Voltaire (horse)
| Breed | Dutch Warmblood (KWPN); approved for KWPN, Hanoverian, Selle Francais, Oldenburg |
|---|---|
| Sire | Furioso II |
| Dam | Gogo Moeve |
| Maternal grandsire | Gotthard |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1979 |
| Colour | Bay with a blaze, snip, stockings on both hind legs |
| Breeder | E. Kuwet |
| Trainer | Jos Lansink |
Voltaire was an influential sire of show jumpers and dressage horses. Additionally, he competed successfully at the international level in show jumping.
Voltaire, a 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm) high stallion (originally called "Vertuoso"), was by the influential Furioso II, a stallion whose offspring include over 200 state premium mares and at least 70 approved sons, who are stood across the world. Furioso II was full-brother to the French stallion Mexico (sire of Le Mexico, who has produced numerous Grand Prix show jumpers). Furioso II was also the sire of the Olympic gold medal winners Lutteur B and Pomone B.
Voltaire's dam, Gogo Moeve, was also the dam to such horses as Fandango R, PS Falkan and Petite Fleur. She was sired by the great Gotthard, a stallion who has made his mark in the Hanoverian breed. Gotthard is seen in the pedigree of such horses as Goldika, Goya, Queensway, Genius, Grundstein and Grannus. Gogo Moeve's dam-sire was the Thoroughbred stallion More Magic, who also sired the 1980 Moscow Olympics dressage gold medalist, Mon Cherie, ridden by Elisabeth Theurer.
Voltaire had a successful career as a Grand Prix show jumper, competing over 1.50 meter courses as an eight-year-old. He was especially successful in 1988, winning Nations Cup classes at Calgary, Stockholm, Lanaken, Helsinki, Wiesbaden and Wembley. In 1989 he ended his competitive career with a win at the Grand Prix of Berlin and a 2nd place in the Grand Prix of Leeuwarden.
After his competitive career, Voltaire was retired for breeding, standing at Dutch veterinarian Jan Greve's stud De Watermolen. Voltaire was a Keur and Preferent stallion with the KWPN, and was one of the top KWPN jumping sires during his life. Voltaire stood at the stud until his death at the age of 25, when he suffered from a heart attack while covering a mare.
Voltaire is said to cross well with French Thoroughbreds, such as the female offspring of Furioso and those of Furioso's sons Le Mexico and Purioso.
With his small size and a large hoof crack, Voltaire was originally rejected by the Oldenburg licensing commission. The KWPN commission was also not thrilled, and graded him 14th out of 14 horses in the performance test (despite his excellent jumping marks). However, he was eventually approved with several studbooks, including the Oldenburg.
...
Wikipedia