Knock Out

Knock Out was selected as the winner, from a group of 15 finalists, of the KWPN stallion performance test of 2018, where only seven stallions were ultimately approved.   His scores were as follows: Walk (2x)   9 Trot (2x)   8.5 Canter (2x)    8.5 Elasticity   8.5 Posture and Balance    8 Rideability and Attitude   9 Talent as a dressage Horse     8.5 Total score          86

Knock Out is the first KWPN approved son of the stallion Ebony.  Ebony is a 2009 son of Painted Black out of a mare by Jazz.

• Ebony qualified and competed in the World Championship for Young Horses as a five, six and seven-year old. He finished in the top 10 as a 5-year-old with a score of 9.4 for his trot, and in 2016 he earned scores of 70 and 72.7 for the 7-year-old test, which is comparable to 4th level test three and Prix St. Georges.
• Ebony is currently competing internationally on the Small Tour with his rider Vai Bruntink.
• Ebony’s sire Painted Black is an international Grand Prix stallion best known as a World Cup competition horse for Anky van Grunsven, and an Olympic horse for Morgan Barbançon Mestre. Painted Black is a preferent stallion for the KWPN, and proven sire of grand prix competitors and approved stallions.  The preferent designation is the highest honor a KWPN stallion can receive with respect to quality.
• Painted Black’s sire was the Trakehner Gribaldi. He too was a Grand Prix horse, and he earned the KWPN preferent designation, but he is perhaps best known as the sire of the dressage sensation Totilas.

Knock Out’s dam Charming Vurona is an elite daughter of the Grand Prix stallion Dreamcatcher, out of a mare by Negro.

• Dreamcatcher (Day Dream x Rubinstein) competed internationally at the Grand Prix level with Mirelle van Kemenade-Witlox.  Dreamcatcher conveys the proven German dressage bloodlines of Donnerhall, Rubinstein and Pik Bube.
• Charming Vurona has proven herself in sport as well as breeding: she is ZZ-licht classified (advanced 4th level)
• Charming Vurona’s dam Vurona carries the elite, preferent, performance and sport predicates.  Vurona is by the preferent stallion Negro, best known as the sire of Olympic three-time gold medalist Valegro.
• Vurona is the dam of KWPN approved stallion High 5 (by Charmeur), the German and Danish approved stallion First Choice (by Jazz), and a Z-level (4th level) horse by Fürst Heinrich.
• Murona, dam of Vurona, is also the dam of the Grand Prix horse Axel (by Sandreo) ridden by Alexandre Ayache, the ZZ-L horse Fabergé (by Negro) and Z-level competition horses by Johnson, Clavecimbel, Flemmingh and Negro.  She is also grandmother of the Prix St Georges dressage horse Calva la Cornilliere (by Flemmingh), the Grand Prix horse Zegerwaard (by Jazz) and several Z-dressage horses.

In their performance report, the KWPN described Knock Out as an honest, reliable stallion with a very good attitude. During the testing he demonstrated very good trainability and willingness to work. They further described him: the walk is regular, active and very good in space with good flexion of the joints.  His trot is light-footed with good leg technique, reach, and a hind leg that easily carries weight. The canter is powerful, uphill, balanced and expansive. Knock Out moves with a lot of elasticity, natural carriage and a good to very good balance. Knock Out has much talent for dressage and gives his rider a good to very good feeling. Knock Out stands 16-2 hands and has a stunning appearance, with exceptional conformation.  We expect him to improve the walk and leg technique, elasticity and self-carriage in the trot and canter.  We also look forward to seeing his endearing character come through in his offspring.