons by the eye-catching Quelén Monarca, a stallion that was bred in Uruguay and classified for breeding in Verden in 2024. Instead of the South American pampas, the herd spends the summer on Alpine pastures at an altitude of up to2,400 meters.
On Wikipedia, the Burgdorfer horse can only be found in a list of Swiss horsebreeds, where it is listed as extinct. But those that are thought dead live longer – or, shall we say, again. Since 2008, Marius Zollert and about 50 members of the “Burgdorfer Pferd” association have dedicated themselves to the breeding of the medium-heavy coldblood, which is bred from a Freiberger mare and an Ardennes stallion. Award-winning photographer Cécile Zahorka has portrayed the representatives of this breed in her book “Forgotten Horses”.
The Brazilian Mangalarga Marchador is the third-largest horse breed in the world. Outside South America, however, hardly anyone has heard of them. Husband and wife team Pia and Hans Perren run a gaited horse farm and have made it their mission to change that. In 2010 they started breeding these fine gaited horses, and did real pioneering work. Today, there are around 800 Mangalarga Marchadors in Europe, with just under 40 in Switzerland.
If, in the case of the Hestar Hof Heller, we only mentioned breeding, that would be an understatement. The Icelandic horse center offers everything that fans of Icelandic horses love and more, including themed live concerts. The breeding side of the business is equally impressive. Five stunning stallions, including a World Championship participant and Swiss champion, together with their female counterparts, ensure that this high level will continue to be achieved in the future.
I want a child from the runner-up European champion! If you have sports stallions of this quality in your stable as studs, you needn't worry about offspring and demand for them. The Seiler family are celebrities in their profession. ChrisSeiler is known as Swiss champion,French champion and European champion in various Western riding disciplines.However, they don't just breed for high-level sport. Leisure riders will also find the horses to be reliable partners.
Pamela Cellini specializes in breeding thoroughbred and partbred Arabians with a particular focus on proven Egyptian-influenced bloodlines. These horses are strong characters, standing out for their clarity of mind, reliability and rideability. They are reared according to the principles of natural horsemanship, with proximity to humans and plenty of calm during their development. The fact that some of the horses are of unusual colors may not be crucial – but it is nevertheless worth mentioning.
From the spit of land between the North Sea and the Baltic, all the way to the Alps, and here too – how could it be otherwise – come the experts in overcoming altitude. With Ina and Pandura, daughters of Leandro, Fux laid the foundation for his Holsteiner show jumping horse breeding business in 2010. The fact that this has worked out well can be seen on the Rimondo website. He achieved great breeding success with the stallion Coreandro, who has been licensed for breeding and received amazing marks for ability and technique in the sport test for stallions.
The Lazzarini and Zanetti family breeds Berber horses at their stables, Al Canton in Le Prese. Berbers have always played an important role in the refinement of other breeding lines. Today, the North African breed, with only 2,000 purebred individuals worldwide, is a rarity. The elegant, not overly large horses are ideal all-rounders and family horses thanks to their strong nerves and comfortable gaits. They spend the summer in herds on Alpine pastures in the Bernina mountains.
Reference was made to the Ardennais when the Burgdorfer horse was mentioned. In fact, these heavy cold-blooded horses, valued by Julius Caesar for their use as draught horses and in battle, are also bred in Switzerland. Michel at Stockhornhof farm was the first Luxembourg Ardennais stallion born in Switzerland with official papers .Today he is used for breeding pure Ardennais horses as well as Burgdorfer horses. The Swiss Ardennais Association has been responsible for systematically promoting this breed since 2020.
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“A Paso Fino is like a hurricane: when you ride one, you are sitting in the eye of the storm, smooth and calm. But surrounding you, you have this incredible energy and power that will blow you away.” This is how the Hacienda Mariposa website puts it. The Hacienda is the Swiss home of this Colombian gaited horse breed, which is descended from Iberian and Berber horses and played a major role in the conquest of South America. Thirty Paso Finos are at home here. The Chialina family has devoted themselves to breeding these horses since 2007.
