Florencio (horse)

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Florencio is a horse that won the 2004 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in the five-year-old division. He was the only horse to receive a mark of "10" in the 2004 competition, and he received the highest marks total ever given to a combination at the World Championship for Young Horses. He stands at 16.2 hh (1.68m) and is registered in the following stud books: Westfalen, Oldenburg, NRPS, Hannover, AES, Sweden. His current rider is Hans Peter Minderhoud from (The Netherlands).

As a foal, Florencio was bought from Frank Van Dijck of Belgium, by Eugene Reesink. Henk Nijhoff partnered in the young stallion, and Florencio was sent into training as a dressage horse with rider Simon Dropp. With Dropp, he was Reserve Champion of Germany in the prestigious 2003 "Bundeschampionaat" and was Overall Champion of the 4-year-olds in Westphalia.

Minderhoud took Florencio as a comunt in 2004. He also began his breeding career during this time. By 2004, he had covered more than 500 mares across Europe, mostly through artificial insemination provided by the Kathmann Stud in Vechta, Germany.

Florencio will now begin training for the FEI levels.

In 2005, Florencio came back EVA (Equine Viral Arteritis) positive. The sexually transmitted disease can cause abortion in mares and illness or sudden death in foals, and therefore his semen is not allowed to be imported into certain countries, such as the United Kingdom. However, Florencio is now undergoing a revolutionary treatment. He will still be safe to breed to EVA-positive mares, of which there are many in the Netherlands.