Oldenburg Horse Breeders Society News

It was a fantastic three days packed full with exceptional young stallions being presented and evaluated to be licensed for breeding with both the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes and the jumper division, Springpferdezuchtverband Oldenburg-International known as the OS. The young stallions being presented had already gone through a pre-selection process held in October where around 400 stallions took part. Out of these only the top 42 stallions from the Oldenburg Verband and 32 stallions from the OS were selected to come to this Haupt Körung, or Main Stallion Licensing.

The evaluations began with the stallions being presented in trot and walk on the hard pavement. Right away the big gray colt, #10 Flemmingh x St.Pr.St. Identify (Inselfürst) bred by Aloys Schmidt got everyone talking. His movement on the pavement was excellent and his presence and type was outstanding. Of course there were many more that were also outstanding, and it would take the full two days of evaluations for the committee to really decide.

One of the most interesting parts of the Oldenburg evaluations is the new addition of lunging. In the past the stallions were simply trotted around a triangle, but starting last year the committee decided to lunge the stallions with simple side reins to get a better idea about their ability to balance themselves and more clearly see the mechanics of their gaits and hind legs when going on the circle. Since #10 is quite tall, he may not have balanced himself as well as some of the others, but nonetheless he was very good on the lunge and the mechanics of his hind leg and natural uphill movement were maintained.

The following day, all of the stallions came back into the arena one by one, were presented at liberty, and then were free jumped. At this point the champion may have looked a little tired in his hind leg, but again was fluid and his presence and expression were undeniable. His breeding is of course very interesting and different for the Oldenburg Verband. In a recent article that the head of the Licensing committee, Dr. Schulze-Schleppinghof, wrote about stallion lines, he commented that the only place where top dressage stallions could be found outside of Germany was the Netherlands. In this case the stallion, Flemmingh, is in fact German bred having been registered as a Holsteiner foal, but he was taken to the Netherlands and approved there as a stallion not for jumper breeding, but for dressage. He has been in the lines of top dressage horses having directly sired the internationally successful Grand Prix horses Krack C and Lingh. Lingh, ridden by Edward Gal, was the Reserve Champion at the 2005 World Cup in Las Vegas, and is now owned and ridden by Karen Offield. Flemmingh also sired Santino and Regent who won individual and team gold at the 2007 Pan American Games, and before his death in 2007 he was ranked 6th in the world on the leading dressage sires list.

His damsire, Inselfürst (Inschallah AA x Wega (Futuro)) scored one of the highest dressage index scores in his stallion performance test ever recorded, 155.18. He went on to be the Oldenburg State champion for the 6 year old dressage horses in 1992 and has sired champions such as Ironman who not only has sired many successful dressage horses, but who was also the 2007 USEF Sire of the Year for Hunter Breeding. #10's mare line then goes back to Argentinus who was arguably a jumper and sired many top jumpers, but he has also sired internationally successful Grand Prix dressage horses such as Amaretto ridden by Isabel Werth, Aleppo S ridden by Ellen Schulten-Baumer, and European Champion Gold medalist Albano ridden by Heike Kemmer. In other words, this champion colt's bloodlines are a veritable who's who of dressage breeding.

In the end, the expressive movement, incredible type, and the interesting bloodlines were the factors that lead to the Flemmingh x St.Pr.St. Identify (Inselfürst) colt becoming the champion of the 2009 licensing. Following this announcement he was auctioned for the top price of 250,000 Euro, and interestingly he was purchased by Doug and Louise Leatherdale of Leatherdale Farms, Minnesota. Doug Leatherdale is the president of the American Hanoverian Society, and this was the first time they have purchased an Oldenburg stallion. He will be staying in Germany and will stand at Hengststation Jens Meyer along with many of the Leatherdales other top stallions. Click here to see the video of #10 lunging. Click here to see the video of #10 at liberty and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #10.

A special treat was held later in the stallion show when the Champion was brought out with his grandfather, Lacapo who is now 30 years old. Click here to see the video of #10 and Lacapo.

The Reserve Champion stallion was the expressive and very balanced colt, #2 sired by Danone I and out of St.Pr.St. Rihanna (Welt Hit II x Vb.Pr.St. Riconess (Noble Roi xx)). He really showed his talent on the lunge line cantering and trotting effortlessly maintaining his frame and uphill movement. He was bred by Olaf Bahls and stemming from the very successful Oldenburg mare line of Richilda, he was sold at the 2007 Elite Foal auction to Ernst Kemper of Borken, Germany. In this auction he was sold initially to someone whose sponsor could not fund the bid, so he was brought back in at the end and sold to the Dressurpferde Leistungszentrum in Lodbergen, Germany where Grand Prix rider Markus Gribbe is the head trainer. Click here to see #2 lunging, at liberty and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #2.

The third placed stallion is a son of the Hanoverian licensing champion, Hotline (Hofrat x De Nira (De Niro)), and is out of one of the most successful Oldenburg mare lines. His dam, St.Pr./El.St. Merethe (Florestan I x St.Pr./El.St. Maradonna (Donnerhall)) is out of the same dam as last year's licensing champion, Furstenball. Furstenball was not only the licensing champion, he recently won his 70 day performance test in Schlieckau scoring an incredible 154,99 for dressage and having a final total of 145.25. The Hotline colt, #16 was bred by Georg Sieverding and is owned by Blue Hors of Denmark. Click here to see #16 lunging, at liberty and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #16.

The auction was successful given the financial situation and everyone at the Verband was more than happy with the results. Many of the stallions sold to countries outside of Germany, and #8 who is the full brother to the 2008 Brilliant Ring champion, Weihegold, was purchased by the American FEI level dressage rider, Jane Cleveland of Tennessee. She was thrilled to have won the bid for this remarkable horse who is obviously going through a growth spurt which most felt affected his chances at this licensing. The pair is sure to do very well together in the future! Click here to see the video of #8

Everyone was very impressed with how well the OS program is developing. The depth of talent went much further this year than in past years, and the stallions were good movers and very modern types. The champion was not only a half brother to last year's phenom, Le Champ Ask, he comes from the same breeding family having been bred by the Möller brothers. #61 was sired again by Last Man Standing and is out of Caletta (Conteros x Dorina IV (Caletto I)). #61 showed exceptional form and talent over the jumps. Click here to see the video of the OS Champion, #61

Last Man Standing has an interesting history in his young career. He was born in Holstein and after being licensed in Redefin and completing his approval requirements in Mecklenburg he was sold to Maria Chernova of Moscow, Russia. She later approached Dietmar Weinrich of Pferde Weinrich International to help her market the horse in Germany. With the help of Bernd Richter he was able to arrange for the stallion to be brought back to the Oldenburg region to stand at the Holkenbrink stud. We were all treated to the surprise of the great stallion coming into the arena during the stallion show. Click here to see the video of Last Man Standing

The Reserve OS Champion was #72 sired by Stalypso and out of Celline (Couleur-Rubin x Makimono (Carprilli)). He was bred by Wilhelm Meiners and is owned by Erich Stevens. Click here to see the video of #72

The third placed stallion was #54 sired by Clarimo and out of Lovely (Stauffenberg x Graefin (Ahorn Z)). He was bred by Carsten Schultz and is owned by Equo Reitsport GmbH. Click here to see the video of #54

The fourth placed stallion was #73 sired by Toulon and out of Gold Patch (Pardarco x Goldess (Dimenos)). He was bred and is owned by Gestuet Lewitz. Click here to see the video of #73.

The fifth placed stallion was #52 sired by Check In and out of Vb.Pr.St. Walanda (Landadel x Vb.Pr.St. Waskia (Andiamo)). He was bred by Andreas Tabeling and is out of Franz R. Sanktjohanser. Click here to see the video of #52.

Following the awarding of this year's champions, the Haupt Premium awards were announced. This award is given to a 5 yr. old Oldenburg stallion that has had success in his performance test, in sport, and with his foals. The jumper Haupt Premium stallion for 2009 is Cornet's Prinz (Cornet Obolensky x Almoxella O (Almox Prints)) bred by Willi Ottmann and owned by Gestüt Klatte. Click here to see Cornet's Prinz. The dressage Haupt Premium stallion for 2009 is Fürst Romacier (Fürst Heinrich x Ronja (Romancier)) bred by Lothar Schulze and owned by Gestüt Lewitz. Click here to see Fürst Romancier.

The conclusion to all of these exciting days was the wonderful evening performance of the older stallions in what is called the "Stallion Parade". Stallions from around Germany and Europe were invited to show themselves off to the breeders in attendance. There were so many great stallions it was impossible to video them all. The following were the standouts:

The VTF awarded dressage stallion presented in the stallion show was the 8 year old Sancisco (Sandro Hit x Rosenfee (Rohdiamant)) who has had wins at Grand Prix under rider Ronald Lüders including a recent win in Zierow at Grand Prix with scores above 72%. He was bred by Elisabeth Münstermann and is owned by Gestüt Kempke Hof. Click here to see the video of Sancisco.

Charlie Jacobs and Quidditch II at the CN Jumping Derby in Wellington, FL Quidditch II in the Oldenburg Elite Auction sold under the name "Quickborn"		February 21st, 2010 - Charlie Jacobs and Quidditch II Were Victorious In the Difficult $50,000 CN Jumping Derby On Sunday, Charlie Jacobs, Principal Owner of the National Hockey League team, The Boston Bruins, took on 46 competitors in the $50,000 CN Jumping Derby at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center Stadium. Jacobs and his 10-year-old Oldenburg Quidditch II (Quattro B x Alcapri (Carprilli)) were one of only three competitors to go clean over the long derby course, designed by Richard Jeffery. Jacobs completed the course in 138.17 seconds, securing his win over Shane Sweetnam and Little Emir. The derby was challenging for many of the horses and rider combinations. Jacobs explained, "When I think of a derby I think about the amount of time it will take and how there will be many obstacles to maneuver. When walking the course Sunday, many of the riders may have thought about how the jumps didn't seem that large, around a 1.45 m, but then when they started galloping the course, it became a real test of endurance on both the horse and the rider." Jacobs competed with two young horses in the derby Quidditch II and his green, eight-year-old, Leap of Joy. Jacobs was very excited about his win and was also happy with how the course rode. "It was really special to have this big victory, but it was also unexpected. Regardless of where we placed, I was so happy with how Quidditch II rode over the course. She is definitely a horse that has some bigger days ahead of her." Quidditch II and Jacobs have only been a team for a short time. She was originally sold as a 4 year old who had already won at A level in jumping at the 61st Fall Elite Auction in Vechta, Germany under the name "Quickborn". She was bred and was owned at the time by Klaus Tietjen of Horstel, Germany, and she was known for her fantastic rideability, canter, and scope. Buying her from the United Kingdom in September, and then shipping her directly to Florida, Jacobs has made a big effort to get to know her. He made the trip from New York to Florida quite often so he could flat Quidditch II and forge a relationship with her. Once the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) began, he started her in the Amateur-Owner Medium before moving up to the High Amateur's where they earned a second in the $15,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame class. Throughout WEF Jacobs has been challenging his young horses, especially Quidditch II, to build up their stamina and physical body. He started out this week by winning the $2,500 High Amateur-Owner Jumper with Quidditch II. Then with a one-day break Jacobs was able to approach the stadium course eager to compete. "I have the opportunity to ride at our family's lovely farm, gallop the large fields, and jump fences that simulate the derby fences," explained Jacobs. "I like to give my horses a 20-30 minute heavy cardio workout to prepare them for each class. Then when my horse needs rest I send her to the farm to relax, roll in the grass, and just be a horse." After WEF, Jacobs, will be staying in Florida through the winter and spring, and then will be taking his three top mounts Secret Love, Leap of Joy, and Quidditch II to Lake Placid, and Vermont. Story courtesy of Phelps Media. Photo of Quidditch by Kenneth Kraus, Phelps Sports.

Leslie Morse on Tip Top Anky van Grunsven on Salinero and Isabel Werth on Satchmo Steffen Peters on Ravel		February 7th, 2010 - The Exquis World Dressage Masters in FL was Fantastic, and the OHBS-GOV Celebrated! In the beautiful balmy Florida weather, the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters opener was a great success at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington. Steffen Peters riding Ravel, the son of the Oldenburg stallion, Contango, wowed everyone when he won the opening Grand Prix. The super gelding stayed relaxed and elastic throughout the ride, and earned a 76.851% which put him in front of two of the top riders in the world. Anky van Grunsven was a close second on her Olympic gold medal mount, Salinero with a 74.638%, and Isabel Werth was third on her World Championships gold medal horse, Satchmo with a 72.533%. Of course, Isabel is coming off of a break after her suspension and having a baby only three months ago. She said she had some "unforced errors" that she feels had to do with needing to get back into the routine of showing. After the Grand Prix, the OHBS held a party at Tuny Page's beautiful Still Point Farm. It was a blast to see everyone and share great stories about horses, and of course the weather we were all escaping! The cocktail party was organized by the North American OHBS director, Holly Simensen, and the German Oldenburg Auction director, Thomas Rhinow, who was over from Germany for the event. Linda Zang, Patrick Bursens, Bent Jensen, Steve Kanikkeberg, Ilse Schwarz, Nancy Holowesko, Ulla Petersen, JJ Tate, Wendy Costello, Judy McGaughan, and of course Tuny were amongst the many guests who really enjoyed themselves. On Saturday, many braved the strong, crisp winds to come out and see Leslie Morse and the Oldenburg approved stallion, Tip Top, win the Grand Prix Special. The stallion was very impressive throughout the test, and even in spite of going off course, their scores were still high enough to win it. Placing second was Belinda Trussel riding Anton, and third was the youngest rider in the event, Elisabeth Austin riding Olivier. Even though the winds did not die down much, and the temperature sank along with the setting sun, the arena was packed for the evening Freestyle. German rider Anja Ploenzke riding her Oldenburg gelding, Le Mont d'Or (Landjuwel Gold x Wie Andrea) ran into some mistakes, but still put in a very nice ride earning a 69.950%. Steffen then raised the bar with his fantastic ride on Ravel earning an amazing 81.700%. Isabel Werth followed him and also put in a beautiful ride, but Satchmo lost his concentration for a moment and broke to trot in the middle of the canter zig zag which cost them. It was all up to Anky who rode last, and with the experience of a world class rider, she stepped up to the pressure and put in a truly breathtaking ride. She and Salinero earned an incredible 84.450% and huge applause from the appreciative audience. In the end the top three riders gave everyone a treat with a victory passage together. It was a fantastic sight, and we all certainly hope that the Exquis World Dressage Masters will continue to bring top European riders over to the US in the future! Click here to see highlights from Isabel, Steffen, and Anky.

		February 6th, 2010 - Jaye Cherry Wins Big With Marta Kauffman's Horses and Pony Jaye Cherry had an incredible evening at the Los Angeles Chapter of CDS Awards banquet. She accepted awards for her success riding for Marta Kauffman of California. Jaye and Dance With Me (Dream of Love x Rohdiamant) won the Champion Third Level Horse and Champion Upper Level Horse. The Weser-Ems Pony stallion, Chardonnay was also a double champion for the evening. He and Jaye won the Champion Intermediare I Horse, and Champion FEI Horse. In addition, Marta's mare D'Amour (De Niro x Figaro) just showed at the L.A. Winter Dressage Show to fill a scratch at Fourth Level, and not only did she and Jaye win, but she finished the show as Upper Level Champion! So a big congratulations to Jaye, and Marta!!

Jennifer Hoffman and High Definition		January 17th, 2010 - German Dressage of California Celebrates as Father and Son, Herzberg and High Definition, Win Big in Indio The two stallions owned by Jennifer and Juergen Hoffmann of German Dressage in California impressed everyone at the Indio Dressage Show with both of them scoring 70%+! The Oldenburg approved Trakehner stallion, Herzberg (Leonardo x Hetra (Persaldo)) who is now 17 years old won his Intermediare I class with a 71% ridden by Jennifer. His Oldenburg son, High Definition (Herzberg x Elfentanz (Figaro)) was also remarkable under Jennifer winning his Training Level and First Level classes with scores of 78% and 74%! He won the GOV High Point Award for the show, and Jennifer is thrilled with him remarking that this was only his second show ever. High Definition was bred by Jennifer and Juergen, and he is out of their mare, Elfentanz who stems from the very successful mare line of Elfi. This is the mare line that has produced many approved stallions and the price record breaking filly from the 2008 Elite Foal Auction, Elfenschau.

		January 15th, 2010 - Oldenburg Stallion Couleur Rubin Wins the CDI4* Championat der Stadt Basel Under Ludger Beerbaum The Oldenburg stallion Couleur Rubin (Cordalme' x St.Pr./El.St. Grannuschka (Grannus)) is living up to the promise he showed as a young jumper. This past weekend he won the 1.50 meter Preis der Stadt Basel at the CDI4* in Basel, Switzerland under rider Ludgar Beerbaum. Not only did Couleur Rubin win this very competitive class, he had only narrowly been beaten the day before by his own daughter, Castle Forbes Cosma Shiva, who won the International 1.45 meter class on Thursday under Irish rider, Jessica Kurten! His talent as a jumper and a sire didn't stop there either. Couleur Rubin's son, Couletto, was sixth in the Championat der Stadt Basel 1.50 meter class under French rider, Simon Delestre! Couleur Rubin stands at Pferdezucht Harli Seifert in Germany.

		January 15th, 2010 - Crosiadore Farm Celebrates as Fiderline Wins the Graf Anton Günther von Oldenburg Award, and Quote Unquote Wins the Alain Seheut Award of the 2009 Inspection Season In 2009, Nancy Holwesko of Crosiadore Farm in Trappe, Maryland presented a number of excellent foals and mares to the Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Society, and in the end she was honored by having both the top mare and top foal of the 2009 North American Inspection Season! The mare, Fiderline, who she bought at the 2006 Oldenburg Elite Foal Auction in Vechta, Germany had the highest scores of any mare at the two Mare Performance Tests held in 2009 in Maryland and California. The Deputy Breeding Director of the German Oldenburg Verband, Katrin Burger, commented that Fiderline would be very competitive with the best mares in Germany. Nancy's colt, Quote Unquote, was also outstanding. He is sired by Quaterback, and is out of Nancy's mare, Florenzio (by Florencio), who was the top mare of the 2008 inspection season. He is an exceptional type, and has three incredible gaits. This year, since there was a large debate between two colts, the committee decided to also give an honorable mention to the second colt they had been discussing. He was Redhawk's Don Sargasso (Don Schufro) bred and owned by Bob and Lynn De Gour of Redhawk Ranch in California. To see pedigrees, videos, and more photos click on either "Mares" or "Foals" respectively.

Perfect Qredit - USDF National HOY 2nd Place Yearling C&G Dressage Breeding Don Francisco - USDF National HOY 1st Place 2 yr. old C&G Dressage Breeding. Photo: Sara Fritze Designing Grace - USDF National HOY 3rd Place 3 yr. old Filly Dressage Breeding Steinway - USDF National HOY 3rd Place FEI Five Year Old Rosentanz - USDF National HOY 1st Place Training Level Revelle - USDF National HOY 2nd Place First Level Dance With Me - USDF National HOY 6th Place Third Level Rafalca - USDF National HOY 14th Place Grand Prix USEF Breeder of the Year in Dressage Breeding, Melanie Pai, and her handler, King Garcia Contango - USEF National Dressage Sire of the Year 2nd Place		January 14th, 2010 - The Year End Awards; Oldenburg and Weser-Ems at the Top All of the USEF and USDF Year End Awards are now official, and it is apparent that 2009 was a great year for Oldenburg horses and Weser-Ems ponies! USDF/OHBS-GOV ALL BREEDS AWARDS The Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Society participates with the USDF in their All-Breeds Awards program. Members who were active by August 1st, 2009 and who declared their registered Oldenburg horses or Weser-Ems ponies with the USDF by their deadline were eligble for these awards. There are many great stories behind all of the success which will be in the upcoming magazine article. Click here to see the 2009 results for the USDF/OHBS-GOV All Breeds Awards. Click here to see the 2009 results for the USDF/Weser-Ems All Breeds Awards. ADEQUAN/USDF NATIONAL DSHB HOY AWARDS (placed within the top 20) Weanling Colt or Gelding 19th - Rico Suave (Rosenthal x Boston Dancer) bred and owned by Regina Esterman - Score 70.275 Weanling Filly 4th - Bella Rouge MCF (Benetton Dream x Rinpoche') bred by Robin Juncal and owned by Katie Lansing Juncal - Score 77.900 Yearling Colt or Gelding 2nd - Perfect Qredit (Quaterback x Dream Rubina) bred by Judy Yancey and owned by Michelle Lynn Coursin - Score 79.700 7th - Days Go By (Danone I x Zejaluna) bred and owned by Lisa and Jessica Dworkin - Score 76.850 Yearling Filly 9th - Santolina (Sempatico M x Bold Navette) bred by Christine Bergeron and owned by Jessica James Wright - Score 75.800 15th - Santina (Sir Donnerhall x Risiko) bred and owned by Anita Nardine - Score 74.400 Two Year Old Colt or Gelding 1st - Don Francisco (Daddy Cool x Leandra) bred and owned by Carol Di Maggio & Jens Richter - Score 82.000 6th - Fuerta Ventura (Ferro x Risiko) bred and owned by Anita Nardine - Score 75.000 Three Year Old Filly 3rd - Designing Grace (Donates x Samantha) bred and owned by Melanie Pai - Score 79.200 ADEQUAN/USDF NATIONAL DRESSAGE HOY AWARDS (placed within the top 20) Three Year Old Materiale 6th - Delaine (Donnerhschlag x A Rose for Delaine) ridden and owned by Lisa Dworkin. Bred by Katherine Kuss - Score 68.00 7th - Rose Royce (Rosenthal x Native's Promise) ridden by Colleen Curtin. Bred and owned by James Curtin - Score 65.00 Four & Five Year Old Materiale 12th - China Doll (Cabaret x Elena) ridden by Inga Janke. Bred by Heinz Wulf and owned by Roberta Falk & Marilyn Fawley - Score 74.600 USEF Four Year Old 6th - Sabati (Sandro Hit x Rosalea) ridden by Ulla Petersen. Bred and owned by Nancy Holowesko - Score 8.0 13th - Devotion (Donates x Donation) ridden by Nadine Schlonsok. Bred and owned by Melanie Pai - Score 7.6 FEI Five Year Old 3rd - Steinway (Sandro Hit x Rosalea) ridden by Ulla Petersen. Bred and owned by Nancy Holowesko - Score 7.9 FEI Six Year Old 9th - Reliance (Rohdiamant x Gesstine) ridden and owned by Kathy Priest. Bred by Oliver Kotschofsky - Score 7.4 9th - Sandomere (Sandro Hit x Romina) ridden by Merrie Velden. Bred by Marion Menck and owned by Holly E. Reimers Training Level: 1st - Rosentanz (Rosenthal x Wiesentanz) ridden by JJ Tate. BreDd and owned by Jackie Nixon-Fulton - Score 79.8% 11th - Dunant (Depardieu x Anita) ridden by Marie Barrett. Bred by Bernhard Schroeder and owned by Leigh A. Dunworth - Score 74% 17th - Saphira (Florencio I x Roxina) ridden by Heather McCarthy & John McGuire. Bred by Wolfgang Sames and owned by John McGuire - Score 73.571% First Level: 2nd - Revelle (Rosenthal x Liberty Belle) ridden and owned by Susan Graham White. Bred by Alicia Baranowski - Score 74.632% Third Level: 6th - Dance With Me (Dream of Love x Jonita) ridden by Jaye Cherry. Bred by Johann Brandes and owned by Marta Kauffman - Score 69.487% 15th - Rasta (Rotspon x Rikorella) ridden by Christine Rivlin. Bred by Judy Yancey and owned by Pamela M. Bailey - Score 67.949% Fourth Level: 7th - Royal Diamant (Rohdiamant x Donna) ridden and owned by Elizabeth Campbell. Bred by Ludger Wehry - Score 68.238% Prix St. Georges: 10th - Don Devere (Don Schufro x Luisa) ridden and owned by Carolyn A. Adams. Bred by Fritz Linse - Score 69.211% 13th - Ringo Starr (Relevant x Liara) ridden by Shannon Dueck. Bred by Holly Simensen and owned by Jean Vinios - Score 69.035% 17th - Soubirous (Sandro Hit x Tarakaiba) ridden by Elizabeth Ball. Bred by Barabara Bettin-Schulze-Schleppinghof and owned by Cadence LLC - Score 68.553% Intermediare I: 8th - Don Devere (Don Schufro x Luisa) ridden and owned by Carolyn A. Adams. Bred by Fritz Linse - Score 70.263% 16th - Quartz 5 (Quattro B x Rapunzel) ridden and owned by Deanna Landwehr. Bred by Hubert Hermeling - Score 68.421% Intermediare II: 14th - Romantic (Rohdiamant x Arabella) ridden by William Warren. Bred by Gerd Berges and owned by Team Romantic LLC - Score 63.947% Grand Prix: 14th - Rafalca (Argentinus x Ratine (Rubinstein I)) ridden by Jan Ebeling. Bred by Erwin Risch and owned by Amy Ebeling and Ann Romney - Score 66.670% USEF HORSE OF THE YEAR AWARDS The Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Society does honor USEF/Oldenburg Year End Awards for Hunters, Jumpers, and Eventers. However, the horses must be lifetime registered with the USEF and all of the USEF rules must be complied with. In addition the owners must declare the horse by filling out the following form: USEF/Oldenburg Submissions by September 30th of the year of the awards (in other words fill it out before September 30th, 2010 to be eligble for the 2010 Year End Awards!). Unfortunately, no one submitted their horses in 2009. Regionally, Le Andros bred and owned by Juliana Whittenburg and Gary Ellebracht of Flying Lion Farm was the USEF/USHJA Horse of the year Zone 4 Champion for Pony Hunter Breeding Yearlings and the PHR Champion Zone 4 Pony Hunter Breeding All Ages! In addition, their mare Zeja Vu bred by Lisa Dworkin was the USEF/USHJA Horse of the Year Zone 4 Champion for the 3 year old Hunter Breeding and the PHR Zone 4 Champion for the 3 year old Hunter Breeding. USEF BREEDERS AND OWNERS OF THE YEAR For the second year in a row, Melanie Pai of Canaan Ranch at Bolinvar was the national Breeder of the Year for Dressage Breeding, and this year she was not only the Owner of the Year for Dressage Breeding, she was second in the Dressage Owners, and eighth in the Dressage Breeders! Also doing very well in the Dressage Breeding Breeders was Lisa Dworkin of Irish Hills Farms who placed 10th in this division! In the Hunter Breeders category, Angela Barilar of High Point Hanoverians can thank her stallions Rosenthal and De Laurentis along with her beautiful mares for placing 7th in the nation in this division! In the Pony Hunter Breeding division, Juliana Whittenburg of Flying Lion Farm must be very happy. Not only was she 7th in the Pony Hunter Breeding Breeders, she was also 7th in the Pony Hunter Breeding Owners! USEF SIRES OF THE YEAR In the Dressage Sire of the Year division, the Oldenburg stallion, Contango is ranked 2nd! Contango was bred by Egon Wichman and was imported by Mary Alice Malone of Iron Spring Farms as an FEI level dressage horse. He was then ridden very successfully by Mary Alice at Grand Prix having won the USDF/ABIG Region 1 Grand Prix Freestyle Championship, the Grand Prix Special at Dressage at Devon, and the CBLM Championships in both Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle. He has been a prolific sire having sired Ravel, and at the time of his passing in 2007 he had six offspring competing at Grand Prix. Also in the Dressage Sires division, the legendary Oldenburg stallion, Donnerhall was ranked 9th and his son, Don Schufro was ranked 11th. In the Dressage Breeding Sire division Canaan Ranch's stallion, Donates was ranked 6th, Don Schufro was ranked 9th, and High Point Hanoverians Oldenburg Approved stallion, Rosenthal was ranked 11th. In the Hunter Breeding Sires division, the late Oldenburg stallion Donatelli I was ranked 13th in the nation. Donatell I had a great career at Grand Prix in dressage under Jim Koford after being imported, and spent his final years at Dreamscape Farm in Vancouver, Canada under the care of Jennifer and Armin Arnoldt who were saddened by his passing in 2008. In all it was a great year for Oldenburg and Weser-Ems! Be sure to be an active member by August 30th, 2010, and to declare your horse with either the USDF or USEF appropriately by their deadlines in September. Only horses registered and branded by the Oldenburg Verband in Germany, or registered and microchipped by the OHBS are eligible. Only ponies registered with the Weser-Ems Verband are eligible. If you have had a Year End winner, and would like to have your horse's or pony's photo in the magazine article, please e-mail a high resolution photo to Oldenburghorseweb(at)hotmail.com. The magazine article about the Year End Awards will be in Issue 1, 2010 due out in March.

		January 5th, 2010 - The First Foal of 2010, Seltener Mond, Rings in the New Year for Walkabout Station and Oldenburg Born on New Year's morning under a rare Blue Moon, this colt sired by Starlight (Sandro Hit) and out of the Holsteiner mare, Jemez (Columbus), was an early surprise for Gary and Jan Marquardt of Walkabout Station in Texas! They have decided to name him Seltener Mond which in German means "Rare Moon". Be sure to visit the 2010 Nursery as it develops over the winter and spring. You can find it under "Foals", and if you have a new foal, please send us good photos of them, and we'll be happy to put them up for all to see. If they are for sale like this incredible colt is, we will also be happy to put them up on the sales page for free if you are an active 2010 member. To browse the sales pages, click on "Sales" on the left hand menu.

Santino and Autumn Fox		December 22nd, 2009 - Oldenburgs & Weser-Ems Have Exceptional Success in the Regional Finals and Year End Awards As the USEF and USDF All Breed Awards are being confirmed, we are starting to get the great news of success from our members and the horses they bred, own, and/or ride! The USDF/Oldenburg All Breeds Awards have been finalized and they will be published on this website in January and will be featured in Issue 1, 2010 of the magazine which should be out in March. If you have an Oldenburg horse or Weser-Ems pony that has earned a Year End Award please send in a high resolution photo and your information to Oldenburghorseweb(at)hotmail.com. In the meantime we have received another story about Regional success. The Weser-Ems registered small horse, Santino (Sandreo x Gilla (Maior Domus)) performed beautifully in-hand, and was Reserve Grand Champion 2 year old Colt/Gelding for the Mid United States at the Mid-West Cosequin/USDF Breeders Series Finals! The judges, Kristi Wysocki and Peter Hansen of Denmark were very impressed with the young horse. Santino was bred by Klaus Biesenthal of Bell Oaks Farm in Freeport Illinois, and is owned by Autumn Fox. She reports that he will be getting started under saddle this winter. After the show she stayed in touch with Peter Hansen who is a certified professional trainer from Denmark. He will be the one getting Santino started, and Autumn will be joining him for training in May. We wish them congratulations for this success as well as their Year End award that will be reported about soon!

		December 19th, 2009 - The First Ever 70 Day Stallion Performance Test and Second 30 Day Test Has Concluded With Great Results for OHBS-GOV Approved Stallions! The 70 Day and 30 Day Stallion Performance Tests just wrapped up at Silver Creek Farm in Oklahoma, and it was Rolling Stone Farm's Shakespeare RSF that was the "clear winner" according to OHBS Director, Holly Simensen. The young Hanoverian stallion that is now fully approved by the OHBS-GOV is sired by the legendary Oldenburg Stallion, Sandro Hit (Photo top by Susan J. Stickle). He won the dressage with an incredible score of 136.01, and was 5th in the jumping with a 105.42 leading to a wonderful overall score of 130.92. Another stallion owned by Mo Swanson of Rolling Stone Farm also did exceptionally well at the test. The 2004 Oldenburg stallion, Fhitzgerald (Florencio x Weltlady (Weltmeyer)) was 5th overall, 5th in dressage, and 4th in jumping! Mo found Fhitzgerald on a buying trip in Germany as a foal in the area around Frankfurt and bought him from his breeder, Wolfgang Sames. Having managed one of the largest breeding operations in the US, and stood internationally successful Grand Prix stallions such as Welcome S, Mo has obviously developed a great eye for a horse. She feels Fhitzgerald has talent in both disciplines, but could be especially interesting for the hunter breeders out there because of his fantastic character and style of jumping. The Oldenburg stallion, Reiner K (Rosenthal x Fiona (Feiner Graf)) also did very well, and is now fully approved due to his results. He was bred and is owned by Terry Smith of Riverside Equestrian who must be thrilled! He was 7th overall with a great dressage score of 109.45! Pictured middle. Photo by Stephanie Law. In the 30 Day Test, Sandro Class (Sandro Hit x World Class (First Class) bred and owned by Brenda Hendershot earned excellent scores having been given a 9.13 for Interior, and 8.25 for rideability! Brenda is very happy with her young stallion and notes that it is his fantastic character that really stood out. She said that the judges and riders commented often on how well he behaved and how much they enjoyed working with him. She will be preparing him for the 5 year old dressage tests this coming year. Photo bottom by Susan McAdoo. We congratulate them all on a job well done! Click here to see the full results from Silver Creek Farm.

		December 19th, 2009 - Cindy Snowden and Dolomit Have Won the 2009 Connecticut Freestyle Championship Cindy Snowden is elated over the success she has had with her up and coming Oldenburg gelding, Dolomit. They did very well at Prix St. George and Intermediare I this year, and to top it all off, they wrapped up the 2009 Connecticut Freestyle Championship! This championship is sponsored by Ann Guptill and her husband, Ed Larusso's company, Equestrian Arts Productions. Certain competitions are designated as qualifiers, and one must have at least three scores from these qualifying competitions. The scores are then averaged, and Dolomit and Cindy's median score of 72.5% put them on top! So congratulations again to Cindy and Dolomit!

		December 15th, 2009 - Pangaea Farms - Home of Sandro's Heir and Harvard - Has Updated Their Website Pangaea Farms of Canada has announced that the renovation of their website is now complete. Please visit www.pangaeafarm.com to read the bio's, and see new photos and videos of the two great stallions, Sandro's Heir and Harvard. The site also provides a lot of information and photos of the stallions' foals.

		December 9th, 2009 - The Champion of the 2009 Licensing will be Named "Fairbanks" Louise and Doug Leatherdale are very excited about their new stallion that they are now calling "Fairbanks". The Oldenburg licensing champion sired by Flemmingh and out of St.Pr.St. Identify by Inselfuerst really impressed the crowds and the judges at the licensing. Since then, the Leatherdales report that their rider, Steffen, started him last week and said he was a dream to work with. Louise said, "I can not wait to finally see him in person next month when we come to Germany again. It's so very hard to be so far away from my "boys"."

		December 5th, 2009 - Star Agent is the Top Priced Riding Horse Selling to Andreas Helgestrand of Denmark at the Winter Mixed Sales Auction For the second time this year, Danish Olympic dressage rider, Andreas Helgestrand and his sponsors Ole and Lotte Vagner, bought the top priced horse at an Oldenburg auction in Vechta, Germany. This time it was the beautiful gelding, Star Agent (Sandro Hit x Aparecida (Argentinus)) bred by Barbara Bettin-Schulze-Schleppinghoff. Star Agent stems from the Oldenburg mare line of Burga that has produced Olympic horses. Also in attendance was Canadian Olympic rider and trainer, Evi Strasser, who won the bid for Dow Jones (Don Larino x St.Pr.St. Fatima (Rouletto)). Dow Jones has already won and placed at A level in dressage. The other highlight was the sale of the young stallion Diamond Song (Diamond Hit x Wunita (Sandro Song)) who sold to Germany for 55,000 Euro. Click here for the full results.

		December 1st, 2009 - Oldenburgs Have Exceptional Success in the Regional Finals and Year End Awards As the USEF and USDF All Breed Awards are being tallied and confirmed, we are starting to get the great news of success from our members and the horses they bred, own, and/or ride! The USDF/Oldenburg All Breeds Awards have been finalized and they will be published on this website in January and will be featured in Issue 1, 2010 of the magazine which should be out in March. In the meantime we have received the following stories about Regional success. MW Donnahall (Florencio I x Dein Liebling (Donnerhall)) bred and owned by Jen Vanover of Maplewood Warmbloods LLC in New York was the Three Year Old Champion in the USDF Region 8 Year End Awards. She scored an average of 77.6% in the Dressage Breeding classes leading to this prestigious championship. (pictured top) Jen was also thrilled with the success of her 2009 Premium colt, MW Sambuca (Sandro Hit x Riva (Rosenkavalier)) who was Reserve Champion in the Region 8 Year End Awards in the Dressage Breeding Colts of 2009. He scored an average of 72.9%! Mo Swanson of Rolling Stone Farm in Pennsylvania owns and operates one of the largest sport horse breeding facilities in the country, but she still takes the time to follow up on the wonderful horses that she breeds or imports. One such mare is Rhomance, better known by her show name as Saphira (Florencio x Roxina (Chairman)) who Mo imported as a yearling, raised and then sold to John McGuire. The mare who was bred by Wolfgang Sames had incredible success in the Region 2 Championships at Lamplight Farm which were held in early October. Under rider Heather McCarthy she won all of her Training Level classes with incredible scores up to 77.143%!! She then went on to win the GAIG Open Training Level Championships with a 75.4%! (pictured middle) Luxe Sport Horses' Serengeti ridden by Sheryl Williams also had a great year in 2009 at Training level. Serengeti, a 5 year old bay imported mare by Stedinger out of a Sevillano xx mare, had an average for the year of 76.76%, and was Year End High Point Open Training Level Champion of Victoria Saanich Cadora. Especially impressive was the high score of the Capitol City Classic show of 79.2% judged by Hilda Gurney! (pictured bottom, photo: Mathew Simonyi) So check back in early January to read more about all the great Year End Award successes!

Oldenburg Champion Colt, #10 Oldenburg Reserve Champion Colt, #2 Oldenburg Third Placed Colt, #16 OS Champion Colt, #61 OS Champion Colt, #61 OS Reserve Champion Colt, #72 Haupt Premium Stallion Fürst Romancier Haupt Premium Stallion Cornet's Prinz Jane Cleveland and Pat Nelley Jane Cleveland and #8 Pentagons Peron From Left to Right - First Row: Lisa Grossi & her husband, Second Row: Jim Swanson, Mo Swanson, Nancy Holowesko, Holly Simensen, Jen Vanover & Lindsay Forbes		November 21st, 2009 - The Flemmingh x Inselfürst Colt is the Oldenburg Champion and another Last Man Standing Colt is OS Champion of the Haupt Körung at the 2009 Oldenburg Stallion Days It was a fantastic three days packed full with exceptional young stallions being presented and evaluated to be licensed for breeding with both the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes and the jumper division, Springpferdezuchtverband Oldenburg-International known as the OS. The young stallions being presented had already gone through a pre-selection process held in October where around 400 stallions took part. Out of these only the top 42 stallions from the Oldenburg Verband and 32 stallions from the OS were selected to come to this Haupt Körung, or Main Stallion Licensing. The evaluations began with the stallions being presented in trot and walk on the hard pavement. Right away the big gray colt, #10 Flemmingh x St.Pr.St. Identify (Inselfürst) bred by Aloys Schmidt got everyone talking. His movement on the pavement was excellent and his presence and type was outstanding. Of course there were many more that were also outstanding, and it would take the full two days of evaluations for the committee to really decide. One of the most interesting parts of the Oldenburg evaluations is the new addition of lunging. In the past the stallions were simply trotted around a triangle, but starting last year the committee decided to lunge the stallions with simple side reins to get a better idea about their ability to balance themselves and more clearly see the mechanics of their gaits and hind legs when going on the circle. Since #10 is quite tall, he may not have balanced himself as well as some of the others, but nonetheless he was very good on the lunge and the mechanics of his hind leg and natural uphill movement were maintained. The following day, all of the stallions came back into the arena one by one, were presented at liberty, and then were free jumped. At this point the champion may have looked a little tired in his hind leg, but again was fluid and his presence and expression were undeniable. His breeding is of course very interesting and different for the Oldenburg Verband. In a recent article that the head of the Licensing committee, Dr. Schulze-Schleppinghof, wrote about stallion lines, he commented that the only place where top dressage stallions could be found outside of Germany was the Netherlands. In this case the stallion, Flemmingh, is in fact German bred having been registered as a Holsteiner foal, but he was taken to the Netherlands and approved there as a stallion not for jumper breeding, but for dressage. He has been in the lines of top dressage horses having directly sired the internationally successful Grand Prix horses Krack C and Lingh. Lingh, ridden by Edward Gal, was the Reserve Champion at the 2005 World Cup in Las Vegas, and is now owned and ridden by Karen Offield. Flemmingh also sired Santino and Regent who won individual and team gold at the 2007 Pan American Games, and before his death in 2007 he was ranked 6th in the world on the leading dressage sires list. His damsire, Inselfürst (Inschallah AA x Wega (Futuro)) scored one of the highest dressage index scores in his stallion performance test ever recorded, 155.18. He went on to be the Oldenburg State champion for the 6 year old dressage horses in 1992 and has sired champions such as Ironman who not only has sired many successful dressage horses, but who was also the 2007 USEF Sire of the Year for Hunter Breeding. #10's mare line then goes back to Argentinus who was arguably a jumper and sired many top jumpers, but he has also sired internationally successful Grand Prix dressage horses such as Amaretto ridden by Isabel Werth, Aleppo S ridden by Ellen Schulten-Baumer, and European Champion Gold medalist Albano ridden by Heike Kemmer. In other words, this champion colt's bloodlines are a veritable who's who of dressage breeding. In the end, the expressive movement, incredible type, and the interesting bloodlines were the factors that lead to the Flemmingh x St.Pr.St. Identify (Inselfürst) colt becoming the champion of the 2009 licensing. Following this announcement he was auctioned for the top price of 250,000 Euro, and interestingly he was purchased by Doug and Louise Leatherdale of Leatherdale Farms, Minnesota. Doug Leatherdale is the president of the American Hanoverian Society, and this was the first time they have purchased an Oldenburg stallion. He will be staying in Germany and will stand at Hengststation Jens Meyer along with many of the Leatherdales other top stallions. Click here to see the video of #10 lunging. Click here to see the video of #10 at liberty and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #10. A special treat was held later in the stallion show when the Champion was brought out with his grandfather, Lacapo who is now 30 years old. Click here to see the video of #10 and Lacapo. The Reserve Champion stallion was the expressive and very balanced colt, #2 sired by Danone I and out of St.Pr.St. Rihanna (Welt Hit II x Vb.Pr.St. Riconess (Noble Roi xx)). He really showed his talent on the lunge line cantering and trotting effortlessly maintaining his frame and uphill movement. He was bred by Olaf Bahls and stemming from the very successful Oldenburg mare line of Richilda, he was sold at the 2007 Elite Foal auction to Ernst Kemper of Borken, Germany. In this auction he was sold initially to someone whose sponsor could not fund the bid, so he was brought back in at the end and sold to the Dressurpferde Leistungszentrum in Lodbergen, Germany where Grand Prix rider Markus Gribbe is the head trainer. Click here to see #2 lunging, at liberty and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #2. The third placed stallion is a son of the Hanoverian licensing champion, Hotline (Hofrat x De Nira (De Niro)), and is out of one of the most successful Oldenburg mare lines. His dam, St.Pr./El.St. Merethe (Florestan I x St.Pr./El.St. Maradonna (Donnerhall)) is out of the same dam as last year's licensing champion, Furstenball. Furstenball was not only the licensing champion, he recently won his 70 day performance test in Schlieckau scoring an incredible 154,99 for dressage and having a final total of 145.25. The Hotline colt, #16 was bred by Georg Sieverding and is owned by Blue Hors of Denmark. Click here to see #16 lunging, at liberty and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #16. The fourth placed stallion was #30 sired by Sir Donnerhall and out of Kira K (Banditentraum x El.St. Kanessa (Schwalbenherbst)). He stems from the well known Trakehner damline of Kassette which is the same line as stallions such as Kostolany were bred from. #30 was bred by Annemarie Krause and is owned by Maria Ring of Sweden and Paul Schockemoehle. Click here to see the video of #30 lunging, at liberty, and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #30. The fifth placed stallion was #1 sired by Belissimo M and out of St.Pr.St. Faberge (Florestan x Diora Divina (Donnerhall)). Faberge was a Brilliant Ring mare in 2003, and stems from the mareline of Steinrose. #1 was bred by Kamma Beirholm and is owned by Heinrich Ramsbrock and Kamma Beirholm. Click here to see the video of #1 lunging, at liberty, and free jumping. Click here to see the final ring and victory round for #1. The auction was successful given the financial situation and everyone at the Verband was more than happy with the results. Many of the stallions sold to countries outside of Germany, and #8 who is the full brother to the 2008 Brilliant Ring champion, Weihegold, was purchased by the American FEI level dressage rider, Jane Cleveland of Tennessee. She was thrilled to have won the bid for this remarkable horse who is obviously going through a growth spurt which most felt affected his chances at this licensing. The pair is sure to do very well together in the future! Click here to see the video of #8 Everyone was very impressed with how well the OS program is developing. The depth of talent went much further this year than in past years, and the stallions were good movers and very modern types. The champion was not only a half brother to last year's phenom, Le Champ Ask, he comes from the same breeding family having been bred by the Möller brothers. #61 was sired again by Last Man Standing and is out of Caletta (Conteros x Dorina IV (Caletto I)). #61 showed exceptional form and talent over the jumps. Click here to see the video of the OS Champion, #61 Last Man Standing has an interesting history in his young career. He was born in Holstein and after being licensed in Redefin and completing his approval requirements in Mecklenburg he was sold to Maria Chernova of Moscow, Russia. She later approached Dietmar Weinrich of Pferde Weinrich International to help her market the horse in Germany. With the help of Bernd Richter he was able to arrange for the stallion to be brought back to the Oldenburg region to stand at the Holkenbrink stud. We were all treated to the surprise of the great stallion coming into the arena during the stallion show. Click here to see the video of Last Man Standing The Reserve OS Champion was #72 sired by Stalypso and out of Celline (Couleur-Rubin x Makimono (Carprilli)). He was bred by Wilhelm Meiners and is owned by Erich Stevens. Click here to see the video of #72 The third placed stallion was #54 sired by Clarimo and out of Lovely (Stauffenberg x Graefin (Ahorn Z)). He was bred by Carsten Schultz and is owned by Equo Reitsport GmbH. Click here to see the video of #54 The fourth placed stallion was #73 sired by Toulon and out of Gold Patch (Pardarco x Goldess (Dimenos)). He was bred and is owned by Gestuet Lewitz. Click here to see the video of #73. The fifth placed stallion was #52 sired by Check In and out of Vb.Pr.St. Walanda (Landadel x Vb.Pr.St. Waskia (Andiamo)). He was bred by Andreas Tabeling and is out of Franz R. Sanktjohanser. Click here to see the video of #52. Following the awarding of this year's champions, the Haupt Premium awards were announced. This award is given to a 5 yr. old Oldenburg stallion that has had success in his performance test, in sport, and with his foals. The jumper Haupt Premium stallion for 2009 is Cornet's Prinz (Cornet Obolensky x Almoxella O (Almox Prints)) bred by Willi Ottmann and owned by Gestüt Klatte. Click here to see Cornet's Prinz. The dressage Haupt Premium stallion for 2009 is Fürst Romacier (Fürst Heinrich x Ronja (Romancier)) bred by Lothar Schulze and owned by Gestüt Lewitz. Click here to see Fürst Romancier. The conclusion to all of these exciting days was the wonderful evening performance of the older stallions in what is called the "Stallion Parade". Stallions from around Germany and Europe were invited to show themselves off to the breeders in attendance. There were so many great stallions it was impossible to video them all. The following were the standouts: Christ (Competent x Paloma (Picard)) Rock Forever (Rockwell x St.Pr.St. Lady (Landstreicher)) Show Star (Sandro Hit x Feine Dame (Feinbrand)) Pentagons Peron (Placido Sun x El.St. Farina M (Donnerhall)) Weser-Ems Cyrill WE (FS Champion de Luxe x Neysna (Power Man)) Licotus (Likoto xx x Dollargirl (Donnerhall)) Ampere (Rousseau x Larivola (Flemmingh)) Jumpers: Balou du Rouet - Ludwigs As - Carlucci The VTF awarded dressage stallion presented in the stallion show was the 8 year old Sancisco (Sandro Hit x Rosenfee (Rohdiamant)) who has had wins at Grand Prix under rider Ronald Lüders including a recent win in Zierow at Grand Prix with scores above 72%. He was bred by Elisabeth Münstermann and is owned by Gestüt Kempke Hof. Click here to see the video of Sancisco. Click here for the results of the Oldenburg Licensing Click here for the results of the OS Licensing Videos, photos, and report by Stephanie Law - More videos coming soon!

		November 15th, 2009 - A Standing Ovation for the Champion of the 2009 Weser-Ems Main Licensing, Big Light Out of the 55 Weser-Ems German Riding Pony stallions presented, only 29 were licensed at the 2009 Hauptkörung or Main Stallion Licensing held at the Oldenburg Horse Center in Vechta, Germany. Out of those 29, only 4 were honored with the title Premium and the Champion was Big Light (Hilken's Black Delight). He cast a spell on everyone in the audience with his charm and incredible gaits bringing everyone to a standing ovation. He was bred by Karl-Heinz Bruns of Westerstede, and he is owned by Dr. Tanja Becker who filed this report and took the beautiful photo you see here. Dr. Tanja Becker was the press agent for years for the Oldenburg Verband, and has since moved on to open her own office in Vechta. We congratulate her on that, and certainly this great success!!

		November 13th, 2009 - Angelea Walkup of Horse Girl TV is in Training with Anky van Grunsven with Riverside Equestian's Carrara Terry Smith of Riverside Equestrian is very proud to see the mare she bred, Cararra (pictured here under Johannes Westendarp at High Point Hanoverians) is on the News page of Anky van Grunsven! Cararra was purchased by Angelea Walkup of Horse Girl TV fame, and the pair arrived in the Netherlands about 6 weeks ago. To see and read more click here. We wish both of them the best of luck!

		November 3rd, 2009 - Highlife's Burberry Wins and is Reserve Champion Colt at the Sunshine Classic I in Ocala, Florida The young up and coming Weser-Ems 3 year old stallion, Highlife's Burberry (Highlife's Bodyguard x Conda (Chamberlain)) did exceptionally well at the Sunshine Sporthorse Association's Sunshine Classic I and II which also hosted the regional USDF Championships. On Saturday he won his 3 year old class and was Reserve Champion of the colt division. He then went on to the Regional Championships and was third overall in the USDF Sporthorse In Hand Colts/Geldings finals. He also had the second highest material score each day for all horses and ponies. So the first ever US born Weser-Ems pony to be licensed by the Weser-Ems stallion committee is off to a great start! We congratulate his breeder, Joan Sims of Highlife Farms, and his owner, Heather Luing of Whispered Wish Weser-Ems!

Uwe accepting the portrait from Helga Köhler and others German Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen with Paula Vorwerk (left behind), President Weerda, and Helga Köhler (right front) German Silver Medalist Torben Jacobs Jörg Pasternak Cutting Markus Gribbe Michelle Gibson and Don Angelo L-R: Monica Burssens, Rick Silvia, Holly Simensen, Ullrich Henschke, Rex & Deborah Howe Rex and Deborah Howe Monica Burssens & Rick Silvia Clients of Tanya Harding Tanya Harding Shantaram bought by Liz Doherty Michelle Gibson, Pelle Wedenmark, Terry Kane, & Joanne Stoudenmier		October 2- 3rd, 2009 - On His 30th Anniversary Auction, Uwe Heckmann and the Oldenburg Team Take the Financial Crisis and Throw it Out the Window in More Ways Than One It was an incredible and magical 30th anniversary for the Oldenburg Auctioneer and Auction Director, Uwe Heckmann. On Friday evening one of the best ever Gala Evening performances was arranged, mostly by Uwe himself, but combined with a few surprises from his auction team, and this is how it all started. The Oldenburg band played to slides from the past, and then it went into a surprise introduction for Uwe. He did not know that he was going to be introduced in song by a British Jumper rider turned professional singer, Stephen Richard, and it clearly humbled him. Click here to see the video of the Gala Evening Introduction. Following this a group of important guests of the festival were brought into the arena via white horse and carriage. The most honored of them being Helga Köhler, the wife of Hans Joachim Köhler, who won not only the German National Championships but also the European Championships in jumping in 1962, and competed successfully for years having been an auction rider in Verden from 1949 to 1983. She had helped to bring along a young man in the world of vaulting, riding and auctions, and his name was Uwe Heckmann. She was accompanied by political leaders such as the German Family Minister, Ursula von der Leyen who was also a former auction rider from Verden. She gave a very nice speech praising Uwe's accomplishments and development over the years. They then all stood by as a portrait was brought out and presented to Uwe from the Oldenburg Verband. After that the show went on with presentations of the Auction horses and Champions from this year. The Reserve Champion of the 3 year old stallions at the 2009 Bundeschampionate, So What A Feeling, was presented along with ERA Wunderschöne and Weihegold OLD who both medaled in their respective Bundeschampionate divisions. Following them was the 2009 Weser-Ems Dream Team comprised first of the 5 year old Jumper Bundeschampion, Haribo and the Team Bronze medalist of the European Championships, Pepper Ann. They were then joined by the Bundeschampion of the 4 year old pony stallions, Casino Royale K WE, and the Reserve Bundeschampion from the same division, Batida de Coco WE. Click here to see the video highlights of the Weser-Ems Ponies of 2009. The next presentation was titled, "The Father and Son". It was in honor of Rene' Tebel who won the Bundeschampionship of the 6 year old jumper horses with the incredible stallion, Con Air OLD, and his son, Maurice Tebbel who won a team bronze medal at the 2009 European Championships on the pony Giovanni. Click here to see the video highlights of Con Air and Giovanni. Following them was a fun presentation of children riding their ponies to the Lion King, and then a beautiful vaulting freestyle routine presented by the 2009 German National silver medalist, Torben Jacobs. Click here to see the Lion King and Vaulting from Torben Jacobs. Also being honored in between these two presentations was the breeder of Sterntaler OLD, Wilhelm Middelbeck. Sterntaler has won a number of top Grand Prix's including some CDI's, and was in the top ten in the European Championships at Windsor. After a little comedy break centered on Uwe (another surprise from the Auction Team!),Eventer Ina Tapken riding London-Return OLD, Jan Klugmann riding Nightfire, and Mario Stevens riding Corlanda OLD were all honored. Ina Tapken and London-Return (Lifestyle x Corradino) just won double gold at the 2009 European Eventing Championships, Jan Klugmann and Nightfire (Nobeltanzer x Rinaldo) won team gold at the Junior European Eventing Championships, and Mario Stevens rode Corlanda OLD to World Championship Jumper Silver. Click here to see the video of London-Return OLD, Nightfire, and Corlanda OLD. Following this was one of the most entertaining presentations of the evening. Well known breeders and riders were called out from the audience, and the two time European Cutting Champion, Jörg Pasternak proceeded to demonstrate his sport by "cutting people". He of course had to explain to the group that they were supposed to be afraid of horses, and not pet them asking the audience, "Have you ever seen a cow pet a horse??". At one point he "cut out" international dressage rider, Markus Gribbe, but Markus put some moves on his horse that a cow of course could not. Jörg complained a little that his "cows" were not following the rules! He then "cut" Josef Klaphake and decided to trade places with him letting Josef take the saddle. The audience was rolling and really appreciated the athleticism being displayed. Click here to see the video of "Cutting People". The finale of the Gala Evening was a beautiful demonstration by US Olympic rider, Michelle Gibson on Diamante Farm's young stallion, Don Angelo. She rode to music, and then the Oldenburg Verband honored the United States by having a soloist come out and sing the United States National Anthem. They then concluded with the band playing the Oldenburg Hymn. Click here for the video of Michelle and Don Angelo's demonstration. Click here for the video of the US National Anthem and Oldenburg Hymn. On Saturday, the Uwe and the auction team continued to throw the financial crisis out the window, not just by entertaining everyone so much that they forgot the troubles outside the door, but by breaking both the German price record for the sale of a Riding Horse and setting a new Oldenburg average price record! The highlight of this was of course the sale of #11 Don Primeur (Don Primero x Carmelita (Castro)) who had won the Oldenburg State Championships for the 3 year old Mares and Geldings with fantastic scores. He was unable to attend the Bundeschampionate because his vaccinations were not up to date, but the buzz about his extraordinary talent got around to the top trainers in Europe fast. All of the top names either came and personally tried him, or had agents looking at him. In the end it came down to a bidding fight between Austrian Olympic rider Sissi Max-Theurer, Swedish Agent Johan Ifverson, and Andreas Helgestrand calling in from Denmark with his sponsors, Ole and Lotte Vagner. After working to convince Sissi to go higher, Uwe was happily surprised when Johan took the bid to 500,000 Euro. Just as they all thought it was over, Andreas gave the bid of 505,000 Euro calling from Denmark. Johan laughed and said he could not go higher so the hammer went down for Denmark! Interestingly Patrick Burssens of Wellington, Florida bought Don Primeur's full brother, and last year Christina Vinios of Massachusetts bought his full sister. She is now in training with Robert Dover with her. Click here to see the bidding for Don Primeur. The second highest priced horse of the auction was the remarkable stallion, Starlight, who looked incredible in the Gala Evening performance and during the bidding. Although the bidding went fast, and his owner, Rick Rockefeller Silvia of Dream Street Stallions was sad about having to sell him (because how do you put a price on a stallion that has brought a person so much and achieved so much!) the amount was very substantial and the buyers were extremely happy. He will be going into training with Julia Katharina von Platen who has been very successful riding the stallion Capuccino at Grand Prix. His owners have an 18 year old daughter who will then take up the reins and compete him on the very competitive Young Riders circuit in Germany, and hopefully internationally. It was reported by the grooms in the barn that the daughter was in Starlight's stall after the bidding crying and crying because she couldn't believe the horse was really hers. Click here for the video of Starlight. Rick and his good friends Deborah and Rex Howe of Jacksonville, Florida stayed on and purchased 3 horses. Deborah was a ground breaking woman in professional car racing in Daytona and then on the Formula 1 circuit in Europe. She then opened a number of car dealerships, and now has turned her interests to dressage and top horses. Along with clients that Rick was in touch with on the phone, they purchased #12 Doceur (Don Primero x Valderia (Royal Dance)) whose granddam, Valdivia is full sister to Via Mala who was the Grand Champion at Devon in 1988. Click here to see the bidding for Douceur. They also purchased the very impressive stallion, #37 Sakramenter (Samarant x Weiha Cara (Westminster)). Click here to see the bidding for Sakramenter. Finally, Rick was successful bidding for the licensed Florencio son, #60 Fergonn (Florencio x Blue Hill (Hill Hawk xx)). The director of the North American Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Society, Holly Simensen was of course on hand and helped clients through the whole process. One very happy moment for her was in bidding for Christine Williams of Vancouver, Canada. Calling in to Holly from Canada, Christine went for the State Premium candidate, #4 Shirley M (Sandro Hit x Rosenfee (Rohdiamant)) who has excellent bloodlines and three super gaits. Click here for the bidding for Shirley M. Another Vancouver based rider is the Hunter rider, Tanya Harding, who has been a faithful client of the Oldenburg auctions. This time she brought a young couple with her who had a lot of fun as Tanya won the bids for two exceptional jumpers for them. The first was the approved stallion #8 Baloumiro (Balout du Rouet x Rasante (Ramiro Z)) who was a finalist in the 2008 and has won multiple jumper shows in Germany. Click here for the bidding for Baloumiro. The second was the wonderfully quiet and rhythmical mare, # 19 Grace de Luxe (Conterno Grande x Gina Corina (Corradino)). Click here for the bidding for Grace de Luxe. Having driven over from where she is training in the Netherlands, Monica Burssens was on hand to bid for clients of hers and her fathers at the International Dressage Academy in Wellington, Florida. She was successful in bidding for the wonderful mover #22 Biolek (Biotop x White Drogida (Duntroon)). Click here for the bidding for Biolek. Monica was also successful in bidding for the colt, #7 Stolzer Eduard (Swarovski x St.Pr.St. Admirage (Fuerst Heinrich)) who was given the award, "Stallion Prospect" by the Oldenburg inspection committee. Jennifer Hoffman of German Dressage in California was also on hand with her client, Liz Doherty who successfully went after the stunning gelding, #5 Shantaram (Sir Donnerhall x Edella K (Rohdiamant)). Having already won some young horse dressage tests in Germany, he is sure to go on to a great career in California. The bidding was unfortunately missed, but please click on the results list below to see a video of the gelding. Liz will be shipping him directly to California where they will begin their training under Jennifer at German Dressage. Obviously saving the best for last, Michelle Gibson helped her client Joanne Stoudenmier of Crosby, Texas in the bidding for the Verband Premium Mare #68 Chica H (Chico's Boy x St.Pr.St. World Line (World Cup II)) who has already won A Level dressage tests in Germany and stems from a very successful mare line. Sitting with Terry Kane of Diamante Farms and Pelle Wedenmark of Wellington, Florida, Michelle helped her very happy client win the bid. Click here for the bidding for Chica H. The prices for the foals were also very good. The highest priced foal was the colt and stallion prospect, #27 Winehouse (Wynton x St.Pr./El.St. Maradonna (Donnerhall)) who is out of the dam of the 2008 Licensing champion Fürstenball. It was a big fight between Spain, Ann Katrin Linsenhoff and Lone Jorgensen of Denmark who owns Fürstenball. With help from Johannes Westendarp, it was Denmark that won the bid at a record price for a foal sold at a Fall Auction, 58,000 Euro. Click here to see the bidding for Winehouse. Also happily winning the bid for the beautiful filly, #32 Lorettina (For Compliment x Linou (Likoto xx)) with very interesting bloodlines was Jane Cleveland of Tennessee who called in to Holly for the bid. The filly is a great-granddaughter of Loretta, the dam of Sandro Hit, Royal Hit, and Diamond Hit. Click here for the bidding for Lorettina. In all, Uwe Heckmann, the Verband, and the Auction Team were all very happy with the results, and look forward now to the Main Stallion Licensing to be held November 19-21st in Vechta, Germany. Don't miss it!! Click here for the full Auction Results. Videos, photos, & report by Stephanie Law