Del Arko

Del Arko already licensed in France is an interesting addition to the Holsteiner Verband stock of stallions. Having put up a very impressive performance at the Saint-Lô stallion grading, the judges awarded the big-framed bay the second best jumping mark in his age group.

Del Arko’s entry into the Holsteiner breeding programme is of particular interest considering his sire line which traces back to the highly successful TB foundation stallion Ladykiller through Tsunami de Hus, L’Arc de Triomphe, Landor S, Landadel, and Landgraf I. Tsunami de Hus’ dam Utima is a full sister to Arko III, a stallion successfully shown by Nick Skelton. Tsunami de Hus won the 5-year-old class at the Selle Francais Stallion Masters in 2012 and was sold to his current owner Alexander Onischenko at 6-year-old. Del Arko’s damsire is the Anglo-Arabian stallion Quartz de Frely, with a bloodline influenced by icons of Anglo-Arabian breeding like Matador, Nithard, or Massondo. The next stallion in tail female line is Ukase SF, an own son of Ibrahim SF, known to stamp his offspring with his quality. The three TB stallions Amarpour, Kalabaka, and Redstar II follow in direct succession, completing the lineage in a most interesting way.

During the Elmshorn training, the four-year-old demonstrates great quality and carefulness as well as a big canter when free jumping and when jumped under saddle. His exceptional hind leg technique is particular impressive. Del Arko also shows great promise under the rider. Having undergone stallion performance testing on station in France, his good rideability and good basic gaits have already been documented. It should be mentioned, however, that the stallion’s physical development does not bear comparison with German stallions in the same age bracket due to the far less intensive preparations for stallion grading in France.