Whenever athleticism, determination and ability come together, his name is being mentioned more and more often: Keaton HV. The son of Kannan-Contendro I has worked his way up to international level over the past few months with Arne van Heel (NED).
The stallion was born in 2016 at Rudolf Schmitt’s stud in Wesselburen. His pedigree is rooted in the successful line 4847. The bay stallion was awarded premium status at his licensing, and he completed his performance test as one of the best, achieving a final mark of 9.06 with a strong emphasis on jumping. With Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE), Keaton achieved his first international successes up to 1.45 metres, before Arne van Heel took over his training around a year ago.

Since then, the pair have grown into a truly dream team. At the German Show Jumping Derby in Hamburg this spring, they first attracted international attention with their fifth place in the championship. This was followed by fifth place in the overall standings at the Dutch Championships in Deurne, marking their first placings over 1.60 metres. This consistency in performance did not go unnoticed by the Dutch national coach, Wout-Jan van der Schans, and as a result, Arne van Heel and Keaton have now been nominated several times to compete in Nations Cups. Their third place in the Grand Prix of Šamorín in mid-July over 1.55 metres impressively underlines the pair’s outstanding form.

But Keaton is making his mark not only on the show jumping course. He is also enjoying growing popularity as a sire. His licensed son Kantato (MV. Casall) is five years old and has qualified for the National Championships – incidentally, Arne van Heel is also in the saddle on him.

Photo: Janne Bugtrup