December 16, 2005 – St-Hilaire, QC – The American Holsteiner Horse Association (AHHA) recently approved Bratt Z, a 2001 chestnut Zangersheide stallion, making him the first Canadian-owned stallion to be approved by the AHHA in more than a decade.

Standing at Southshore Farm outside of Montreal, Bratt Z brings the two of Europe’s best bloodlines, Baloubet du Rouet and Capitol I, to Canada. He is a licensed Oldenburg stallion that has also been approved by the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeder Association (CWHBA). At the CWHBA stallion testing in 2004, Bratt Z received a score of 10 for his free jumping ability, becoming the first stallion to ever receive a perfect score. At this year’s AHHA stallion inspection, he once again repeated this incredible feat, earning scores of 9/10, 9/10 and 10/10 for his free jumping ability.

Bred in The Netherlands, Bratt Z was purchased as a two-year-old by Francis Berger and Laurie Bucci, owners of Southshore Farm.

“I was there to buy a nice young horse prospect for Laurie to develop, not to buy a stallion,” says Berger, the Quebec Equestrian Federation’s 1999 Trainer of the Year. “But when I saw him free jumping, I recognized that he was a tremendous athlete. For Bratt Z to receive perfect scores from both the AHHA and the CWHBA is very rewarding, and proves that he is an excellent jumper.

Bratt Z’s outstanding athleticism comes as no surprise given his impressive breeding. His sire, Baloubet du Rouet, won three consecutive World Cup Final titles as well as the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal under Rodrigo Pessoa. Bratt Z’s dam, Manni, is by the famous Holsteiner stallion, Capitol I, who sired six of the horses competing in show jumping at the Athens Olympics, making him the best-represented sire. Well-known sons of Capitol I include Dobel`s Cento, Calato, Cassini I, Carthago Z, and Indoctro, who are not only recognized for their own impressive competition results but for producing international calibre offspring as well.

“Bratt Z represents the best of both worlds,” maintains Berger. “He has all the athletic ability of Baloubet du Rouet and the temperament of Capitol I, whose offspring are good in their minds. He is one of the best horses we have worked with.”

Bratt Z will travel to Wellington, FL, this winter where Bucci competes on the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit. In the summer, Bratt Z will begin competing in the Five-Year-Old Division for Young Horses. In 2001, Bucci won the $10,000 Five-Year-Old National Championship at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show riding Z Girl, and it is a title she and Berger would love to capture again with Bratt Z.

Bucci, an international show jumping competitor, is a past North American Young Riders’ Championship Individual Gold Medallist now competing at the Grand Prix level. In 2005, she enjoyed impressive results including a third place finish riding Catesko in the $100,000 World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix held in Palgrave, ON, and victory in the $25,000 Desjardins Challenge at this year’s CSI-W Blainville International aboard Lalelu.

With approximately 70 horses, Southshore Farm has its own breeding program and offers a riding school for those just getting their start in the sport. Berger and Bucci concentrate on training and coaching clients for success in the hunter and jumper rings.

For more information, please visit www.southshorefarm.net or call (514) 924-4035.