Concorde
International showjumper and one of Voltaire's most influential approved sons.
Warmblood Horse Sales · Hall of Fame
Voltaire
A Grand Prix showjumper, a world-shaping sire and proof that the finest performance blood can also produce horses with minds that ordinary riders can trust.
Foaled 9 April 1979
Hanoverian Stallion
Bay · 168 cm
Furioso II × Gotthard
International Showjumping
KWPN Preferent
01 · Why Voltaire Is Here
Not a Random Legend — A Proven Line Leading to Our Horses
Voltaire is not included because his name is famous. He is here because his blood continues directly into the Warmblood Horse Sales breeding programme through Dubonnet, Olympic Ramiro and Davina van het Gonnehof — reaching Elizabeth Diamond, Maggie May and the generations that follow them.
02 · The Horse
Performance, Presence and a Pedigree Built to Last
Voltaire was bred in Germany in 1979. He was by Furioso II, the influential Selle Français son of Furioso xx, and out of the Hanoverian mare Gogo Moeve by Gotthard.
That cross brought together two exceptional sources of performance: the refinement, courage and athletic inheritance of Furioso, and the power and jumping reliability associated with Gotthard.
Voltaire was not merely bred for sport. He proved himself in international showjumping before becoming one of the most influential breeding stallions of his era.
Sire
Furioso II
By Furioso xx
Dam
Gogo Moeve
Proven Hanoverian mare family
Dam Sire
Gotthard
Major Hanoverian jumping influence
03 · Sport
He Proved the Pedigree in the Ring
1988
Voltaire competed successfully with Jos Lansink in international Nations Cup sport, demonstrating the scope, bravery and competitive character later associated with his descendants.
1989
He concluded his international career with victory in the Grand Prix of Berlin and second place in the Grand Prix of Leeuwarden.
After Sport
Voltaire moved fully into breeding, where his influence grew far beyond his own results and spread through both jumping and dressage populations.
04 · The Breeding Legacy
A Stallion Whose Sons and Daughters Reached Every Level
Voltaire became known for producing power, scope, carefulness and genuine rideability. His descendants appeared at major championships while many others became valuable riding horses, breeding animals and trusted partners outside elite sport.
Kannan
A world-leading showjumping sire whose descendants carried Voltaire's influence globally.
Royal Kaliber
International championship-level showjumper representing Voltaire's sporting quality.
Finesse
International performer and an example of the ability Voltaire transmitted to his offspring.
Especiale
Another recognised international descendant from Voltaire's extensive breeding legacy.
Foltaire
A reminder that Voltaire's influence was not restricted to showjumping alone.
05 · Brian's Memory
The Voltaire Son Chosen for a Twelve-Year-Old Boy
When Brian's son was twelve years old, Brian wanted to give him every possible reason to discover horses. The search was not for an ordinary mount. It was for the most remarkable stallion Brian could find: quiet, brilliantly natured, tall enough for his tall son, full of presence, and safe enough for a young novice rider.
The search led to Belgium and to a 17.2 hh liver chestnut stallion bred directly by Voltaire. He had received high-level dressage training before moving to a jumping yard to continue his education, passing through leading European training environments.
Despite his size, breeding and experience, he was exceptionally trustworthy. Brian believed a child of five could have ridden him safely. He possessed the presence expected of a great stallion without using that presence against his rider.
On the day Brian presented him to his son, football still won. Coming from Liverpool, perhaps that was always understandable. The stallion was later sold to a close friend in Mexico, where he found a good home.
Twenty years later, Brian has two grandsons under ten signed to a Premier League club. Football remained the family's chosen path — but the Voltaire stallion left Brian with a lasting breeding lesson.
06 · The Lesson Voltaire Left
Greatness Is Not Only Measured by the Highest Fence
“Voltaire showed me that one of the world's greatest performance stallions could produce horses capable of competing at any level, in more than one sport, while also producing horses kind and trustworthy enough for novice riders.”
That experience matters to the Warmblood Horse Sales philosophy today. Performance alone is not enough. A breeding horse should also contribute temperament, rideability, intelligence and the willingness to work with people.
The best pedigree is not simply the one that produces a spectacular athlete. It is the one capable of producing a horse whose ability can be enjoyed by the rider standing in front of it.
07 · The Furioso Connection
Two Branches From One Thoroughbred Foundation
The pedigree becomes breathtaking when Voltaire is placed beside the Le Mexico branch already present behind Noah. Both lines return to the same foundation Thoroughbred: Furioso xx.
The Voltaire Branch
The Le Mexico Branch
The two Furioso branches meet again in Elizabeth Diamond and Maggie May.
Their sire Noah carries Furioso xx through Mexico and Le Mexico. Their dam Davina carries Furioso xx through Furioso II and Voltaire.
08 · The Living Link
Voltaire's Blood Reaches the Horses We Breed Today
Voltaire does not appear on Noah's own pedigree branch. His direct place in this breeding programme comes through the maternal family of Davina van het Gonnehof.
From Elizabeth Diamond, that proven family continues into the next generation. Voltaire is therefore not a decorative name on this website. He is a documented ancestor within the living maternal line behind horses bred here.
09 · Why He Matters
A Breeder's Hall of Fame, Not a History Museum
Voltaire's record can stand on its own. He competed internationally and produced generations of exceptional sport horses. But that is not the sole reason for this page.
His importance here is practical and living. Brian experienced the temperament of a direct Voltaire son first-hand. Years later, Voltaire's blood entered the breeding programme through Davina's family. The record and the personal experience point to the same conclusion: elite performance and exceptional rideability do not have to be opposites.
That is the credibility behind this Hall of Fame. Every horse featured must connect to the horses bred here, and every connection must lead forward into a living pedigree.
Continue the Bloodline Story
From Furioso xx to the Foals Living Here Today
Historical sport and pedigree details are drawn from published studbook, breeder and sport-horse pedigree records. The account of the direct Voltaire son is Brian Mills' own first-hand experience. The Warmblood Horse Sales bloodline connection is traced through Voltaire → Dubonnet → Olympic Ramiro → Davina van het Gonnehof.