THE five-star show jumping stallion Livello is joining the stallion roster at Andrea Etter’s Belmont House Stud in Co Offaly.

Due to arrive in Ireland next Thursday, the Holsteiner son of Limbus was ridden at 1.60m level by Ireland’s Cameron Hanley and later, Sweden’s Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli. With Hanley in the saddle, he finished fourth at the FEI European Championship at Windsor Castle in 2009, among other top results at the highest level.

Owned by SIEC, and through the contact of Gerry Mullins, the 21-year-old arrives in Ireland after standing at Holsteiner Verband in Germany for seven years. “I would like to thank Gerry for helping to make the deal happen. The stallion is owned by SIEC and will be at Belmont House Stud for the foreseeable future,” Andrea Etter told The Irish Field.

“I’m very pleased to have a horse of such a calibre at my yard along with what I have already, he is a great addition for Irish breeders and for my own breeding program. I now have two older and proven stallion and two younger stallions and it gives breeders a nice choice.

“The feedback I have gotten is unbelievable; it has been all positive. To have a stallion that jumped for Ireland internationally; who did it himself and also has progeny competing at the top is great. He is arriving next Thursday and the first semen collection will be on Friday. There has been plenty of interest already,” Etter added.

Livello has sired a number of good Irish performers, most notably the 1.60m Nations Cup performer Lapuccino, ridden by Ireland’s Michel Duffy. The 10-year-old gelding BEC Lorenzo (out of the Guidam-sired B, bred by Brian Duff), won a two-star in Traverse City, USA, last week under American rider Catherine Tyree. Another well-known ISH by Livello is the Cian O’Connor and Ennisnag Stud-bred nine-year-old ESI Toulouse, produced to international level by Cameron Hanley.

At Belmont, Livello joins the four-year-old stallion Stockholm van’t Roosakker Z (Stakkato x Rubens du Ri D’Asse), Etter’s home-bred five-year-old ISH stallion Mr Quincy B (Aganix du Seigneur x O-Piloth), currently competing under Damien Griffin, and 1.60m jumper Stetter (Manhattan x Goodtimes).