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Grannus - not just a name but a symbol, a trademark. A symbol of a potent individual with an aura only a very few are blessed with. With
a lifetime total of well over five million DM so far, the off-spring
of this glossy black Hanoverian stallion which include seven Olympic
horses and more than 60 approved stallions, have made him one of the
greatest sires in the world. Just as powerful as his inheritance is,
his end was just as spectacular. In full view of several thousand spectators
at Klatte's 1993 Stallion Presentation in Vechta, the heart of the Oldenburg
breeding area, the 21 year old muscle man suddenly fell to the ground
- the last breath of an equine personality
Grannus was State Premium Odessa's second foal. This mare by the Trakehner stallion, Ozean, who won his stallion performance test, was purchased as a filly in 1967 by Grannus' breeder, Mr. Ludwig Decker, who had been looking for a mare from the Gitta family which goes all the way back to the founding dam, Klaseta, who was born in 1921. Odessa, who had excellent jumper bloodlines in her pedigree by the great Gotthard, presented him with 15 foals, the last one born when she was 22 years old. That is impressive proof of fertility! Who would have thought that the beautiful black colt with the nicely drawn blaze, two white socks and very bright eyes that lay next to her would someday become a world class sire. Someday … it took a very long time for the qualities of this Graphit son to convince all the doubters.
Even at the age of two and a half when he was sent to the approval in Verden, he was a striking stallion with that certain something. "As soon as he started to move, all eyes turned to him because of his magnetism", remembers Gisela Klatte about the first time she saw him.
Her
husband, Heinrich Klatte, would have loved to have been able to purchase
the stallion in Verden, but unfortunately he was sold to Westphalia
and his name changed to "Granit".
"My husband was fascinated by Grannus from the very first moment and he talked about him for a long time after the approval. Somehow I think he just had a feeling that this horse would be special someday", said Gisela Klatte. When they heard that the stallion was to be sold as a part of bankruptcy assets, they took the opportunity using very careful tactics since other Oldenburg stallion owners were also interested in acquiring the stallion. Someone else was sent and Heinrich Klatte Sr. was presented as his breeding advisor. This black stallion was supposed to cost DM 60,000 - a lot of money in those days for a young stallion after only one season and not yet tested. Besides that his pedigree papers were also still locked up in a bank safe. But Heinrich Klatte didn't let this daunt him and he brought the stallion back to his station in Lastrup. There he was re-christened with the name "Grannus" since there was already a stallion named "Granit" in Oldenburg. To make sure there are no misunderstandings - the stallion had covered mares in Westphalia for a year under the name "Granit" and he has been listed in the German Riding Federation's data processing system as "Grannus-Granit" ever since.
That was the beginning of a road full of obstacles on the way to becoming a millionaire sire. Straight on, foreseeable - no, that was not the way Grannus' career proceeded. After preliminary approval in Oldenburg - his pedigree papers were still in the bank safe - things got serious in 1976: Grannus went to the stallion performance test in Adelheidsdorf. But, as is sometimes the case with geniuses, he only gave an indication of how clever he was. Grannus didn't make the required time on the race track, part of which went through some woods and could not be seen in all areas. Those were the days of hand-held stop watches. The judges also criticized his technique over the fence - actually what he masters best - saying he let his legs hang. However, they did recognize his outstanding potential. Grannus missed the 90 points necessary to become approved by a small margin. The stallion then became a revolutionary: Klatte decided to fight Oldenburg's 90 point prerequisite in court. The Oldenburg Verband had to back down because the judges decided that a breeding area could not set their own standards above those stipulated by German breeding laws. And so Grannus was approved. The
stallion placed 58th out of 66 stallions with a score of 86.46 points. Breeders
didn't stand in line in front of Grannus box either. Just the opposite: Heinrich Klatte reacted promptly and sent his stallion off to shows, more specifically jumper courses. After Grannus returned from being leased for a season to the St. Ludwig station in Rhineland, Heinrich Klatte's sons, Ulrich and Guido, showed the stallion successfully in classes for young jumpers. It didn't take long before Guido Klatte was saddling the stallion for championships and it seemed that Grannus also wanted to prove what he could do. This couple was soon busy collecting ribbons far away from Lastrup. There seemed to be no limit to what the stallion could jump and many a blue ribbon was attached to his bridle. When he was eight years old he won all three jumping competitions at the DLG and in 1982 he and Guido Klatte took third place at the German Championships for juniors in Bad Segeberg.
Guido has very fond memories of this period. "Grannus was an exceptional horse with a very strong personality and pronounced character. Many people said he was wild and difficult to ride but that wasn't true. In the beginning he wasn't exactly easy but once we got to know each other and he was on my side, he gave me everything he had and would fight to the end. He had talent and was extremely cautious". The 14 year old girl who took care of him when he went to shows said, "Grannus was really very gentle. Sometimes I even slept in his box with him". Now that Grannus was successful, breeders started paying attention and signed up their mares. Grannus often covered mares three times a day and even had to be picked up from shows to fulfill his duties and then return. "He knew his people too and immediately knew whether it was time to be ridden or time to cover mares: on the way to the mares he pranced, showing off by whinnying imperiously and when he was on the way to the indoor he walked like a lamb", Mr. Klatte smiled amusedly. Grannus didn't disappoint his breeders. His very first crop produced the Warendorf State Stud stallion, Gunter, as well as the internationally successful jumpers, Goby and Gigolo. The latter became one of Nelson Pessoa's first class athletes called Moet Imperial. One right after the other, Grannus' off-spring proved their talent at shows. His first great jumper was the Oldenburg, Grand Slam, who won numerous prizes with Nick Skelton.
The
most successful Oldenburg jumper during the 80's was the approved stallion,
Grannenfels, who demonstrated his outstanding class under Peter Weinberg.
Unfortunately, Grannenfels suffered a multiple fracture when he was
only nine, putting an untimely end to his life. All of a sudden, Grannus
had turned into a series producer of international jumpers.
the powerful Golo with Gert Wiltfang - Grannus' children jumped their way to the presentation ceremonies of all the big shows.
By
1990, Grannus had arrived: the annual prize money won by all his off-spring
led the list of all German sires, even in front of the great ones like
the Warendorf State Stud sires, Polydor and Pilot. One-third of his
off-spring in Germany won more than DM 1,000 in prize money. In
the same year, Grannus became a millionaire for the first time, his
off-spring having won over a million DM. Two years later they had won
over two million, in 1996 over three million,
There were also two of Grannus' sons in Sydney, the Oldenburg, Gismo, Spain's entry ridden by Ricardo Jurado and the enormous Remus Equo, ridden by Anton Martin Bauer for Austria.
By
this time Grannus had long become a star sire and his off-spring were
highly prized. Even
though there were more geldings in sports that mares, his daughters
were highly successful in breeding: Burschikose, an Oldenburg mare born
in 1977, received the 1b Prize at the DLG exhibitions in both Hanover
and Munich and in 1982 she became the DLG class winner. Paired with
the Anglo-Norman, Zeus, this elite mare produced not only the Reserve
Champion, Zapateado, who also participated in the German Championships
but also the top priced colt in the 1994 Fall Elite Foal Collection
in Vechta, Zino, who sold for a sensational DM 60,000. At that time,
his full brother, Zeno, was already winning prizes in international
jumping under Christian Ahlmann. Also the blue-eyed, extraterrestrial
looking Weihaiwej who became a double World Champion with Franke Sloothaak
in 1994 in Den Haag had Grannus on her dam's side. Another one honoring
Grannus on his dam's side is For Pleasure, a chestnut stallion with
a strong character who won team gold twice, once with Lars Nieberg Mares
with Thoroughbred bloodlines were a good match for this heavy boned
stallion and if the mares were also good movers, these Grannus off-spring
could even be convincing in the dressage ring. Good Luck, a black stallion
born in 1980, was one of those. He could do a complete Grand Prix program
blindfolded. Grannus's offspring have won an admirable DM 10,000 in
dressage tests - a sum that many a stallion has yet to achieve, no matter
what discipline. "Aggressiveness and a fighting spirit - Grannus
passed that on to all of his off-spring", says Heinrich Klatte
Jr. who took over the station from his father in 1988.
Trained
to advanced level in dressage, Granulit has already sired four approved
sons among which was Get Smart, the spectator's favorite at the 1999
Oldenburg Hengsttage who was auctioned off for DM 200,000. Graf Grannus,
a black Grannus son stationed in Celle has
He
has sent a whole series of off-spring to the jumper championships in
Dobrock where they have won more than DM 120,000. Gio Granno, under
Franke Sloothaak, has plucked one ribbon after the other, winning the
2000 Großer Preis in both Hamburg and Munich, winning nearly DM
100,000 just in the year 2000. Gingerino as well, out of a Shogun xx
dam, who
"This stallion is just like Grannus - not only in appearance but also in character", says Guido Klatte - and he should know because his 14 year old daughter, Alina, successfully presents Gracieux in jumper tests. "When Gracieux is taking a break, Alina gets on him without a saddle and hacks around." That's what Germans mean when they say "strong character". "You
can buy everything here - except my wife, my children, Grannus and Argentinus,"
kidded Heinrich Klatte once. Argentinus, also one of the best sires
in the world with numerous off-spring who have become top international
athletes, was Grannus' greatest enemy. He just hated him down to the
bottom of his soul. He simply knew that he was the exception and defended
his position. "Grannus spent his whole life here in the first box
in
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