Summary

Grannus - not just a name but a symbol, a trademark. A symbol of a potent individual with an aura only a very few are blessed with.

With a lifetime total of well over five million DM so far, the off-spring of this glossy black Hanoverian stallion which include seven Olympic horses and more than 60 approved stallions, have made him one of the greatest sires in the world. Just as powerful as his inheritance is, his end was just as spectacular. In full view of several thousand spectators at Klatte's 1993 Stallion Presentation in Vechta, the heart of the Oldenburg breeding area, the 21 year old muscle man suddenly fell to the ground - the last breath of an equine personality
seldom seen.



"Grannus always caught your eye, he knew how to present himself and he really came to life when people were watching him", remembers Gisela Klatte, the senior owner of the tradition-rich, Klatte Stallion Station in Lastrup. When things were quiet in the stables early afternoon, Grannus dozed peacefully in his box. But as soon as he heard a visitor arrive, his ears would prick and he would start to whinny like he owned the place and kick the walls of his stable - as if he were trying to call attention and saying
"here I am - I'm the one you want to see!"



St.Pr.St. Odessa - Mother of Grannus

Grannus was State Premium Odessa's second foal. This mare by the Trakehner stallion, Ozean, who won his stallion performance test, was purchased as a filly in 1967 by Grannus' breeder, Mr. Ludwig Decker, who had been looking for a mare from the Gitta family which goes all the way back to the founding dam, Klaseta, who was born in 1921. Odessa, who had excellent jumper bloodlines in her pedigree by the great Gotthard, presented him with 15 foals, the last one born when she was 22 years old. That is impressive proof of fertility! Who would have thought that the beautiful black colt with the nicely drawn blaze, two white socks and very bright eyes that lay next to her would someday become a world class sire. Someday … it took a very long time for the qualities of this Graphit son to convince all the doubters.


Graphit - Father of Grannus

Even at the age of two and a half when he was sent to the approval in Verden, he was a striking stallion with that certain something. "As soon as he started to move, all eyes turned to him because of his magnetism", remembers Gisela Klatte about the first time she saw him.


Grannus - 3,5 years

Her husband, Heinrich Klatte, would have loved to have been able to purchase the stallion in Verden, but unfortunately he was sold to Westphalia and his name changed to "Granit".
But Klatte never forgot this stallion who only started to really jump if the fences were
high enough.


Grannus - 14 years

"My husband was fascinated by Grannus from the very first moment and he talked about him for a long time after the approval. Somehow I think he just had a feeling that this horse would be special someday", said Gisela Klatte. When they heard that the stallion was to be sold as a part of bankruptcy assets, they took the opportunity using very careful tactics since other Oldenburg stallion owners were also interested in acquiring the stallion. Someone else was sent and Heinrich Klatte Sr. was presented as his breeding advisor. This black stallion was supposed to cost DM 60,000 - a lot of money in those days for a young stallion after only one season and not yet tested. Besides that his pedigree papers were also still locked up in a bank safe. But Heinrich Klatte didn't let this daunt him and he brought the stallion back to his station in Lastrup. There he was re-christened with the name "Grannus" since there was already a stallion named "Granit" in Oldenburg. To make sure there are no misunderstandings - the stallion had covered mares in Westphalia for a year under the name "Granit" and he has been listed in the German Riding Federation's data processing system as "Grannus-Granit" ever since.


Heinrich Klatte sen. with Grannus

That was the beginning of a road full of obstacles on the way to becoming a millionaire sire. Straight on, foreseeable - no, that was not the way Grannus' career proceeded. After preliminary approval in Oldenburg - his pedigree papers were still in the bank safe - things got serious in 1976: Grannus went to the stallion performance test in Adelheidsdorf. But, as is sometimes the case with geniuses, he only gave an indication of how clever he was. Grannus didn't make the required time on the race track, part of which went through some woods and could not be seen in all areas. Those were the days of hand-held stop watches. The judges also criticized his technique over the fence - actually what he masters best - saying he let his legs hang. However, they did recognize his outstanding potential. Grannus missed the 90 points necessary to become approved by a small margin. The stallion then became a revolutionary: Klatte decided to fight Oldenburg's 90 point prerequisite in court. The Oldenburg Verband had to back down because the judges decided that a breeding area could not set their own standards above those stipulated by German breeding laws. And so Grannus was approved.

The stallion placed 58th out of 66 stallions with a score of 86.46 points.
Was he just a plain average horse after all that could not fulfill the expectations that had
been placed in him? Had Mr. Klatte been blinded by Grannus' silky black coat? Hardly.
This horseman was still convinced and he stood Grannus at his breeding station.

Breeders didn't stand in line in front of Grannus box either. Just the opposite:
in his first breeding season in Oldenburg in 1976, Grannus covered a mere 30 mares - naturally, of course. In those days artificial insemination was not yet common practice.
And after the first foals were born the following year, the merciless voices of critics rang, "Much too small". It didn't take long before Grannus had the reputation of a "pony maker"
- a devastating verdict.

Heinrich Klatte reacted promptly and sent his stallion off to shows, more specifically jumper courses. After Grannus returned from being leased for a season to the St. Ludwig station in Rhineland, Heinrich Klatte's sons, Ulrich and Guido, showed the stallion successfully in classes for young jumpers. It didn't take long before Guido Klatte was saddling the stallion for championships and it seemed that Grannus also wanted to prove what he could do. This couple was soon busy collecting ribbons far away from Lastrup. There seemed to be no limit to what the stallion could jump and many a blue ribbon was attached to his bridle. When he was eight years old he won all three jumping competitions at the DLG and in 1982 he and Guido Klatte took third place at the German Championships for juniors in Bad Segeberg.


Grannus under Guido Klatte

Guido has very fond memories of this period. "Grannus was an exceptional horse with a very strong personality and pronounced character. Many people said he was wild and difficult to ride but that wasn't true. In the beginning he wasn't exactly easy but once we got to know each other and he was on my side, he gave me everything he had and would fight to the end. He had talent and was extremely cautious". The 14 year old girl who took care of him when he went to shows said, "Grannus was really very gentle. Sometimes I even slept in his box with him".

Now that Grannus was successful, breeders started paying attention and signed up their mares. Grannus often covered mares three times a day and even had to be picked up from shows to fulfill his duties and then return. "He knew his people too and immediately knew whether it was time to be ridden or time to cover mares: on the way to the mares he pranced, showing off by whinnying imperiously and when he was on the way to the indoor he walked like a lamb", Mr. Klatte smiled amusedly.

Grannus didn't disappoint his breeders. His very first crop produced the Warendorf State Stud stallion, Gunter, as well as the internationally successful jumpers, Goby and Gigolo. The latter became one of Nelson Pessoa's first class athletes called Moet Imperial. One right after the other, Grannus' off-spring proved their talent at shows. His first great jumper was the Oldenburg, Grand Slam, who won numerous prizes with Nick Skelton.


Grand Slam under Nick Skelton
from Grannus / Equador xx

The most successful Oldenburg jumper during the 80's was the approved stallion, Grannenfels, who demonstrated his outstanding class under Peter Weinberg. Unfortunately, Grannenfels suffered a multiple fracture when he was only nine, putting an untimely end to his life. All of a sudden, Grannus had turned into a series producer of international jumpers.
For example the bright chestnut, Grannusch, who won the highest pursed jumping competition in the world at Calgary in 1994, Jan Tops ace, Top Gun,


Top Gun under Jan Topps
from Grannus / Winnetou

the powerful Golo with Gert Wiltfang - Grannus' children jumped their way to the presentation ceremonies of all the big shows.


Golo under Gerd Wiltfang
from Grannus / Aalfänger

By 1990, Grannus had arrived: the annual prize money won by all his off-spring led the list of all German sires, even in front of the great ones like the Warendorf State Stud sires, Polydor and Pilot. One-third of his off-spring in Germany won more than DM 1,000 in prize money.
At that time, no other stallion had as many top horses in international jumping as he did.

In the same year, Grannus became a millionaire for the first time, his off-spring having won over a million DM. Two years later they had won over two million, in 1996 over three million,
in 1998 over four, and today they have won well over five million DM. In 1992 he joined the elite group of sires whose off-spring took part in the Olympic Games. Three of his sons started at the same time in Barcelona - Top Gun, Imperial and Govenor. And of course not without a medal: Top Gun with Jan Tops was a big help for the Dutch team's gold medal.
In Atlanta two Grannus off-spring took part - Top Gun for his second Olympic Games and Gaston, the winner of the 1989 German Championships in the class for six year olds, ridden for Italy by Valerio Sozzi.


Gaston
from Grannus / Wohlgemut

There were also two of Grannus' sons in Sydney, the Oldenburg, Gismo, Spain's entry ridden by Ricardo Jurado and the enormous Remus Equo, ridden by Anton Martin Bauer for Austria.


Remus Equo under Anton Martin Bauer
from Grannus / Wohlgemut

By this time Grannus had long become a star sire and his off-spring were highly prized.
At the 1993 Spring Auction in Vechta Uwe Heckmann's tiny rosewood hammer finally knocked down at DM 390,000 for the Grannus-Futuro son, Gameboy. The genes of this Hanoverian stallion were prized the world over and he was approved practically everywhere: France, Denmark, the American warmblood associations, Switzerland and the Netherlands - this radiant black stallion has left his mark everywhere.

Even though there were more geldings in sports that mares, his daughters were highly successful in breeding: Burschikose, an Oldenburg mare born in 1977, received the 1b Prize at the DLG exhibitions in both Hanover and Munich and in 1982 she became the DLG class winner. Paired with the Anglo-Norman, Zeus, this elite mare produced not only the Reserve Champion, Zapateado, who also participated in the German Championships but also the top priced colt in the 1994 Fall Elite Foal Collection in Vechta, Zino, who sold for a sensational DM 60,000. At that time, his full brother, Zeno, was already winning prizes in international jumping under Christian Ahlmann. Also the blue-eyed, extraterrestrial looking Weihaiwej who became a double World Champion with Franke Sloothaak in 1994 in Den Haag had Grannus on her dam's side. Another one honoring Grannus on his dam's side is For Pleasure, a chestnut stallion with a strong character who won team gold twice, once with Lars Nieberg
in 1996 and again with Markus Ehning in 2000.

Mares with Thoroughbred bloodlines were a good match for this heavy boned stallion and if the mares were also good movers, these Grannus off-spring could even be convincing in the dressage ring. Good Luck, a black stallion born in 1980, was one of those. He could do a complete Grand Prix program blindfolded. Grannus's offspring have won an admirable DM 10,000 in dressage tests - a sum that many a stallion has yet to achieve, no matter what discipline. "Aggressiveness and a fighting spirit - Grannus passed that on to all of his off-spring", says Heinrich Klatte Jr. who took over the station from his father in 1988.
They really weren't horses for just any rider - they were very self-assured and bursting with energy. One of the things they were absolutely not: uniform in exterior - they didn't all look
the same. From the enormous Golo - well over 18 hands - who collected ribbons with Gerd Wiltfang, all the way to the tiny Top Gun, Grannus' off-spring came in every size. They also came in every color. As the only black horse by his sire, Graphit, he gave his off-spring practically every shade possible: bright and chestnut like Grannusch, sparkling white like Nobelmann and the advanced class winner, Gingerino, brown like Franke Sloothaak's Gio Granno, or black like himself and Top Gun.



Gio Granno under Franke Sloothaak
from Grannus / Ramino


Sixty two of his sons have been approved by the various warmblood breeding associations. The first was the Warendorf State Stud sire, Gunter, whose off-spring have won DM 240,656 in total. Then there were stallions such as the 1988 approval winner, Gervantus, whose off-spring have already won more than DM 140,000, or his full brother, Gervantus II, who has been successful in advanced level jumping with Urs Fäh in Switzerland. The gray Hessian stallion, Granulit, who radiates the same presence his father had, won not only the 1996 stallion performance test but also beat all of his Oldenburg competitorsfor the Main Premium which is awarded on the basis of his own performance and the evaluation of his first crop.


Granulit

Trained to advanced level in dressage, Granulit has already sired four approved sons among which was Get Smart, the spectator's favorite at the 1999 Oldenburg Hengsttage who was auctioned off for DM 200,000. Graf Grannus, a black Grannus son stationed in Celle has
sired 17 approved sons and also achieved the optimum in his first crop - the 1995 winner
of the Verden approvals, Golden Champ.


Graf Grannus

He has sent a whole series of off-spring to the jumper championships in Dobrock where they have won more than DM 120,000. Gio Granno, under Franke Sloothaak, has plucked one ribbon after the other, winning the 2000 Großer Preis in both Hamburg and Munich, winning nearly DM 100,000 just in the year 2000. Gingerino as well, out of a Shogun xx dam, who
has also won more than one Großer Preis, won the 1998 Euregio Stallion Championships
in Denekamp, Netherlands. Many of Grannus' sons have reached the finals at German Championships, including the two chestnut stallions, Grasco and Granius, who were both bred according to a tried and true old Klatte recipe using an Argentinus dam. Grannus is
also represented in Warendorf by the Westphalian brand stallions, Golden Game and Gastello. The off-spring most like his father is the black Gracieux.


Gracieux

"This stallion is just like Grannus - not only in appearance but also in character", says Guido Klatte - and he should know because his 14 year old daughter, Alina, successfully presents Gracieux in jumper tests. "When Gracieux is taking a break, Alina gets on him without a saddle and hacks around." That's what Germans mean when they say "strong character".

"You can buy everything here - except my wife, my children, Grannus and Argentinus," kidded Heinrich Klatte once. Argentinus, also one of the best sires in the world with numerous off-spring who have become top international athletes, was Grannus' greatest enemy. He just hated him down to the bottom of his soul. He simply knew that he was the exception and defended his position. "Grannus spent his whole life here in the first box in
the stallion stables - and if another stallion came too close he was immediately ready to
fight, laying his ears back and baring his teeth", remembers Heinrich Klatte. With his dominating character Grannus was a member of the Klatte family like no other.
"Our apprentices could easily lead him around the farm - but look out if he knew he had spectators." That's exactly what he did on January 31, 1993 at Klatte's stallion presentation. Bursting with energy and whinnying imperiously, he pranced into the arena. Grannus seemed to know it was his farewell parade - and he knew what was expected of him. So he set himself in scene and challenged the spectators to clap. "Another round" the people cried.
"I felt kind of bad", says Gisela Klatte, remembering Grannus' last minutes. I kept thinking, "poor old stallion - so much stress". And as if she were reading his mind - on his way out he started to falter, stumbled, fell as if he had been hit by lightening and was immediately dead. Grannus' last breath was taken in front of 4,000 spectators and within seconds he had become an unforgettable legend. "A main sire personality with that special class and a jumper maker like no other" were the words used by Oldenburg's auctioneer and approval committee member, Uwe Heckmann, to describe this black stallion. He couldn't have summed it up better.

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