CONTENDER

Height: 171 cm
Breeder: Niko Detlef, Westfehmarn

Contender won the 1987 Adelheidsdorf stallion performance test with a jumping index of 146.6. He went on to be the 1-b main premium vice-champion in Oldenburg on the basis of his excellent first crop of foals.

Contender was in his time, one of the most sought after stallions in Germany. He has produced 127 approved sons, and 59 state premium mares including Riconda who won the Elite Mare Show at Rastede in 1993. As of 2006, in Holstein, Oldenburg, Hannover and Rhineland, Contender had produced 782 registered mares, 498 successful offspring in the sport.

The success of his offspring made him so sought after that in 2000, the Holsteiner Board decided to limit the use of Contender to registered Holsteiner mares.

Contender’s influence spread throughout Germany, with his two sons, Cordobes I & II acquired by the Westfalien stud at Warendorf. Cordobes I was the winner of his performance test in 1998 – scoring almost exactly the same jumping score as his celebrated sire, 146.29!

As one of the ‘big three’ stallions in Holstein, Contender was limited to a book of 350 mares a year – and each year over 700 applications were received!