Sire:  Connaisseur

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Connaisseur (Con Amore x Donnerhall) was imported to Vancouver, Canada in the fall of 2012. Before coming to Canada, he was ridden and competed by Dutch team member, Emmelie Scholtens. In 2011 and 2012, they competed in the prestigious Pavo Cup finals, placing 3rd and 6th respectively, with scores in the mid 80s each time. He also successfully completed the 50 day KWPN performance test with a total score of 82 points and all scores of 8 and above.

Connaisseur has sired many top quality foals, consistently passing on his exceptional canter, top notch rideability, abundantly elastic gaits, and natural uphill balance. He also stamps his foals with his head and neck connection and beautiful face. As a three year old he was leased to the Swedish National stud, Flyinge, where he became the fourth highest producing stallion in Sweden for 2010. He sired over 70 foals in his first year of breeding and was praised for his super fertility. He then had about 100 foals in the Netherlands before being imported to Canada.

Fast forward a few years and Connaisseur now has several offspring competing and winning at FEI levels, including a few elite Grand Prix stars. ‘Haute Couture’ (Connaisseur x Krack C) scored 90 points at her KWPN mare inspection and received the prestigious Elite predicate. She then went on to have an incredibly successful career with Dinja Van Liere, including numerous Grand Prix accolades and being the Dutch Reserve for the 2020 Olympic Team. Another super son of Connaisseur, Harvest (Connaisseur x Ulft), owned and ridden by Alice Tarjan, won the North American Stallion Test in 2017 before becoming an accomplished Grand Prix horse a few short years later.  Chemistry (Connaisseur x Johnson), ridden by John Thompson, also made waves on the International stage by representing New Zealand and the World Equestrian Games in 2023. 

Connaisseur has also produced quality 3 day Event horses with several competing at Young Rider level. His combination of dressage and jumper blood make him an ideal choice for those wanting to explore dressage, hunter/jumper, or eventing.  

Since moving to Canada, Connaisseur has continued his sport career with his owner and rider, Sara Pocock. In 2017, Sara and Connaisseur competed at the small tour level nationally scoring up to 74.6% in the Intermediate 1 and received much praise from the FEI judges panel. His scope and ability for the big tour were consistently recognized, along with his exceptional ability to collect, scoring 9’s on pirouettes on multiple occasions. In 2018, Sara and Connaisseur debuted in the International small tour, in Del Mar, California. The pair scored 69.5% in the I1, 69.6% in PSG and 72.7% in I1 Freestyle, placing 3rd, 2nd, and 1st respectively. In 2019, they made the jump to Intermediare 2, with consistent scores around 70%. 

Connasseur and Sara have now been competing at Grand Prix since 2020 with several wins under their belts! With his natural ability for passage and extended gaits, the Grand Prix Special has quickly become their favourite test, which they recently scored 73% in from FEI judge, Cara Whitham. Sara has declared for the Canadian Pan American Games Team and will compete in their first GP CDI soon. Stand by for updates...

Although he was born in Germany, Connaisseur has the remarkable distinction of being approved in four countries: Germany (Westfalen), Holland (KWPN), Sweden (ASVH) and Belgium (BWP). And he achieved all that before his fourth birthday. A dressage stallion of the highest international quality, he attracted an extraordinary level of interest at the Swedish licensing, where he received an average gait score of 9.13, with 9.5 for his powerful, expressive trot, and a perfect 10 for his exceptional canter. As a four year old in 2011, Connaisseur successfully completed the KWPN's 50 day performance test with 82.5 total points. He was described as an "honest, reliable stallion with a good attitude," receiving 8.5 for canter, self carriage, rideability and character, and 8 for walk, trot and suppleness. Connaisseur's willingness to work and talent as a dressage horse were also noted on his test results, along with the comment that he is easy going and quiet in the barn. As a breeding stallion he can be expected to improve rideablity and the canter in his offspring.