Five years after his passing, foundation sire Kannan was crowned Jumping Horse of the Year 2025 this evening. Bred by Wobbe and Marietje Kramer–van der Meer, Kannan made history not only through his own sport achievements, but also through his tremendous influence on show jumping breeding worldwide.

In the Jumping Horse of the Year election, powered by Van Santvoort Makelaars, more than 4,000 online votes were cast. Voltaire son Kannan (out of Cemeta keur pref prest by Nimmerdor) received by far the most votes and was awarded the title posthumously. Born in 1992, the stallion developed into a successful Grand Prix horse and an outstanding foundation sire. In 2014 he became the first KWPN stallion to top the WBFSH Sire Ranking, a feat he repeated in 2024. Last year he once again confirmed his dominant influence on show jumping breeding with a second-place ranking.

Made an impact everywhere
During the presentation, Kannan’s breeders and his final owners from Groupe France Élevage were honoured. Wobbe and Marietje Kramer–van der Meer received a breeders’ premium. “This is fantastic, this horse truly deserves it,” Wobbe said enthusiastically. “He has had a huge impact on us,” Marietje added. “Time and again, he confirmed that our breeding program was on the right track.” The breeding operation is now being continued by their children. “We carried on breeding with Kannan’s full sister and gradually expanded from there. It’s wonderful that the next generation is now continuing this work. With Kannan Jr., the circle was complete, and next year we will once again present a young stallion at the inspection,” Wobbe reflected. Marietje added: “Japke focuses on the dressage side, where we also have a strong line of horses that she has ridden up to Small Tour level. They are all sport horses with great characters, just like the jumpers. Wobbe Jr. backed and competed Kannan. When we went to competitions, people often told us we were in the wrong arena—Kannan was so loose and so pleasant to ride.” Wobbe continued: “The first time we went to a competition, we arrived at a large parking area marked with white lines. We couldn’t even leave the trailer because Kannan was so sharp. He was a horse with an incredible amount of blood, something not everyone recognized at first. He had an enormous heart and tremendous scope, qualities he also passes on. Everywhere Kannan has been, he has meant something special to people and that is incredibly meaningful to us.”

MvE for KWPN