Blue Hors Kingston arrived in Denmark as a breath of fresh air, bringing performance-strong bloodlines not yet widespread in Danish dressage breeding. His true justification as a breeding stallion, however, lies in his extraordinary talent as a dressage horse.
He was licensed with KWPN in 2018 and that same year passed the KWPN 50-day test in Ermelo with an outstanding result, finishing second overall in dressage. He achieved a total score of 85.5 points with marks of 8.5 for walk, 8.5 for trot, 8.5 for canter, 8.5 for suppleness, 8.5 for posture and balance, 8.5 for dressage aptitude, and 9 for rideability and willingness to work.
In the official test report, the KWPN judges described Kingston as an honest and reliable stallion with great drive and a very good attitude:
“The stallion is very willing to work and responds well to the rider’s aids. The walk is pure, active, and spacious. The trot shows good mechanics and scope with active hindlegs and good carrying ability. The canter is powerful, uphill, spacious, and with good balance. Kingston moves with excellent suppleness and very good posture and balance. As a dressage horse, Kingston shows great to very great talent and gives his rider a very good feeling.”
In April 2019, Kingston was licensed in Danish Warmblood at Vilhelmsborg with a highly positive description. As a 5-year-old, he achieved an impressive 95.40 points at the Danish Equestrian Federation’s dressage championship qualifier, with scores of 9 for walk, 9.2 for canter, 9.5 for rideability, 9.5 for capacity, and a perfect 10 for trot.
“Kingston is a very intelligent horse with a positive attitude. His highlights right now are his canter and walk, while his trot will become even more spectacular in the future as it develops and strengthens further,” says Nanna Skodborg Merrald.
Kingston is by Edward Gal’s great prospect, the Totilas-son Glock’s Toto Jr. Toto Jr. won the Pavo Cup as a 5-year-old and produced three licensed sons from his first foal crop, including Kingston. Edward Gal and Totilas were unbeatable at the height of their careers, winning both the European Championships and the World Equestrian Games. Totilas blood is increasingly in demand due to the high rideability it brings, and Kingston represents his grandsire Totilas with great quality.
His dam is the elite mare Arina by Turbo Magic (Cabochon), who had a dressage career in the USA. Arina is also dam of Erina (by Houston), successful at Prix St. Georges. Kingston’s damline includes several strong producers: his dam’s sister Elsarina produced a son selected for the KWPN licensing, while his granddam Sarina produced the AES-licensed stallion Griffin (by United) and multiple competition horses. The mare family has produced countless sport horses including Lilliane, Picarlo, Iliane, Elian, and Gladstone. In the third and fourth generations, influential sires such as Flemmingh and Nabuur appear.
Kingston is one of the more long-legged, big-framed stallions of the Totilas line, which is very interesting blood and usually a guarantee of performance and willingness to cooperate – exactly traits that characterize Kingston. He has a super personality; he is straightforward to handle and very easy-going – even collecting semen is simple. Dutch horses may not have the reputation for being the easiest, but Kingston is truly kind and sociable. And he doesn’t carry the hot Jazz blood either.