ES SIR CALETTO
1995 Imported 16.3 Grey Stallion
Sandro x Caletto I x Wienerwald
Elite Hanoverian Stallion & Our Foundation Sire
View current Sir Caletto offspring below
Stallion Highlights
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Sir Caletto’s pedigree includes the direct combination of two successful international show jumping stallions, sire Sandro and dam’s sire Caletto I. Both stallions join the elite lineup of Holsteiner stallions considered worthy of being accepted and even welcomed into the Hanoverian breeding registry. Please read more about his origin below.
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Sir Caletto is approved for breeding by five registries: Hanoverian, ISR NA, Oldenburg (German), Swedish and NA/WPN Dutch Hunter.
Sir Caletto completed his hundred-day test in Medingen in 1999 with a score of 106.63, scoring 10 for jumping ability, technique and style and a 9.17 on freejumping, 8.0 on willingness to work and 7.0 for character and temperament. He was Champion of the jumping portion of his 100 Day Test with an index of 133.37.
Sir Caletto is Hanoverian hip branded and was approved by the Verband Hannoverscher Warmblutzuchter on February 9, 2002.
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Sir Caletto, in 2000, was declared the Winner of the Young Hanoverian Jumper Championships at Dobrock, Germany (including mares, stallions and geldings) and was a Bundeschampionate Qualifier in 2000. Platina, Sir Caletto’s great grand dam, is also the great grand dam of Rickmer by Ritual (a privately owned stallion) who in 1993 also won the Dobrock Championships.
Last-Half Reserve Champion, Regular Working Hunters, 2004 Indio Desert Circuit
Champion, Regular Working Hunters, 2004 Indio Desert Circuit Week IV
Mid-Circuit Reserve Champion, Regular Working Hunters, 2004 Indio Desert Circuit
Reserve Champion, Regular Working Hunters, 2004 Indio Desert Circuit Week III
Champion, Regular Working Hunters, 2004 Horse & Hound, Rancho Murieta, CA
Norcal Champion, Regular Working Hunter, 2004 Horse & Hound, Rancho Murieta
Champion, 2nd Year Green Hunters, 2004 Horse & Hound, Rancho Murieta
Norcal Champion, 2nd Year Green Hunters, 2004 Horse & Hound, Rancho Murieta
Champion, 1st Year Green Hunters, Pebble Beach Classic “A2” Show, May 2002
Winner, $1,000 Magnum Hunter Challenge, 2002 Pebble Beach Classic “A2” Show
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ORIGIN
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ORIGIN ʊ
Sandro is one of those rare sires whose own career, genetic prepotency, and long-term influence all line up. When you see Sandro in a pedigree, it signals rideability with ambition—a horse bred not just to move, but to perform and to reproduce performers.
The Sandro Legacy
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Sandro was not a “theory stallion.” He proved himself in sport, competing successfully at FEI Grand Prix dressage. His career showcased:
Elastic, uphill movement with exceptional shoulder freedom
A strong, correct canter—the engine of upper-level dressage
Trainability and mental generosity, allowing him to progress through the levels
This matters because Sandro’s results validated that his brilliance translated beyond the breeding shed. His Grand Prix record underlined soundness, durability, and a mind capable of sustained work.
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Across generations, Sandro became known for stamping offspring with a very specific, valuable package:
Rideability first – cooperative, intelligent horses that want to work
Modern elasticity – swing through the back, expressive but usable gaits
Uphill balance – a natural tendency toward self-carriage
Refinement without fragility – elegance paired with substance
This is why Sandro blood is prized not only by professionals, but by serious amateurs aiming for the top.
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Sandro’s true legacy may be his extraordinary influence as a sire of sires, anchoring one of the most dominant modern dressage lines:
Sandro Hit – arguably the most influential dressage sire of the last 30 years
Sir Donnerhall I & II – blending Sandro brilliance with Donnerhall substance
Sunny-Boy, Sandro Song, San Amour – refinement, expression, and FEI quality
Sir Caletto-elegance, rhythmic step-jump, smooth canter, expressive trot
In pedigrees, Sandro often appears as:
A corrective influence for heavier or conservative mare lines
A quality amplifier, adding brilliance without losing work ethic
A modernizing agent, pulling older bloodlines forward into current sport type
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When Sandro appears in a pedigree, it quietly says:
This horse is expected to be rideable, expressive, mentally present, and capable of real sport. He adds credibility, market confidence, and long-term breeding value—not hype, but proven influence.
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Sandro contributes performance-tested brilliance with brains. He is the kind of stallion breeders return to when they want elegance that lasts, movement that can be ridden, and a pedigree that holds up under the scrutiny of both sport and time
Caletto I - Legacy of a Transformational Sire
The decision to anchor Silverhorne bloodlines around this legacy—via Sir Caletto—aligns squarely with how the best European programs preserve intellectual capital, not just genetic material. Caletto I stands as one of the most consequential stallions in modern European sporthorse breeding, particularly within the Holsteiner Verband. His influence reshaped not only Holstein’s jumper program, but also how breeders worldwide think about rideability, refinement, and inherited athletic intelligence.
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Caletto I (1975–1992)
Holsteiner stallion
Sire: Cor de la Bryère (Corde) — the single most influential refining sire in Holstein history
Dam: Deka by Capitol I — anchoring power, scope, and soundness
This combination was revolutionary. Cor de la Bryère brought elasticity, reflexes, and sensitivity; Capitol I delivered raw scope, bone, and durability. Caletto I became one of the cleanest expressions of that blend—neither extreme, but extraordinarily functional. At a time when Holstein breeding risked becoming too heavy and powerful, Caletto I represented balance.
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Caletto I competed successfully at 1.40 m, but his own show record is not why history remembers him. In Germany—unlike the U.S.—stallion value is assessed collectively:
Licensing commissions
Mare base response
Progeny testing
competition results across hundreds of offspring
Caletto I’s reputation was built not by hype, but by repeatable outcomes.
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Caletto I became one of Holstein’s most reliable improvers.
Notable Sons:
Caletto II – extremely influential sire of jumpers and breeding horses
Calvaro Z – international Grand Prix jumper and elite sire
Caretino (through daughters and sons) – foundation of modern Holsteiner jumping blood
Cantus descendants – via Caletto-line mares
Through Daughters:
Perhaps even more important than his sons:
Caletto I daughters became cornerstone broodmares
Known for producing horses with mind, reflexes, and longevity
Frequently crossed with heavier or sharper stallions to stabilize temperament
This is where Caletto I’s blood truly became priceless—and scarce.
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Across decades of data, breeders noted extraordinary consistency:
Jumping intelligence – horses that read the fence
Careful technique – quick front end, efficient bascule
Rideable sensitivity – responsive without being fragile
Longevity – soundness over long careers
Trainability – suitable for professionals and serious amateurs
He did not produce freakishly spectacular youngsters. He produced correct, usable athletes—the kind that win over time.
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Unlike some fashionable sires, Caletto I was never overused indiscriminately. His blood remained:
Concentrated in elite mare families
Carefully deployed within Holstein
Gradually diluted as breeding trends chased extremes
By the time breeders realized how irreplaceable his mental and structural balance was, true Caletto I mares were nearly impossible to find—a point you’ve touched on directly in our own breeding philosophy. This rarity elevated the bloodline from respected to mythic.
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The analogy to Beaujolais Nouveau / vin de primeur is apt. In Germany:
Stallions are presented early
Young horses are evaluated publicly
Word spreads through performance fields, not advertisements
Caletto I’s reputation traveled village to village, ring to ring, breeder to breeder—long before the age of digital promotion. He became “proven” not because someone said so, but because everyone kept seeing the same results.
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In modern sport-horse breeding—especially as programs recalibrate away from nervous, hyper-reactive types—Caletto I’s legacy has resurged as a corrective force. He represents:
Trust in breeder judgment
Respect for heritable temperament
Prioritization of partnership over flash
VIDEO GALLERY
Indio W/ Hap Hansen R1
Hunter Round with Diane Yeager
Indio W/ Hap Hansen R2
2000 Bundeschampionate Jumper Championships
Free Jumping
