08/10/2024
Gwen has left an incredible legacy. There are not many breeders (if any) that have achieved what she did.
Back in the days - how all begun ... take a rest for this description from 2010, almost 15 years ago:
(picture: banner made for Gwendolyn Gregorio stud in Germany)
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The love and dedication for the golden horses, called Palominos, came in 1972 when Gwendolyn Gregorio bought her first golden horse – a palomino gelding named Golden Flash. Ten years later she started breeding for this color with the Bavarian mare Fortuna, a Palomino by Granat (by famous Hanoverian stallion Grande) out of the Hungarian main studbook mare Fandango sired by Dalmand, a well-known Trakehner stallion. Fortuna was bred to the Hanoverian Wilderer by Winnetou, who descends on the dam’s side to Lugano I – Agram, and gave birth to a lovely palomino filly the following year: Wembley. About the same time Gwendolyn Gregorio bought the Hessian mare Isabella sired by Magister, a Trakehner, and her half-sister on dam’s side Isis by Senussi. They were followed by the Hungarian bred palomino mares Juliska and Novella. Novella got her golden coat from her ancestor, the Thoroughbred Sylfou xx.
From passion to profession
In 1988 the next golden colored foals were born at the newly founded stud farm. All three foals were sired by the Hessian flaxen liver chestnut Malteser Gold by the Trakehner stallion Marduc and a daughter of the Hanoverian Ratsherr. The two fillies Mirabelle I and Michelle were sold to North Germany, but both came back to the stud many years later and were retained for the breeding program. The only c**t of that year, a son of Isabella, was named Morgengold I and became the first approved and graded palomino German Warmblood stallion ever. Before he was sold to Ireland were he became a successful show jumper under the name Morgangold Major (he was honored “Best Show Jumping Horse in Ireland 1992”) he bred two mares in Germany. The result of the mating with Pandora, a daughter of Hanoverian Philippo and Wembley, was the Palomino c**t Mega-Star. He got approved and became the sire of the worldwide first double dilute German Warmblood stallion Mascarpone GF. Unfortunately both very promising stallions died way too early, but the latter was able to leave his mark in the breeding of palomino sport horses. Gwendolyn Gregorio repeated the mating of Malteser Gold with Isabella later again successfully: Mangold N was born in 1994 and became a very good jumping horse. He was awarded with the title Elite stallion in North Germany because of his very good offspring. Morgengold II was born in 1993, got approved in 1995 by the Breeding Association for German Riding Horses ZfdP and is still available at Falkenhorst stud farm.
The Palomino line of Falkenhorst Stud Farm
Today nearly every palomino German Warmblood goes back to the Falkenhorst mare stock and Malteser Gold. You can’t find a lot of main stud or stallion book approved and licensed warmbloods with a cream gene. Most of them are bred by Falkenhorst stud farm or descend from one of their stallions and this means that Falkenhorst stud is by far the most successful breeder of colored Warmbloods and is also more successful than many other warmblood breeders who are not specialized in color. To these stallions belongs the Oldenburg Palomino stallion Inspiration GF, the premium awarded approved stallion Milky Way GF, who was leased to UK and Ireland the last three years, and the Buckskin tobiano full brothers Multicolor I GF and Multicolor II GF, who received a phenomenal score of 9 at the foal show and was placed 2nd at the National German Championships for German Warmbloods in his c**t class. Both stallions were sold to the UK and Multicolor I GF competed very successful in eventing until he started a stud career.
For the interested mare owner Falkenhorst stud farm also offers the frequently used golden Weltmeyer grandson Win The Gold out of a dam by Holstein stallion Los Alamos, and his half-brother Dream of Gold, an eye-catching Palomino son of Dream Boy by Dream of Glory – Eisenherz II. Win The Gold is by White Magic (Weltmeyer x Bolero), who was the convincing winner of his stallion performance test and was competing Intermediare under Holger Finken before he passed away too soon. Dream of Gold’s son Daiquiri GF, already premium awarded as a foal, was also premium awarded at the stallion approval and is leased to Denmark. Mascarpone’s Erbe GF, a half-brother on the dam’s side to Inspiration GF, was also leased abroad, but is back in Germany since last year. He is premium awarded too and got an overall score at the stallion licensing of 8.5. At the performance test, which he passed during his 2 years stay over in Denmark, the test rider gave him also a score of 8.5. Another promising young and already approved stallion is Weissgold GF – a double dilute by Win The Gold and Sara, a palomino mare by Walzerkönig. His first foals are already premium awarded. He is starting a competition career.
A Good Horse Has No Color... ..is an old saying. But when you are looking around at a regular competition you mostly see bays, blacks, greys and chestnuts. A single dilute colored horse or even a double dilute horse is rare to find – but why? Well, the gene is not widespread in Warmbloods, because in Europe they were breeding for a solid bay colored horse for over decades. Out of this small population of dilute Warmbloods there are only a few competing and most locally. Prejudices of certain colors are not really helping in promoting unusual colored horses and still many riders think that golden horses or horses with large white patterns were nothing more than funny cowboy horses which can’t jump or even walk straight in a covered arena. There are still rumors that diluted horse are blind or sick all the time. That’s not true. A good example is Blue Eyed Dream GF – a homebred double dilute stallion, born in 2002 and sold to the United States were he got approved and licensed. He is not only sire of many premium awarded foals, but is also very successful in dressage and driving competitions. He was honored as ”National USDF AWR First Level Horse of the Year 2008“, “2009 AWR 3rd Level Dressage Champion”, “Central Florida Dressage Association Musical Freestyle Champion 2009” and recently as “Freestyle High Point Champion” at the as “Dressage on the Beach” recognized competition in Florida in June 2010. Another example is the double dilute stallion Mirabeau GF by Mascarpone GF, who was sold to Canada and is competing in upper level show jumping classes.
Many other horses bred by Falkenhorst stud farm are competing successfully in different disciplines in all parts of the world. For example Milo GF: a buckskin tobiano stallion who was sold to Indonesia last year. He placed 4th out of 56 participants at his first ever show jumping competition. Weinbrand GF a Palomino gelding by Win The Gold and Praline by Morgengold II is competing in dressage in Australia. Malteser Gold – the foundation sire of Falkenhorst’s golden horses had around 54 competing horses in Germany as the FN yearbook 2003 states. Some of them are dilute and bred by Falkenhorst stud farm. The gelding Motion Picture GF by Morgengold II is competing locally in dressage, promoting the diluted Warmblood sport horse in Germany. Further on the above mentioned Mangold N was competing in upper level show jumping classes in Germany as well as the buckskin stallion Upper Class. Abroad there are a lot more of Falkenhorst’s golden horses who are promoting the stud farm: Palomino Mascaro GF became a show jumper, buckskin tobiano Magic Design GF is competing in dressage in sunny California as well as the chestnut Weltenbummler GF and smoky black Charming Lady GF. More will follow soon: Abendgold GF, Madeleine GF and Ikarus GF are being prepared at their new homes in North America, South Africa and New Zealand for careers in dressage and eventing. Hopefully one of them will make it to international level competing in different parts of the world promoting the golden horses of Falkenhorst stud farm.
Dilute Thoroughbreds
Falkenhorst stud farm imported the first golden Thoroughbreds to Europe, one filly and the later approved stallion Glitter of Gold xx, from North America in 2001. Glitter of Gold xx is a rich golden Palomino and a direct descendant of Glitter Please xx – a Palomino Thoroughbred who was very successful competing in high level dressage up to Grand Prix on international FEI level in the United States. They were followed by RFF The Alchemist xx, a double dilute stallion who is now approved in Germany and will complete his performance test this year. RFF The Alchemist xx is sired by hunter champion RRF King’s Ransom xx and his dam is sired by Glitter Please xx. Gwendolyn Gregorio proved her sense for quality horses and potential sires – it was not taken for granted that both imported c**ts were approved later. The goal of Falkenhorst stud farm is to purify the Warmblood breed and to introduce the golden coat color into the Trakehner breed. RFF The Alchemist xx has already been bred with success to Trakehner mares. Falkenhorst stud farm currently owns two palomino Trakehner fillies out of the bay mare Mandela by Ferrum – Hagedorn IV and a buckskin tobiano filly out of Make Up – a bay tobiano mare by Sanssouci – Elvis. All three are eligible for the Trakehner main mare book and will be presented to the association in due time. Nearly all foals by RFF the Alchemist xx were premium awarded and many of them were already sold worldwide. He also sired a few purebred Thoroughbreds, for example a palomino filly out of a mare by Platini xx – Windwurf xx, a palomino filly by the imported mare Golden Desire xx by Majestic Regent xx, a grandson of the legendary Northern Dancer xx, and a buckskin c**t out of a mare by Lando xx – a grandson of well-known racehorse Surumu xx. Most of them will be retained by Falkenhorst stud farm for their breeding program, but we might see one of them on the racetrack in the near future.
Falkenhorst stud farm uses the dilute Thoroughbreds, as mentioned already above, also in their Warmblood breeding program with very good results. Glitter of Gold xx produced a nice talented Warmblood double dilute stallion Glitter N’ Cream GF who was bought back recently from Scotland by Falkenhorst stud farm and will be available next breeding season. RFF The Alchemist xx has been bred to selected Knabstrupper mares and produced some quality diluted and spotted future sport horses. He not only brings the cream gene into the breeding program but also size, frame, strength, stamina and a good canter as well as jumping ability and his very kind calm character. He already competed in combined eventing and will complete his performance test in August this year.
Always investing in the future Falkenhorst stud farm already owns the next rising star: TCF Palladium – the worldwide first Smoky Cream (a double dilute on black) Thoroughbred c**t born at the Canadian True Colors Farm this year, which was bought by Gwendolyn Gregorio already in utero. Sire is Guaranteed Gold xx, who is a successful eventer in Canada. Palladium’s dam RFF Pearlescent xx is a double dilute on bay (perlino) mare sired by King’s Ransom xx.
A lovely jacket...on a well conformed body, combined with good gaits and a good temper is the ultimate goal. But no matter in what color a horse comes; the quality always comes in the first place and must be excellent.” These words are written on the webpage of Falkenhorst stud farm and define their breeding goal. This is no empty phrase and fixed in their breeding program since the beginning. The selection only for coat color is not favored by animal breeding experts because in most cases it means a step backward for the breed of riding horses because other characteristics will be neglected most of the time. Ideally is when the color is just an addition to an already quality horse. As a horse breeder you have to think economically, but you are also responsible for what you breed and therefore you always must keep in mind that the non-colored offspring needs to be able to be sold too. To obtain this Falkenhorst stud farm has a large proven mare stock, only main mare book mares, and is not only breeding with their own stallions but also with some of the current top stallions of the German breeding population. Some of Falkenhorst’s foals were lately sired by the Rubinstein sons Ruben As, a premium awarded stallion (now available through Sprehe), and the former international successful Olympia dressage horse Rapptänzer, Kempke’s Hof stallion Wind Dancer by Weltruhm – Argentan and Sancisco by Sandro Hit – Rohdiamant, as well as the Trakehner stallions Kaiserkult by Elite stallion Van Deyk and last but not least Hirtentanz, best jumping stallion at the grading in 2005. In 2011 Falkenhorst stud farm is expecting foals by their own proven sires Win The Gold, Morgengold II GF and RFF The Alchemist xx as well as again some foals by outside stallions, for example by Laurencio, an Oldenburg stallion out of the famous Landgraf line, and Blickpunkt by Belissimo M – Fidermark.
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this simply makes the difference ;-)
