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This premium stallion is attractive and pleasing in many ways: Kantato is gorgeous with striking markings and three very good basic gaits. His first showing season under Arne van Heel has given cause to high expectations as a sport horse.
Kantato has many good qualities under saddle. He convinces with three good basic gaits and excellent rideability and is a careful jumper with good judgement. A stallion who always wants to please. A stallion who is fun to ride. He is best bred to mares with sufficient frame and blood. Kantato definitely provides the breeders with an interesting alternative.
Stations
Euro 350,- + VAT
plus Euro 250,- + VAT when pregnant
plus Euro 100,- + VAT Foal fee
Euro 350,- + VAT
plus Euro 600,- + VAT when pregnant
Remark
Final registration into Stallion Book I once the remaining performance test points have been achieved.
Sire
The second crop of stallion candidates by Kannan son Keaton I was absolutely impressive. Kantato is from the second crop of Keaton I and represents modern breeding, combining the desired stallion type and athleticism. Three Keaton I sons had been accepted for grading in 2023, all of them have been licensed for breeding, two of them awarded premium status. This result confirms his stud value. At the 2024 grading of the young stallions, Keaton I was one of the most frequent sires again, with three sons accepted for this event.
At the age of five, Keaton I himself shone in young horse jumping classes at M* scoring up to 9.2 and finished sixth in the Warendorf Bundeschampionat. Afterwards, his ride was given to Rolf-Göran Bengtsson who brought him on carefully. By now, Keaton I confirms the great potential he had already shown at a young age in jumping competitions at international level under Arne van Heel. Winning the Grand Prix of Warendorf at 1.50m and a much noticed performance in the Lanaken “Sires of the World” class mark some of the highlights of his sport career so far.
Damline
Kantato is the first licensed son out of Hella BB in the Holsteiner breeding programme. She is also dam to Nubia BB (by Keaton), the first reserve champion of the 2023 Holsteiner elite mare show at Elmshorn. The produce of the second dam, Belinna BB, includes the full siblings BB Graziella, a successful sport horse up to 1.30m level and the licensed Casall son Cocomax.
The third dam, BB Viola, was successfully shown up to 1.40m level by Niklaus Schurtenberger (SUI) and the fourth dam is none other than BB Corlanda by Cor de la Bryère, a full sister to Corland, who collected wins and placings up to 1.60m level under the saddle of Willi Melliger (SUI). Responsible for the successes of the recent dam line is Manfred Birchler from Switzerland, who had purchased the mare Corlanda from Prof. Dr. Hartwig Schmidt and then paved the way for her sport horse career.
Kantato’s bloodline has as much as three ties to this performance mare family, through Contendro I and II and his dam’s family 104A. This mare family was made famous in particular by unforgotten mare Retina and Fritz Thiedemann (GER), but also by Corradina with Carsten-Otto Nagel (GER). Several licensed stallions such as Capitano (by Corporal), Caretano (by Caretino), Contendro I+II (by Contender) and Corland (by Cor de la Bryere) have also come from mare family 104A.
Own Performance of Kantato
Arne van Heel and Kantato delivered markedly good results – the second best of the entire group – in the short ability assessment in Vechta in early 2025, as Kantato was given the jumping weighted final mark 8.63. He received a sub score of 8.8 as much as three times, on jumping ability, rideability and willingness to perform. Arne van Heel presented the four-year-old to the best advantage. “The stallion presented himself in the very best light”, the judges commented. “The good judgement shown over the jump was already impressive in the free jumping, and he demonstrated brilliant jumping ability and rideability under the rider, as well”, they said. Kantato placed in young horse classes at A* and A** in his first showing season.
