Andrea Etter, Belmont House Stud

Q. Give us a brief outline of your breeding programme.

Here at Belmont House Stud we are “breeding and producing future champions”. We cross competition mares and their daughters with performance stallions and are breeding show jumpers, eventers and American hunters for professionals as well as ambitious amateurs.

Q. What foals are you expecting in 2021?

We are expecting about 25 foals this year, most of them by our resident stallions. Among them we are very much looking forward to: Lucy in the Sky B (dam of stallions Mr Quincy B and Mr Lincoln B) x Stockholm van’t Roosakker; a half-sister to our home-bred stallion Celtic Hero B Z (Cricket Z x Mr Lincoln B) is expecting a Livello foal; the 1.60m mare Constanzia is expecting a foal by Mr Quincy B; Moonlight Glory B (by Celtic Hero B Z) is a sister to a 1.60m jumper, her dam jumped 1.50m and is also in foal to Mr Quincy B; Diamonds in the Sky B (by Radolin) is in foal to Stetter, hoping to breed a full sibling to “Let it B”, winner of the young hunter championships at Wellington USA.

Q. What are your stallion choices for this season?

We have not yet fully decided which stallion to use on what mare, we are spoilt for choice and will mainly use our resident stallions as well as some frozen semen of former residents Ganesh Hero Z and Celtic Hero B Z.

Q. How do you make your stallion choices?

By trying to analyse the mare, talking to her former rider or by watching her and/or her progeny jump. I try and see what I would like to improve and choose a stallion accordingly. I do not follow fashion trends, I like using stallions that have natural ability and the more I know about them, the better choices I hope to make!

I am very lucky to have four very promising stallions standing here at Belmont House Stud. Livello (1.60m performer and sire of 1.60m jumpers) and Stetter (1.55m jumper with 1.60m progeny) are two.

Close to my heart is the home-bred Mr Quincy B (full-brother to Mr Lincoln B, now successful at CSIYH classes with Christian Ahlmann for Studfarm Zangersheide and grandson of the 1.60m mare Wandonga), himself a winner of three and four-year-old classes and now jumping in CSIYH. Last but not least, the latest arrival, Qui Vive des Songes Z (by Quaprice Bois Margot x Lagos), who represented USA at 1.60m Nations Cup and World Cup level!

I think it’s a huge advantage to know the stallions and their progeny so that I can try and make the most suitable breeding choices.