"If you've followed my journal for years, you probably know that I've never been that big of a Vivaldi fan. However, after seeing the success of his sons under saddle and the type and movement of his grandchildren, I have to give credit where credit is due. He's turned out to be a much better producer than I thought he was going to be after seeing his first couple crops of sons at the Stallion Show.
That being said, there are still plenty of Vivaldi offspring that crank up their necks, hollow out their backs, and throw their front legs around with almost no connection between the back of the horse and the front; however, there are also some super sons under saddle and some top daughters at keurings."
Having just returned from the Stallion Show and having seen multiple Vivaldi sons and grandsons again, I thought I'd continue my post.
There are some really good Vivaldis, but there are just as many, if not more, weak Vivaldis. He is not a stallion for every mare, not that any stallion is, but he brings some significant weaknesses to the table. I continue to see a general lack of power, strength, and balance in a number of his offspring. They are all beautiful, with really expressive, easy movement, but even on the best of them, there is a slight disconnect in the loin and a lack of overall power from hind end to front. When I look at some stallions' offspring, I can imagine the future Grand Prix horse. It's hard to describe exactly, but it has to do with the strength and balance, the overall ability of the horse to carry itself and adjust between shortening and lengthening easily and naturally. If Vivaldi himself had competed at Grand Prix and demonstrated the kind of strength and connection it takes for attaining and maintaining an upper level career, I'd be willing to ignore the weakness in the top line of his offspring, but he hasn't.
Of course, there are going to be Vivaldi offspring at Grand Prix. He's bred a lot of mares, and a lot of talented riders have purchased Vivaldi children--by the law of averages alone, some of them are going to be upper level horses. My humble opinion is that we're going to see many more of them successful at lower levels and in young horse classes than we are successful at Grand Prix, however.
All of this being said, I think there's still a place for him in the pedigree. He brings a beautiful type and expressive movement. If you're lucky enough to cross him on a mare who consistently produces a great loin connection, then it could work out for you. My guess is that even then, the pattern is going to follow the Punnett square, with 25% of the offspring being exceptional, 50% of the offspring being OK, and 25% of the offspring being terrible.
There's a Totilas thread on the Chronicle Dressage Forums right now labeling him as a "non-stamper"--that he doesn't consistently reproduce himself, so he's not worth the stud fee. In Totilas's case, he consistently produces balance, strength, a good walk, a great canter, and a "normal" trot. Type wise, he's all over the place. Vivaldi is just the opposite: He produces a really consistent type and a flashy trot, but you don't know what you're going to get for balance and strength. For my money in breeding dressage horses, in the long run, the balance and strength are much more important than the pretty face and flashy trot. Of course, the pretty face and flashy trot will sell much more quickly to an uneducated buyer, so I recognize the attraction for breeders. Nonetheless, as someone who's constantly trying to breed horses that are one generation better suited for their future jobs as upper level dressage horses, a horse like Totilas is a much better bet.
Again, I think Vivaldi can have a place in a pedigree; as a matter of fact, I'm super excited to have a Vivaldi grandson coming from our Bon Bravour mare this April. But, I only bred to a Vivaldi son, Eye Catcher, after I saw him in person AND saw his offspring inspection in person. He has, and is producing, the kind of balance and adjustability I want, combined with the incredible expression in his gaits from Vivaldi.
So, I guess I'm a cautious Vivaldi fan now. He's kind of like frosting: the right combination of ingredients really top off the cake--the wrong combination of ingredients create a sicky sweet mess you have to scrape off to get to the good stuff.
Having just returned from the Stallion Show and having seen multiple Vivaldi sons and grandsons again, I thought I'd continue my post.
There are some really good Vivaldis, but there are just as many, if not more, weak Vivaldis. He is not a stallion for every mare, not that any stallion is, but he brings some significant weaknesses to the table. I continue to see a general lack of power, strength, and balance in a number of his offspring. They are all beautiful, with really expressive, easy movement, but even on the best of them, there is a slight disconnect in the loin and a lack of overall power from hind end to front. When I look at some stallions' offspring, I can imagine the future Grand Prix horse. It's hard to describe exactly, but it has to do with the strength and balance, the overall ability of the horse to carry itself and adjust between shortening and lengthening easily and naturally. If Vivaldi himself had competed at Grand Prix and demonstrated the kind of strength and connection it takes for attaining and maintaining an upper level career, I'd be willing to ignore the weakness in the top line of his offspring, but he hasn't.
Of course, there are going to be Vivaldi offspring at Grand Prix. He's bred a lot of mares, and a lot of talented riders have purchased Vivaldi children--by the law of averages alone, some of them are going to be upper level horses. My humble opinion is that we're going to see many more of them successful at lower levels and in young horse classes than we are successful at Grand Prix, however.
All of this being said, I think there's still a place for him in the pedigree. He brings a beautiful type and expressive movement. If you're lucky enough to cross him on a mare who consistently produces a great loin connection, then it could work out for you. My guess is that even then, the pattern is going to follow the Punnett square, with 25% of the offspring being exceptional, 50% of the offspring being OK, and 25% of the offspring being terrible.
There's a Totilas thread on the Chronicle Dressage Forums right now labeling him as a "non-stamper"--that he doesn't consistently reproduce himself, so he's not worth the stud fee. In Totilas's case, he consistently produces balance, strength, a good walk, a great canter, and a "normal" trot. Type wise, he's all over the place. Vivaldi is just the opposite: He produces a really consistent type and a flashy trot, but you don't know what you're going to get for balance and strength. For my money in breeding dressage horses, in the long run, the balance and strength are much more important than the pretty face and flashy trot. Of course, the pretty face and flashy trot will sell much more quickly to an uneducated buyer, so I recognize the attraction for breeders. Nonetheless, as someone who's constantly trying to breed horses that are one generation better suited for their future jobs as upper level dressage horses, a horse like Totilas is a much better bet.
Again, I think Vivaldi can have a place in a pedigree; as a matter of fact, I'm super excited to have a Vivaldi grandson coming from our Bon Bravour mare this April. But, I only bred to a Vivaldi son, Eye Catcher, after I saw him in person AND saw his offspring inspection in person. He has, and is producing, the kind of balance and adjustability I want, combined with the incredible expression in his gaits from Vivaldi.
So, I guess I'm a cautious Vivaldi fan now. He's kind of like frosting: the right combination of ingredients really top off the cake--the wrong combination of ingredients create a sicky sweet mess you have to scrape off to get to the good stuff.
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