German breeder Barbara Dzaack carefully chose December’s dam, Ginette, as a foundation mare. The large yet feminine mare carried a noble lineage and was from Guenther and Ute Pape’s strong breeding program. What most recommended the Grande daughter to Barbara were her light-footed gaits. The choice was an inspired one and Ginette produced many successful offspring for Barbara over the next years.

The balance between Grande and Pik Koenig in Ginette’s pedigree had produced an athleticism in the mare that passed into the next generation; her offspring inherited her good gaits and a talent for jumping that had placed Ginette in the program for breeding Hanoverian show-jumpers. Seeking to influence type, Barbara bred Ginette to the half-Thoroughbred Trakehner Donaumonarch, a stallion who stemmed from a famous motherline himself. His dam was the matriarch of the group that won the family competition at the 1995 German Federal Mare Show.

December, the product of that match, developed into a more substantial old-style mare than might have been expected. She, nevertheless, retained an athleticism and lightness of gaits as heritage from forebears on both sides of the pedigree. We were persuaded that December could produce typey offspring when bred to modern sires. So far, the results from this young mare’s limited number of breedings have been encouraging. We believe that December is well on the way to establishing what will be a significant motherline of talented sporthorses for serious competitors.

Firstborn Partita scored 7.66 to tie for 7th place in the US on the 2001 AHS/VhW Inspection Tour and was 10th nationwide in the MPT with a score of 7.5 (8.5 for jumping). December's second filly, Reese, is her mother’s clone in type; she also is one of the best movers Marefield has produced. This latter was not lost on the judging commission at her foal inspection where she received a callback and was cited as the “best-moving” filly by Dr. Jochen Wilkens. Reese’s full sister, Rennes, is a more modern type. She did not attend an inspection so outside evaluation awaits her presentation as a 3-year old. A Contendro colt, born in 2003, is athletic and muscular; we are eager to see how he develops over the years.