It was a German who manned up and saved the day for the breeding program at the Swedish State Stud in Flyinge when the funds from Swedish state regulated gambling money dried out.
Paul Schockemöhle and partners are placing five stallions in Sweden; all of them approved by the Swedish warmblood society (SWB), and will make his whole stud book available to Flyinge's client base. This means that Swedish breeders can continue to use Flyinge for covering their mares in 2012 and perhaps some of the staff will have employment during the next season.
Breeding manager Karl-Henrik Heimdahl is more than positive. He is very content with the solution after a very volatile autumn. "We can cooperate with one of the world's leading stallion agents; this is good for our customers as well as Swedish warmblood breeding with availability to new international bloodlines," Heimdahl stated.
Paul Schockemöhle expresses his hopes on a common alliance to build a greater network of contacts and clients in order to develop the equestrian business in Sweden. The first firm action for that is bringing more advanced technology for insemination to Flyinge, certainly a benefit for the customers. In March there will be the first visible co-operation in terms of a stallion show.
In Sweden the news is welcomed with both praise and worries. Praise comes from breeders, mare owners and others with an interest for more international breeding. These are the same people who saw in shock that the Swedish warmblood society excluded the Oldenburger Verband as a pre-accepted studbook from the Swedish studbook.
Concern comes from the private stallion owners, who benefited a great deal from a closed down breeding business at Flyinge, and the traditionalists with a need to preserve the old Swedish blood lines.
At present the chairman of SWB, Per Lundberg, who has played a part in the downsizing process being the SWB representative on the board of the Flyinge foundation, is taking a very positive approach. He states that Schockemöhle and partners only will market stallions approved within SWB, a statement that is contradicted in Flyinge ABs own press release in which it declares Schockemohle's whole stallion roster will be available to Swedish customers
The SWB changed location back to Flyinge's premises earlier this year, after moving out some years earlier as a mark of independence.
by Kim Lundin
Related Link
Flyinge State Stud Under Threat