Sandro Hit

After an indifferent stallion test at Medingen in 1997 – finishing 16th out of 33 with a score off 99.8 – Sandro Hit became a star under the guidance of Dr Ulf Möller, the manager of the PSI dressage barn. The pair won the six year old dressage championship at the Bundeschampionate, and also the World Championship at Arnheim that year.

Sandro Hit’s dam, Loretta has been an excellent stallion producer – bred to Don Schufro, she produced Diamond Hit who was Reserve World Champion Five Year Old Dressage horse and Bundeschampion in 2002; bred to the Rohdiamant son, Royal Dance, she produced Royal Hit, the 1-c premium stallion of the 2002 Oldenburg stallion licensing. Loretta is by Ramino, who was champion of his performance test at Adelheidsdorf in 1983. He stood in Oldenburg from 1983 to 1987, while at the same time competing in showjumping with Melanie Kötter. The pair won team gold at the European Junior Championship in 1987, before he joined up with the Italian rider, Loris Pujatti, again with international success.

Ramino has proven an exceptional sire of broodmares – he is the damsire of the jumping stallion, Gio Granno; the 1997 Oldenburg licensing winner, Ronaldo, and his full-brother, Rubin Star W, who won his stallion performance test and was a finalist at the Bundeschampionate; Sergeant Pepper, two time Bundeschampionate finalist is also out of a Ramino mare. Loretta’s dam, Lassie is by Welt As who was the sire of international showjumping star, Leroy Brown, and dressage star, Bonfire.

Sandro Song is by the influential Oldenburg based, Holsteiner stallion, Sandro. Sandro competed in international showjumping competition with Franke Sloothaak. Sandro Song is out of Antenne II by Gepard, who left a lasting imprint on Paul Schockemöhle’s mare band – Gepard was a son of the great sire of showjumpers, Gotthard. The grand-dam Antenne won numerous Grand Prix with George Ahlmann. Her sire, Adlerorden was a top jumping sire in Westfalia, siring stars like Argonaut 7 with Bernard Kamps.

Sandro Song is one of the few stallions to have beenboth Champion Oldenburg Junior Stallion as well as main premium winner. He himself competed in both dressage and showjumping to intermediate level.

Despite the versatility of his sire, on his breeding most people would expect that Sandro Hit would have been headed for the jumping ring – trouble was, he couldn’t jump, but Ulf Möller found the way to bring out his dressage ability and establish a new dressage dynasty. Let Ulf take up the tale: Here was a stallion that had done a poor performance test, he was not bred for dressage, but you saw something there and ended up with a World Champion, and now it seems a champion sire?

“ Maybe that has something to do with the test. Now they don’t have to do that 100 day test and I think that is very good decision. Some stallions are too weak to do a 100 day test, and to do all those things like cross country jumping. Now we have a 30 day test and then it goes on their competition record, that is much better for the future. Okay he might be bred like a jumper, but he cannot jump. He makes a nice jump but he has no scope.” “ I think he is really a revolution in the breeding. An absolutely new bloodline – he has more that 65 sons now. Maybe Weltmeyer did this, but no other stallion.” What qualities does he give his young stock?

“ He is really stamping his offspring. He is producing uphill horses, producing pretty horses, even with some ugly mares. He gives his colour, and he gives outstanding rideability, and he gives something that is difficult to say in words, he makes proud horses. This is what is important – but it also gives a responsibility to the rider that he understands this proudness, and don’t try and press this proudness out. The rider must allow this pride to come out of the horse – maybe it was a bit the same with him at the stallion test, they pressed him and I let him live.” What mare lines does he cross on?

“ That is the really good thing with Sandro Hit, we have outstanding offspring from Donnerhall mares, from Rubinstein, from Weltmeyer, from Brentano, from Holstein bloodlines, like Calypso. This is what makes Sandro super super interesting because this is a line that fits all the prominent lines, so now you have a new choice.”