Galoubet A - Breeding Stallion

The mighty Galoubet A ranked third on the WBFSH standings for 2000/2001, largely on the basis of his son Baloubet du Rouet who won three World Cup finals in a row (Helsinki 1998, Göteborg 1999, Las Vegas 2000) But Galoubet is certainly not a ‘one horse wonder’ in the sires stakes. He has a string of top horses to his credit. Horses like Caloubet du Rouet (ridden byJean-Marc Nicolas and Robert Smith) or his full-brother, Quatoubet (ridden by Roger-Yves Bost) Or the three top American bred progeny of Thoroughbred mares, The Developer (with Hap Hansen), U’Grand Jete (ridden by Donald Cheska) and Galouway (with Debbie Stephens). Then there is Gatoubet du Rouet who was second at Aachen with Roger-Yves Bost, beaten by the mighty combination of Thomas Frühmann and Grandeur. Galoubet’s son Quick Star was a real star with Meredith Michaels, and now is the sire of another superstar, Stella - also ridden by Meredith. One of Quick Star’s progeny sold for DM2.8 million at the 1999 PSI Auction. Yet, like so many of the great stallions, Galoubet almost didn’t make it. He was unfashionably bred, being out of a trotter mare, Viti. Apparently Viti was not fast enough to race and she was sold to Mrs Collette Lefrant who decided to take her showjumping. The chestnut was tall enough at 170 cms and despite her heritage, she had a good canter and wonderful form over a jump, but her rather inelegant head was proof of her parentage. Her sire was Nystag, an honest trotter, but no super-star- he was later to stand at the St-Lô Stud. Nystag was by Abner, who was also the sire of Jasmin, who was a star and twice the World Champion. Perhaps more interestingly, Vita’s dam, Ida de Boureouin was by Boum III by Obok, and Obok was the dam sire of individual gold medalist at the 1964 Games, Lutteur B. Other exceptional jumpers out of trotter mares include Halla and Jappeloup. Viti was a difficult horse to ride, and retired to the life of a brood mare, producing 13 foals including Galoubet. Galoubet’s sire was Almé, one of the all time great jumping stallions.

Almé competed Internationally with François Mathy and Johan Heins at a time when it was unusual for a stallion to both compete and stand at stud. Almé stood four seasons in France producing exceptional sons - Grand d’Escla, Galoubet, Jalisco B and I Love You - before he was snared by Léon Melchior and moved to his Zangersheide stud in Belgium. There, Almé was to found a dynasty. Stallions such as Alexis Z, Ahorn Z and Athlet Z have spread Almé’s influence throughout Europe, and into almost all the German studbooks. Viti visited Almé in his first season at stud, and although the resulting colt foal was good-looking, Galoubet was still obviously out of a trotter mare, and was rejected as a two year old at the stallion selection. Luckily he was not gelded, but started in the Classic Cycle classes for five year olds. In May 1977 he was competing with Benoit Mauriac in the saddle when he caught the eye of top showjumping rider, Gilles Bertran de Balanda who had been asked by Jean François Pellegrin to find him a top class young stallion. De Balinda decided to seek a second opinion, and asked Nelson Pessoa what he thought of the young Galoubet - and the great Brazilian rider advised him not to buy! Still Pellegrin bought the horse, and de Balinda took over his training, and a few months later the pair won the five year old final at Fontainebleau.

As a seven year old Galoubet started to compete Internationally where his spectacular jump (and notorious bucks after the jump) won him a legion of fans. Galoubet won the Grand Prix at Wiesbaden, and placed 15th at the European Championships. The pair also took out the French national title that year. In 1980, Galoubet continued to win in the Nations Cups - in Aachen, Chaudefontaine, Longchamp and Toronto (second in New York). He was eighth at the World Cup final in Baltimore, and eighth at the Alternative Olympic Games in Rotterdam. The following season Galoubet won three World Cup qualifiers in a row at Antwerp, s’Hertogenbosch and Dortmund, only to lose the final in Birmingham. Following a brilliant performance at the World Championships in Dublin in 1982 - where he was part of the gold medal winning team and just missed the four horse jump-off - Galoubet’s owner, Jean-François Pelligrin retired the stallion to stud at the age of ten. Galoubet was one of the first horses in France - and the world - to make use of the new technique of AI. The French National Stud did a deal with Pellegrin at the end of 1980, when AI became legal, and he was allowed a total of 160 mares - 100 in France, 60 abroad, at a fee of 5,000 French Francs, which in those days was considered a huge amount. As a result of that first season, 60 foals (out of 120 mares) were born - the ‘Q’ generation, since they were all given names beginning with that letter. In 1982 he bred no mares, concentrating on competition, and in 1983, after retiring covered 110 mares for 48 ‘S’ foals. Many of the top breeders shunned the horse and the new method of insemination, but the results were extraordinary.

Twelve of the Q’s became licensed stallions, and nearly all of them jumped Internationally. Qredo de Paulstra jumped Internationally with Xavier Leredde and went on to sire 14 stallion sons of his own, while Quick Star, out of a famous jumping mare, Stella (campaigned by Phillipe Jouy and Nelson Pessoa) had a wonderful International career with German based American rider, Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, who is currently having huge success with another Stella, by Quick Star.

Galoubet has not only been a very good sire in his own right, but also appears to be a sire of sires, aside from Baloubet and Quick Star, there are Qredo de Paulstra (sire of Quattro who stands at the Böckmann stud in Oldenburg), Quiniou (sire of French team horse at the Sydney Games, Barbarian) and the Belgian stallion, Skippy II whose progeny are making their mark on the International stage. He has also proven a good sire of broodmares.

Arturo 8 - Holstein Stallion
High Offley Studs Arturo 8 is a grand son of Alme by Athlet Z

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