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Shagya Stallion and Mare
Sold to South America

By Donna J. Coss

Lily Creek Ridge, one of the largest Shagya breeding farms in the U.S. has sold a purebred Shagya stallion and a bred mare to Eduarto Gaviria of Bogata, Columbia, South America. The pair will soon go into quarantine near Miami, Fl. And then be flown to Bogata.

Mr. Gaviria, a long time breeder of Throughbred racing horses, decided to introduce the Shagya breed to Columbia, South America, because of the demand for endurance horses. The Anglo-Shagya cross is a concept that appeals to many distant riders.

Mr. Gaviria, is the breeder of, REAL QUIET, winner of the 1998 Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, and losing the Belmont by a whisker, closer then any horse in the past 20 years.

The stallion, he is importing, is *KS TRIBUTE LCR, a four year old Shagya stallion that was imported from Germany in 2001. TRIBUTE is from an illustrious line of European champions, many considered some of the greatest within the breed.

*TRIBUTE recently went through the Keuring or breed inspection process that all Shagya breeding stock must go through, and received the highest score, 9.5, recorded to date in North America. This approval process assures that only Shagyas that meet specific criteria be allowed licensing in the purebred stud book.

The Shagya is a rare breed descended from desert bred Arabians 200 years ago. It is a breed NOT a strain of Arabian! The breed has been used by all of the Warmblood registries to refine and instill better riding qualities into their various breed types.

Ramzes, founder of the “R” line of performance horses and called “a century stallion” had a purebred Shagya dam. The Shagya breed has been honed and culled, probably more then any other breed, and it's addition to sport horse lines and its dominent traits always seem to produce wonderful genetic powess.

Donna Coss, the owner of Lily Creek Ridge, near Freeport, Il., imported three purebred stallions from Germany in the winter of 2000, after traveling throughout Europe for many years, researching the Shagya breed.

One of the stallions *DANTE LCR, came from a stud farm owned by the Countess Therese Arco Zinneberg. She actually lived in Moos, Lower Bavaria, in a fortified medieval castle. Her family had bred the Shagya horses for almost a century. *DANTE'S sire actually competed against and was the winner of one of the European 100 day stallion tests, competing against Warmbloods. His score was 147.53, high even by current standards. He was licensed by the Trakehner Verband and other WB registries.

The bred mare, LILY CREEK STEFVANI, is in foal to *DANTE thus insuring that Mr. Gaviria should have superior foundation stock for his venture into breeding the Shagya in South America. STEFVANI'S grandsire is *OMAN, a stallion that was licensed by the ISR following their 100 day keuring and who competed in the Tevis race twice. He is also the sire of a mare who won the Tevis race in 2001.

There is no doubt that this rare breed has an illustrious past and in many ways its future is only beginning. Following its almost demise after WWII, down to 300 individuals, it has fought back where there are approximately 2000 today.

The breed has so many positive characteristics including, sane mind, wonderful legs and feet, correct hip and shoulder angles and fluid gaits. The unique, charismatic temperament lends to make one a believer to those fortunate to interact with a purebred Shagya.

Individuals within the breed excel in dressage, jumping, combined training and endurance. The combination of the Warmblood and Arabian crossed with the Shagya only re-inforce the genetic power seen within the breed. Offspring normally seem to take on the look of the mare, but the temperament of the sire.

Donna Coss, who has crossed her Shagya stallions with Warmblood, Throughbred and Arabian mares has produced almost 30 individuals and her experience with these crosses, as she is quick to point out, "always produces, taller, bigger, better, without a doubt! I see it everyday and it constantly amazes me! The breed is everyone's dream horse!"

 

The story of Lapis.

The story of Lapis is reminiscent of a fairy tale. Lapis, a Shagya stallion, born in 1938 in Yugoslavia was among several horses requisitioned by the German army during World War II. Lapis was sired by 561 Siglavy11-22. The dam of Lapis was the 128 Shagya VIII and can be traced back to the mare 253 Moldavia foaled in 1783 at Mezohegyes.

The Germans sent Lapis to Krampnitz, an army equitation school, where Cavalry Lieutenant W. Schmidt-Salzmann was recovering from his wounds. He fell in love with the handsome gray stallion, trained him and when he returned to the front in 1941 he was allowed to take his steed with him. Together for three years, the pair covered 3800 miles, enduring misery and hardship. Schmitt-Salzmann was injured again! He went back to Krempnitz and then just as the Russian army was approaching from the east, he evacuated 50 stallions to Schleswig-Holstein, marching day and night and swimming across rivers. After a short time as prisoner of war, a generous British commander released him, yes, with his beloved Lapis, and they returned to his home in Salach.

The romantic saga continues: By 1945, the Hungarian horses that fled to Germany were in Bergsetten in Bavaria. There Schmidt-Salzmann purchased from the American forces, the Hungarian Kisber mare, 68 Fenek V. Paired with Lapis, the Fenek mare produced the filly, Amsel and the colt, Burnus Both showed a lovely temperament. The son of Burnus, out of the black Trakehner mare, Hallo, produced Habicht. The Trakehner studbook lists over 180 descendants of Burnus.

 

 

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