The renowned breeding stallion Blue Hors Don Schufro has died, aged 27.
The son of Donnerhall x Pik Bube I, who has been the flagship stallion of the Blue Hors stud in Denmark, passed away “due to old age” today (2 January).
“Don Schufro has had an an indescribable importance to this place; not only by virtue of his achievements in both sport and breeding, but most of all with his great personality and presence. We have done everything to give him a great retirement but old age caught up with him,” said Martin Klavsen, breeding manager at Blue Hors.
Bred by Martin Meier in Germany, Don Schufro competed for Denmark at the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, winning team bronze with Andreas Helgstrand. He was also crowned Danish national champion the same year.
It is within the world of dressage breeding that the liver chestnut stallion acquired his “living legend” status — he has not been out of the top 12 on the World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses dressage sire rankings since 2011, and is currently ranked 10th, with Diamond Hit and Blue Hors Don Romantic among his 30 licensed sons.
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Don Schufro also has many highly successful daughters, the most notable of whom is Weihegold OLD, the ride of Germany’s Isabell Werth, who has topped the world rankings for several years. Isabell and Weihegold won individal silver and team gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, scored triple gold at the European Championships in 2017 and have taken the World Cup title for the past three consecutive years. The black mare is one of very few horses to have broken the 90% mark on a number of occasions.
Don Schufro, who was retired from competition in 2010 and is immortalised in bronze at Blue Hors, has sired more than 40 grand prix horses, as well as proving a very successful damsire, and has topped the German breeding rankings 10 times.
Among his successful British offspring is the grand prix ride of Lucy Pincus, Sheepcote Doncalisto, as well as Hannah Biggs’ inter II gelding Don Caledonia and Andrew Gould’s small tour horse Blue Hors Dexter.
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