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Our History
Early History
Horses have played an important role in the Vallance family history - starting with the first generation Charles Vallance who arrived from the UK to NZ in 1842. His father was a doctor in England and Charles Vallance who was steeped in medical background, found a steady role in the new land as a horse vet.
His sons James and John Vallance imported one of the first TB sires into NZ and set up a stud near Waikanae (oral history!) and rode their mares through the Akaterawas ranges to get in foal. James and John both had great success racing horses in the days when you had 3 races in the one day for the same horse. And as Rupert often commented ... "They probably rode the horse to the races as well !".
They won many top races - many of which are considered Group 1 races today.
Pride of place on the Longspring mantlepiece is an ornate silver trophy for STURDEE winning the Grand National Steeplechase in 1933 - the trainer was Grannie Maher who was the first woman trainer to win the Melbourne Cup but under her husband's name as woman couldn't train racehorses in those days!
Rupert's grandmother Nora was a great horsewoman and we have a few trophies from her days too! Paper chases, hunting and racing were all mainstay activities in the family. Rupert's father Tony Vallance was the local huntsman in the 1950s and Rupert was a whip in the field. Tony was one of the founding members of Equestrian Sport NZ in the 1950s and one of the competitors in the first ever cross country event.
Longspring Stud founded in 1982
Rupert's father Tony Vallance chose DISTELFINK from a lineup of young stallions on offer from Adelheidsdorf, the Hanoverian Stallion Training and Testing Centre in 1981. He was rated by Dr Bade who was in charge of the centre as an outstanding prospect for New Zealand because of his jumping and his lighter type to the more old fashioned Winnebago that started the Hanoverian breeding program in NZ a number of years before. We suspect too that at the time, there was a purge underway to clear out the 'chestnut' gene so dominant at the time as DISTELFINK's jumping was incredible. Had he stayed in Germany, he would have gone on to great success there too.
Longspring Sport Horses: A Heritage To Be Proud Of
The following are excerpts from an article published in SHOWCIRCUIT magazine ???
When asked to name an iconic New Zealand stud, many people will immediately think of Longspring Sport Horses, nestled amongst the rolling green hills of Masterton in the Wairarapa. Now etched in our country’s breeding history, the stud has become renowned for its ability to produce top quality horses for the eventing and show jumping
Rupert and Anne Vallance officially set up the stud in 1982, when they syndicated and imported a licensed Hanoverian stallion from West Germany. Distelfink (by Diskus out of St Pr St Doreen by Duker) was one of the first jumping specialised stallion to be brought into New Zealand. In the years that followed, until his death in 2004 at the age of 26, Distelfink proved to be a leading sire of competition horses across all disciplines, but especially show jumping.
Overall, Distelfink's most famous show jumping offspring was Super Moth who formed a formidable partnership with Olympic rider John Cottle. By the end of Super Moth’s career, he had won 75 classes including 44 at Grand Prix level. The prize money he collected amounted to more than $92,000 and he was New Zealand Show Jumper of the Year four years in a row. He was named Horse of the Year in 1998, National Champion in 1999 and won the New Zealand North Island Championship twice. Super Moth also won the Bell Tea Grand Prix title at the Horse of the Year twice, the Norwood Gold Cup and the Wanganui Class twice in a row, and the Auckland Easter Classic three times in succession.
“We have had the honour of producing some incredibly successful horses over the years,” says co-founder, Anne. “It’s what keeps us going. There’s always the chance that there’s another Super Moth in the paddock! It’s not about just the dollars, there’s simply a lot of pride involved with watching the horses that you have bred climb the ranks, in whatever discipline their owner has chosen for them.”
“Our aim is to produce really top quality horses to sell both within New Zealand and overseas,” she adds. “We are passionate about New Zealand sport horse breeding and keeping plenty of thoroughbred blood in the mix. It is a traditional approach to breeding in New Zealand and one that has earned the country a reputation for sport horse breeding on the world stage. The Europeans are keen to introduce more TB blood back into their programmes – we never stopped.”
What are the Next Steps for Longspring?
Things have changed in the 35 plus years since the stud was first established, but the stud has adapted to remain one step ahead of the game.
In 2005, the stud took yet another step into the future when Rupert and Anne’s daughter, Victoria Vallance and her husband Brett Martin transformed the stud operation into a sophisticated equine centre specialising in the modern technology of transported semen, embryo transfers and freezing semen for the sport horse industry. This additional arm to the business, called Syenz Equine Reproduction, is a valuable asset, not just for the Vallances but also other breeders in New Zealand, granting them access to some of the world's best jumping bloodlines through Wiemselbach Stud in the Netherlands.
