Andalusian Horse breeder - part 2

Neither Francois nor Dania Boettcher Roux had plans to be an Andalusian horse breeder. Their plans were centred around restoring the historical Chateau des Artigues in Medoc, France.

Chateau des Artigues, a semi-ruin in the southeast of France, had stood empty since the second world war.

When Francois and Dania bought it in 1999, what faced them was a beautiful old dwelling, gently falling to pieces under the blackberry bushes that covered it.

They painstakingly began the restoration, and after a year and a half of hard work were able to move into a part of the house. Francois, Product Development Director in the papermaking industry, travels a lot, and Dania was responsible for the everyday work in the rebuilding of the house.

Don Carlos Boettcher, Dania's uncle, recognised the same heart for a vision that had energised him for forty years. Impressed by the courage and results his niece and her husband were achieving, he saw a fresh opportunity for an andalusian horse breeder to present the particular line of spanish horses he knew so well.

In February of 2002, when Dania and Francois were visiting him in his home in Gran Canarias, he presented them with his unquenched passion for the andalusian horse.

Spain and Germany had been his fields of work. Now he asked them to take the vision back with them and begin breeding, with that same line of horses, in France.

Despite the fact that the idea of breeding andalusian horses had not been part of their plans, they agreed almost without hesitation.

Don Carlos immediately flew with the couple to Madrid and bought back his beautiful broodmare, Melosa XIII, a Romero Benitez cerrado - closed.

2 months after arriving at the Chateau des Artigues, Melosa gave birth to the beginnning of the Andalusian renaissance in Medoc - Oceano des Artigues, the first to be named of the stud

Fathered by Lotero II, champion at Ecumad in 1994, Oceano has gone on to win at the Championnat de France des Pure Race Espagnole 2004 - silver in movements, and bronze in total in his class.

Early days for these Pura Raza Española horses in France, and Chateau des Artigues still had no resident stallion. For her next covering, Melosa XIII was taken to Festejado VI, a Hierro de Bocado cerrado.

and in May 2003, Poseido des Artigues was born.

Poseido is now for sale. Click here for details.

Before his death in 2004, Don Carlos was able to see his stallions, Gorrion G1 and Sevillano XIV, return to his family.

Francois and Dania are now combining their work of restoring the Chateau des Artigues, with sustaining D. Carlos' dream and furthering the presence of Spanish Horses in France.

Gorrion demonstrates the ideals pursued by the breeding program of Chateau des Artigues - horses mentally and physically capable of reaching the heights of competitive dressage.

Gorrion gained a championship and 2 vice-championships in the Championnat de France Functionality, and is rising rapidly in the discipline of classical dressage.

Gorrion:

• vice-Champion functionality 2003 - overall 3rd place ( bronze)
  
• Champion de France functionality 2004
  
• vice-Champion functionality 2005.
  

Gorrion finished his first season among the 100 best dressage horses in France. In La Baule, out of 4 tests, he took 3 first places and one second, (competing with german, dutch, french and portugese horses.)

The regional judge Charles Toupin commented that 'Gorrion is one of the few horses that can easily go above the bar of 75%'.

Gorrion's results can be seen on the site of FFE competitions.

Fully inscribed and registered, covering for stud, and currently ranked among the best 85 dressage horses in France, he is living evidence of the versatility and superb nature of the Purebred Spanish Horse.