Rafalca (born 1997) is a former dressage horse, co-owned by Ann Romney, that performed in the

equestrian competition Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle. General *4-H *Equitation * Horse show *Iceland ...

at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with rider (and co-owner/trainer)

Jan Ebeling Jan Ebeling (born September 9, 1958) is a German-American equestrian. After Immigrating to the United States in 1984, Ebeling was a well known and prestigious rider in the states until his citizenship in 2002. The next year, Ebeling was named ...

. She was retired from competitions in 2014, and is now a

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than f ...

. Rafalca is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

Oldenburg

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than f ...

, born in Menslage in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

in 1997, and bred by Erwin Risch.

Ancestry

Rafalca's sire was Argentinus (1980 – 2007), a

Hanoverian The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe: * British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 * things relating to; ** Electorate of Hanover ** Kingdom of Hanover ** Province o ...

show jumping

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

; her dam, Ratine (b. 1990), was an Oldenburg. Her damsire was Rubinstein I (1986 – 2000), an accomplished Westphalian

who achieved 40 wins at the Grand Prix level in dressage, and was a member of the 1996 Olympic dressage team. Rubenstein's dam, Antine, was a full sister to three-time Olympic competitor Amon, and two-time Olympic champion Ahlerich, the latter under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

rider

Reiner Klimke Reiner Klimke (; 14 January 1936 – 17 August 1999) was a German equestrian, who won six gold and two bronze medals in dressage at the Summer Olympics — a record for equestrian events that has since been surpassed. He appeared in six Ol ...

. Rubenstein I's sire, the Westphalian

Rosenkavalier (b. 1980), was a male-line descendant of Ramzes (b. 1937), a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

Anglo-Arabian The Anglo-Arabian or Anglo-Arab is a crossbred, part-Arabian horse that now also has its own status as a horse breed. It is the result of a Thoroughbred (hence, the prefix "Anglo") being crossed with an Arabian. The cross can be made b ...

by the Belgian-bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

and successful racehorse Rittersporn (b. 1917) - a male-line descendant of the English

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

Herod (b. 1758), of the Byerley Turk line - out of a Shagya Arabian

, Jordi (b. 1928). Ramzes was an influential

warmblood Warmbloods are a group of middle-weight horse types and breeds primarily originating in Europe and registered with organizations that are characterized by open studbook policy, studbook selection, and the aim of breeding for equestrian spor ...

sire of show jumping and dressage horses who stood at various studs, including the Janów Podlaski stud in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, and would go on to have a strong influence on the Westphalian,

Holsteiner The Holsteiner is a breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a ...

, and other German warmblood horse breeds. Despite being an

, Ramzes is primarily seen as a carrier of

blood: Rubenstein I descended from Radetsky (b. 1951), a son of Ramzes out of Malta (b. 1942), a Westphalian

who was by the

Trakehner Trakehner is a light warmblood horse breed, breed of horse, originally developed at the East Prussian state stud farm in the town of Trakehnen from which the breed takes its name. The state stud (:de:Hauptgestüt Trakehnen) was established ...

Oxyd (b. 1924) out of the native Westphalian mare Meerfahrt (b. 1937). Malta's bloodlines included English

descendants of the

s King Fergus (b. 1775), a son of

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

(b. 1764), a male-line descendant of the

Darley Arabian The Darley Arabian (foaled c. 1700) was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Alep ...

; Potoooooooo, or "Pot-8-Os" (b. 1773), a nephew of King Fergus, and a grandson of

; Herod (b. 1758), of the Byerley Turk line; and other famous racehorses. This is on account of

, Westphalian, Oldenburg,

, and other German warmblood horse breeders crossing native German mares to English

stallions throughout the 19th century, as well as the first half of the 20th century to produce a better cavalry mount. The founder of the "R line" of Hanoverians is also considered to be Ramzes, though Rubenstein I is the line's most well-known sire. Rubenstein I's dam, Antine, was sired by the English

Angelo out of Dodona, a Westphalian

. Dodona was a descendant of

Robert the Devil Robert the Devil () is a legend of medieval origin about a Norman knight who discovers he is the son of Satan. His mother, despairing of heaven's aid in order to obtain a son, had asked for help from the devil. Robert's satanic instincts propel ...

(1877–1889), an English

who famously competed against the

Bend Or Bend Or (1877–1903) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden. N ...

, but had little impact on the

breed in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. Through his son, Devil's Own (b. 1887), who stood at the Celle State Stud from 1894 to 1906, Robert the Devil would found the "D line" of Hanoverians, which excelled in dressage. This line is one of the most widespread dressage horse lines in the world today due to his influential male-line descendant, the Oldenburg stallion

Donnerhall Donnerhall (May 31, 1981 – January 14, 2002) was a dressage stallion who was known not only for having a successful career as a sport horse, but also passing on his abilities to his offspring to become an influential sire. Pedigree Donnerhall w ...

. Dodona's ancestor, the

Defilant (b. 1896), was by Devil's Own out of Lisawetha, by the

Landstreicher (b. 1879), also a male-line descendant of English

Potoooooooo, or "Pot-8-Os" (b. 1773), a male-line descendant of

(b. 1764) and the

; Eclipse was by Marske (b. 1750) out of

Spilletta Spilletta (1749 – 1776) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She only raced once and is best known for being the dam of the undefeated Eclipse. Background Spilletta was a bay filly bred by the Sir Robert Eden and foaled in 1749. She w ...

(b. 1749), a daughter of

Regulus Regulus is the brightest object in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation designated α Leonis, which is Latinized to Alpha Leonis, and abbreviated Alpha Leo or α Leo. Reg ...

(b. 1739), who was in turn sired by the

Godolphin Arabian The Godolphin Arabian (–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse who was one of three stallions that founded the modern Thoroughbred (the others were the Darley Arabian and the Byerley Turk). He was named after his best-kn ...

. Defilant was out of Stute von Tilly, a native

. Stute von Tilly's line also had influence from other key English

stallions A stallion is a male horse that has not been Gelding, gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the horse conformation, conformation and phenotype of their list of horse breeds, breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testos ...

, including

(b. 1739); Diomed (b. 1777), a descendant of the Byerley Turk; and Matchem (b. 1748), also a grandson of the

through Cade (b. 1734), the half-brother of Regulus. Rubenstein I's sire, Rosenkavalier (b. 1980), was also out of a "D line" mare, Diva (b. 1973), also descended in the male line from Defilant (b. 1896). In Rafalca's maternal line, her great-granddam, Falaise (b. 1975), was sired by the

Selle Français The Selle Français (SF) is a breed of sport horse from France. It is renowned primarily for its success in show jumping, but many have also been successful in dressage and eventing. An athletic horse with good gaits, it is usually bay ...

Furioso II (b. 1965) out of Peggi (b. 1964), a Westphalian mare (Papayer, a

x Fiesta v. Kirchhellen, a Westphalian). Furioso II was by Furioso (b. 1939), a

, out of Dame de Ranville (b. 1947), a

. Furioso (b. 1939), was a male-line descendant of Matchem (b. 1748), grandson of the

through Cade (b. 1734), though he also shares the same ancestors of Diomed (b. 1777); Highflyer (b. 1774); King Fergus (b. 1775); ''et al.'' Both of Rafalca's parents, Argentinus (b. 1980) and Ratine (b. 1990), had

, Oldenburg, Westphalian, Mecklenburger, and English

ancestors. Argentinus was also descended in the male line from English

Whalebone Baleen is a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleen whales. To use baleen, the whale first opens its mouth underwater to take in water. The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and ...

(b. 1807), grandson of Potoooooooo, or "Pot-8-Os" (b. 1773), a male-line descendant of

(b. 1764) and the

. As such, Rafalca shares the same bloodline with 95% of modern male English

horses.

Career

Rafalca was purchased by Ann Romney, Amy Ebeling, and Beth Meyer in 2006 at the age of 9; imported from

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

; and started competing with rider

at the Grand Prix level, the highest competition level in dressage, the same year. The

was a representative for the

in the

Dressage World Cup The FEI World Cup Dressage Final is an annual international dressage series involving the world's best dressage horses and riders. It has been held since 1985. The World Cup is run in the form of a CDI. History The history of the World Cup ...

Finals in 2009, 2011, and 2012. In June 2012, Ebeling and Rafalca won a spot on the U.S. Olympics dressage team. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, after participating over several days, Ebeling and Rafalca finished in 28th place with a score of 69.302 and did not qualify to move on to the final round for individual medals. They were part of a 6th place overall finish for the U.S. team. Romney said of her horse, "It was wonderful. She was elegant and consistent again. We just love her." Rafalca was officially retired from competitions in 2014 at the age of 17, and became a

. Ebeling and Rafalca's team of owners - Amy Ebeling, Ann Romney, and Beth Meyer - first tried to breed the mare following her retirement ceremony at the Central Park Horse Show in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 2014; however, Rafalca failed to conceive. In 2015, the owner team made a second attempt to breed Rafalca - now 19 years old - using fresh semen from Connaisseur, a 2007

Dutch Warmblood A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands (KWPN), which governs the breeding of competitive dressage and show jumping horses ...

(Con Amore x Donna Clara, by

) and Grand Prix dressage winner. The breeding was successful, and Rafalca became pregnant. On 30 April 2016, Rafalca gave birth to her first

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal ...

, a

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

or dark bay Oldenburg filly named Rafaela. In 2017, at age 20, Rafalca was successfully bred again to Gaspard de la Nuit DG (Ravel x Ceolieta, by Sir Donnerhall I, a grandson of

), a 2011

. Gaspard's sire, Ravel, had become an international sensation and long-time cornerstone of the U.S. Dressage Team under

rider Steffen Peters and Japanese owner Akiko Yamazaki. In 2018, Rafalca gave birth to her second

, a

Oldenburg filly with an unusual white bald face marking named Rafi. Initially purchased by Allida Taylor, a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) gold medalist and CDI Grand Prix competitor, Rafi was resold for $57,000 USD to a private buyer in 2022.

In popular culture

Rafalca is referred to in the show ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', ta ...

'', ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...

'', as well as '' The Newsroom'' and '' Tooning Out the News''.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite web , publisher=SportHorse-Data , title=Rafalca , url=http://www.sporthorse-data.com/d?z=K94f2y&d=rafalca&x=0&y=0 , accessdate=26 July 2012 {{cite news , first=Mary , last=Phelps , work=Dressage Daily , title=Jan Ebeling and Ann Romney's Rafalca Reach New Heights to Represent the USA at the Reem/Acra World Cup Final in April , url=http://www.dressagedaily.com/article/jan-ebeling-and-ann-romneys-rafalca-reach-new-heights-represent-usa-reemacra-world-cup-final , date=14 March 2012 , accessdate=26 July 2012 {{cite news , first=Jan , last=Ebeling , work=The Chronicle of the Horse , title=Road To The Olympics: Jan Ebeling, Part 1 , url=http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/road-olympics-jan-ebeling-part-1 , date=3 April 2012 , accessdate=26 July 2012 {{cite news , first=Kenneth J. , last=Braddick , work=Dressage News , title=Jan Ebeling & Rafalca Training in "Bubble" Away from Distractions of Politics, Media , url=http://www.dressage-news.com/?p=16750 , date=21 July 2012 , accessdate=26 July 2012 {{cite news , first=Robin , last=Abcarian , work=

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

, title=Ann Romney 'thrilled' by horse's performance in Olympics , url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-ann-romney-thrilled-by-horses-performance-in-olympics-20120802,0,1698606.story , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803123927/http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-ann-romney-thrilled-by-horses-performance-in-olympics-20120802,0,1698606.story , url-status=dead , archive-date=August 3, 2012 , date=August 2, 2012 , accessdate=August 3, 2012 {{cite news , first=Mary , last=Pilon , authorlink=Mary Pilon , work=

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, title=Behind a Gifted Horse, a Powerful Part-Owner , page=B12 , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/sports/olympics/ann-romneys-horse-prepares-for-olympic-debut.html?pagewanted=all , date=26 July 2012 , accessdate=26 July 2012 {{cite news , first=Mary , last=Pilon , authorlink=Mary Pilon , work=

, title=A High-Profile Cheering Section for a Horse's Olympic Debut , page=B17 , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/sports/olympics/romney-horse-rafalca-competes-in-olympic-dressage.html?_r=1 , date=August 3, 2012 , accessdate=August 3, 2012 {{cite news , first=Colleen McCain , last=Nelson , work=

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

, title=Ann Romney's Horse Wins an Olympics Berth , url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/06/18/ann-romneys-horse-wins-an-olympics-berth/ , date=18 June 2012 , accessdate=26 July 2012 {{cite news , first=Trip , last=Gabriel , newspaper=

, title=Romney Horse Wins Spot on Olympic Dressage Team , page=A19 , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/us/politics/horse-co-owned-by-ann-romney-earns-a-spot-on-the-olympic-dressage-team.html , date=June 17, 2012 , accessdate=7 August 2012 {{cite news , first=Mary , last=Pilon , newspaper=

, title=Rafalca, Owned by Romney's Wife, Does Not Advance in Dressage , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/sports/olympics/jan-ebeling-and-rafalca-ride-in-olympic-dressage-finals.html , date=August 7, 2012 , accessdate=August 7, 2012 {{cite news , first=Margaret , last=Freeman , first2=Nicole , last2=Winfield , agency=

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

, newspaper=

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...

, title=Britain wins 1st Olympic team dressage medal: gold , url=http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Ann-Romney-pleased-with-Rafalca-s-fabulous-ride-3767917.php , date=August 7, 2012 , accessdate=August 7, 2012 Dressage horses Horses in the Olympics 1997 animal births Mitt Romney Janów Podlaski

Ancestry

Career

In popular culture

Pedigree

See also

References