At the South of England International Horse Trials in October this year we had our first look at Chris Burton’s young stallion, Caliber Royale.
It was an impressive start to his eventing career, winning the BE100 with 76.5% in the dressage and a double clear jumping (watch the full video of his cross country round here). At the time the horse was known as Cyprian but his name has been changed to Caliber Royale since then and we just had to find out a little more about the horse from Chris
When did you find Caliber Royale?
He came from the Holsteiner Verbande near Hamburg in the middle of this year.
Why did you choose him?
He is the most quality horse I have seen with that much thoroughbred blood. I only had to jump one fence to realise what an extremely athletic animal he is. He behaved well the day we tried him but I think to be honest we got really lucky with his nature. He is the most incredibly natured stallion.
What are the competition plans for him in 2017?
He is very green so we will be learning the ropes through Pre-novice and Novice.
What are the breeding plans?
We are keen to get foals on the ground as soon as possible. He has spent the last month at the stud being collected ready for the breeding season in Australia. We are keen to have him available early for people who want to try out a new stallion before his stud fee goes up. We are really confident that he will produce amazing progeny for showjumping and eventing as a result of his breeding, temperament and athleticism.
What sort of personality is he?
He is a very sweet stallion, very polite, almost shy, but still has loads of character. He loves a good cuddle.
What does he feel like to ride?
Under saddle he is a real workman and he is a pleasure to ride and train. His canter is the standout pace; he received a 9 for canter and 9.5 for jumping for his canter during his Holstein grading and his jump of course is amazing. He is very careful and has all the scope you could ever need. I enjoy riding him so much that Bek has to sometimes step in and remind me to give him a day off!
Caliber Royale has commenced his breeding career with frozen semen available in Australia from November 2016 and chilled and frozen semen available in the UK (LFG for chilled semen only) - you can find out more here
