Merlot VDL

Promising Son of Bordeaux

Merlot VDL

Merlot VDL, from VDL Stud and Saskia van Musscher, is an exceptional dressage stallion who is now eight years old. Bred by the Klinkhamer family in Sleen, he was a top performer at the KWPN performance test as a four-year-old, scoring 85.5 points. He further developed under Bart Veeze, and as a five-year-old he went to Femke de Laat, with whom he won the stallion competition in the Z/ZZ class. Merlot VDL combines a proven sire line with the renowned Landsvrouw dam line, offering breeders a unique blend of genetic quality, movement, and character.

His sire, Bordeaux, is a proven Grand Prix stallion, combining the genes of United with top sires like Gribaldi, Donnerhall, and Rousseau. His grandsire Florencio I is known for producing Grand Prix-level offspring, while his great-grandsire Vivaldi gained international fame with progeny such as Dream Boy, Desperado N.O.P., and Cennin. Merlot’s dam line is equally impressive: his dam Hyacinth-Vrouwe is a provisional keur mare from the preferent Dolce Vita Vrouwe, also dam of the KWPN-approved stallion Incognito. His great-great-granddam Mimosavrouwe produced Glock’s Undercover N.O.P., Edward Gal’s top dressage horse and medal winner at the Olympics and European Championships.

Merlot VDL is currently stabled with Dinja van Liere, under whose guidance he is being further trained and competed in the higher sport. This is a very promising combination.

Merlot VDL stands out for his charming presence, elasticity, and expressive gaits, combined with excellent rideability and a fantastic temperament. His foals are complete and correct, with three good gaits and lots of suppleness, including notable offspring like Saillant and Riddle, who have already achieved success in inspections and championships.

By combining pedigree, movement, and character in a single stallion, Merlot VDL is a valuable asset for any dressage breeding program.

Approved by KWPN and Oldenburg

WFFS negative / not a carrier of the gene

Stud fee

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