Ramiro Z - (G Ramiro Z)

Ramiro Z (G Ramiro Z)
Born 1965
Bay
16.3hh
Holstein

Over a period of of thirty years, the "Preferent" G Ramiro Z's performance as a sporthorse and breeding sire has clearly earned him the well deserved titles 'Stallion of the Century' and "King of Sires." Bred in Holstein, born in Westfalia, licensed at Neumünster, Ramiro Z was an international performer under Fritz Ligges, a stallion that has had a far reaching influence on the greatest acheiving sports horses of today. Ramiro was one of the first Holstein stallions to actually appear in competition unlike many others of that era. During his own sporting career he had numerous wins at all levels of show jumping including Nations Cups, Puissance (jumping over 2.2 metre) and in international Grand Prix competition.

Ramiro was the most popular progenitor of the Anglo Arab stallion "Ramzes" and by far the most frequented sire in Germany at that time. He stood at stud in Westfalia, Holstein, Zangersheide and Holland. Numerous sons and daughters conserve and pass on his valuable genes providing excellent rideability, movement and jumping talent. It comes therefore as no suprise that we find Ramiro's children and grandchildren at the top levels of showjumping and dressage today. A quick glance through the WBFSH rankings, some 15 years after his demise we can clearly identify the success of his descendants.

When Ramiro was presented for selection, he was described as the ideal type of the modern Holsteiner - strongly imprinted by his dam, a stallion of substance but lighter than the traditional Holsteiners of his time inheriting the strong topline of his , maternal grandfather the Thoroughbred stallion, Cottage Son xx. In movement Ramiro displayed a very good walk, a good trot, with an exceptional canter.

Presented at Ermello in Holland for acceptance into the KWPN studbook in 1980 he received a 9 for stable behaviour and Character. Ramiro's influence on the Dutch Warmblood breeding was, and still is of utmost importance. The Dutch awarded him the title 'Horse of the Year' in 1992 and went on to sire no less than 12 KWPN approved sons, to list only a few, Almiro, Architecht, Damiro, Diro, Elmero B, Bernstein, Royal Bravour and the ZZZ level dressage stallion Zeoliete exported to the USA, out of the Keur Pref Preferent mare, Sargab" (Abgar x Nimrod) .

From his first breeding season, he sired the fabulous mare, "Fatinitza" out of a the Holstein mare "Pommerantz" Loewnjaeger x Heidleberg) show jumping victory after victory under Fritz Ligges and Thomas Frühmann, and later mother of the Zangersheide stallion, Almiro Z when bred to Almez Z. Ramiro's second season saw him in Holstein where he produced three stallions: Rinaldo (out of a Trakehner x Holstein mare), Rio Negro, (Pernod x Zew xx) who became a Grand Prix dressage horse, trained by Willi Schultheis, and L Ronald out of a Heilbutt x Monarch mare. L Ronald was for many years a popular stallion in Holstein, where he sired five licensed sons and more than a hundred top broodmares, many of whom became mothers of sires such as Alcatraz, Lord Incipit, Larno, Le Grand - all exquisite and excellent sporthorses. L Ronald, like his famous father, went to Holland - where he stood for five years, and also sired, the KWPN show jumping sire Saluut who appears in the pedigrees of Libero H by Landgraf x L Ronald and Hatttick, Ahorn x L Ronald.

In addition he became the strongest and most successful sire for Leon Melchior's performance breeding program at Zangersheide. Whilst at Zangersheide Stud Ramiro was presented with a selection of superbly bred jumping mares including the famous foundation mare, Heureka Z who competed successfully up to 1.60m Internationally. Huerka Z was bred to Alme Z and produced the daughter Argentina Z who when bred to Ramiro produced Ratina Z. Ridden by Piet Raymakers and Ludger Beerbaum, Ratina Z won World Cup Finals, the European Championships, the Grand Prix of Aachen, individual Olympic Silver, double Olympic Team Gold, Team Gold at the WEG, and twice team gold at the European championships. Argentina Z also produced the Ramiro Stallion sons sons: Rebel I Z, Rebel II Z, Rebel III Z and Rock Z none of which produced the same results in competition as thier full sister. Ratina Z Now a mother herself Ratina since produced the approved stallions "Crown Z by Carthago ridden by Judy-Ann Melchior in competition up to 1.40m at the young age of eight and more recently "Comme Il Faut" by the up and coming Cornet Obolensky approved by the Westphalian stud book in 2008.

As well as his impressive ancestry and sports results, another of G Ramiro Z's greatest assets was his fertility and semen quality. It was of such a good standard that it was used in the research of artificial insemination and frozen semen to produce the science we know today.