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Apardi: “A gorgeous stallion and a true natural athlete”

Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Advertisement by Bluman Equestrian

The Olympic star Apardi is one of the most exciting upcoming breeding stallions in the showjumping world. Ridden by Daniel Bluman, the impressive Apardi competed at the highest level of the sport and performed among the world’s very best. As the full-brother of the incredible Bacardi VDL and the sire of some very promising youngsters, Apardi could be the next top sire in line. “Apardi has got all the ingredients naturally; I did not have to train that, I only had to manage that,” his rider Daniel Bluman explains about the son of Corland.

Apardi was bred by F. van de Linden in Haaren, the Netherlands and as a youngster, he ended up at the renowned VDL Stud. As a 3-year-old, Apardi was spotted by investors from Colombia. “Some friends of mine from Colombia bought Apardi as a young stallion at the VDL Stud,” Daniel Bluman tells. “Their timing was good, since at that time, it was not yet known that Apardi’s dam Supardi would turn out to be so influential. Apardi is the oldest brother of all the successful horses that Supardi later on would produce.”

Early career in Colombia

Apardi, a son of the great Corland out of the Kannan x Jasper mare Supardi, made his move from the Netherlands to Colombia, where he was produced as a sporthorse. At the end of his 7-year-old year, Daniel Bluman took over the reins and began competing the stallion. “After the Olympic Games in London in 2012, I was approached by Apardi’s owners if I could take the ride on him. He had some competition experience up to 1.35m-level and moved to my barn in Wellington.”

From the day Apardi arrived, Bluman was impressed by the strong and tall stallion. “Apardi is a beautiful horse; a gorgeous stallion. He looked like a real athlete with a lot of blood, long legs, and lot of speed in his feet. But also a real hormonal stallion; he had a lot of energy and was loud. All the ingredients were there naturally; I just had to manage his energy,” Bluman says. 

Among the world’s best

After some months of getting Apardi into Bluman’s training program, the work started to pay off. “Our first success was the victory in the final for the 7- and 8-year-old horses in Wellington. In a big and strong field of competitors, Apardi stood out. That year, I took him to some big shows and he was placed several times in the 1.45m classes,” Blumann tells.

In 2014, as a 9-year-old, Apardi stepped up to top level. Apardi was victorious in a CSI5* 1.50m competition at Spruce Meadows, Calgary and jumped his first CSI4* and CSI5* Grand Prix competitions. The highlight of the year was Apardi’s double clear performance in the prestigious CSIO5* Grand Prix of Dublin. “To jump double clear and finish 5th as a 9-year-old in Dublin, was a fantastic performance,” Bluman tells. “And from that year, Apardi had a great career at the highest level.” 

With podium finishes at some of world’s most prestigious venues, like Aachen, Birmingham, Brussels and La Coruña, and a 3rd place in the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Chantilly, Apardi made a name for himself at the top level circuit. At the age of only 11, Apardi competed on the greatest stage of all: The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

Full brother to Bacardi VDL

When you analyse his pedigree, Apardi’s showjumping talent did not come as a surprise. His sire Corland was among the Netherland’s best showjumpers ridden by Wout-Jan van der Schans. In 2001, the wonderful grey stallion and Van der Schans were in the lead going into the final day of the European Championships in Arnhem, and eventually finished in 9th place. In breeding, Corland became one of the leading stallions of his generation, producing Silvana HDC, California, Fardon, VDL Torlando and of course the world-class jumper Bacardi VDL – the full brother of Apardi.

Apardi’s dam Supardi is one of the very best broodmares in the world. Supardi did not only produce superstars Apardi and Bacardi VDL, that was highly successful with Jos Lansink, Janika Sprunger and Edwina Tops-Alexander, but Supardi is also the dam to 1.60m showjumper Dapardie, ridden by Steffen Engfer, the 1.50m jumper Fasupardie and of Apardi’s full sisters Isapardi VDL, that competes at 1.45m level, and the promising Jocardi VDL ridden by Angelie von Essen.

The magic from dam Supardi

“I love this family”, Daniel Bluman emphasizes. “Out of this line they are all jumpers; they might not all be of the same level as Apardi and Bacardi, but they are true sporthorses and they will always make somebody very happy.” 

In addition to his fantastic type and jumping qualities, the pedigree of Apardi definitely lays a great foundation for his breeding career. “With this family behind it, that is where the magic comes from for Apardi. He is suited for a big range of mares, because he combines athleticism and blood with a lot of power and long legs. I have offspring by Apardi out of bigger mares, smaller mares, mares with lots of blood and mares who lack blood, but in general they are all naturally athletic and jump in a great way,” Blumann tells. 

First approved sons

Apardi’s first offspring were born in 2017 and have already made a name for themselves at the various stallion shows and young horse jumping competitions. His talented son Napardi was approved by the KWPN with an excellent score of 84.5 points, including a 9 for scope. More sons of Apardi have been approved by various studbooks, like Aligato Ra Z by sBs and Naughty Boy vd Hagenhorst by AES. His sons Niancard EB and Nobel Rebel-S were both invited for the KWPN Performance Test. 

In his sports career, Apardi stood out for not only his jumping talent, but also for his fantastic appearance and charisma. “As a sporthorse, being a stallion did not always help him though. He was easily distracted and had a lot of energy. Sometimes when I rode him, I wished he was a gelding. But nowadays, if I look at him as a breeding stallion and see his talented offspring coming through, I am very happy that we kept him as a stallion and that his legacy can be continued,” Daniel Bluman concludes. 



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