Foundation Sire: Caletto I

This is the eighth installment of Warmblood Stallions of North America’s Foundation Friday. Every other Friday we will be featuring a foundation sire - one who has been influential in the development of warmblood breeds. We pull from the incredible archive of The Horse Magazine, published by Chris Hector of Australia. Thank you, Chris, for permission to draw on your expertise! 

Foundation Sire: Caletto I
1975 - 1999
175 cm
Bay
Breeder: Klaus Martin Both, Herzhorn

According to the Stallion Book of the Holsteiner Warmblood Breed by Dr Dietrich Rossow, Caletto was a “tall, important sire with the smooth topline of a modern riding horse. Good face, rather heavy neck and a thick throat latch. Prominent withers, rather flat through the loin, sharply dropped croup in which the muscle doesn’t carry down well. Strong bone with mild crookedness in front and faults behind, somewhat base narrow. Good trot, absolutely marvelous canter. Extraordinary jumping ability with fantastic form over fences.”

And the progeny? “Sires performance horses of his type with his strong points and faults. Very energetic individuals with great jumping ability.”

It was his first crop that produced the stallion, Cartusch, who stood in Westphalia and Oldenburg, as well as the dams of two successful international stallions, Aldatus (Junior European Champion under Christian Ahlmann) and Iberio (Derby winner with Soren von Rönne).

Posted to the Woehrden stallion station, Caletto I had almost completed his breeding duties for his third season, when he was kicked by a mare in the genitals, and despite the best of veterinary attention remained infertile for months afterwards. The Holsteiner Verband sold him to the showjumping rider Michael Rüping and he went on to earn DM101,693, as well as a team bronze at the 1983 European Championships. In 1985, Caletto I was the most successful German Nation’s Cup horse – it seemed his breeding days were over!

But then his little brother Caletto II was killed in an accident. The distraught Holstein breeding authorities contacted Michael Rüping and persuaded him to test Caletto I once again – after a break of five years the stallion was now producing fertile semen!

Caletto I resumed his successful breeding career in 1986 and in the 1991-2000 WBFSH standings was represented by 12 progeny who had taken him into 28th place – finishing 5th in the 1999/2000 standings.

Overall 758 of his progeny went on to compete. Successful offspring include: Cabrol Amicor, winner of the German Derby with Holger Wulschner, Cocetto with Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, and Roofs, who Jan Tops rode at the 2000 Games and the 2002 WEG in Jerez.

His best son has been Calvaro, who was out of a Capitol mare. He was not registered for Holstein because he came from a Hanoverian mare line, and therefore lacked the required five generations of registered dams in Holstein. Calvero was not only a successful sire, but a fine competitor; his wins included the Grand Prix at the CSIO Hickstead, and he competed at the Sydney Games with John Whitaker.

Caletto I appears in 65^th place on the 2006 Monneron rankings, but he is represented in the top 75 by his son, Cantus in 30^th.

To read the entire article, with pedigree and more offspring details, on the Horse Magazine website, click here. 

There are several stallion descendants of Caletto I in North America. Click on the following links to read about each of the ones on WarmbloodStallionsNA.com:

Calito

Clintord I

GK Calucci