DR. WOLFGANG SCHULZE-SCHLEPPINGHOFF Dr. Wolfgand Schulze-Schleppinghoff has been the Breeding Director of the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes in Vechta, Germany since 1988, and in that time he has had a profound impact on the world of sport horse breeding. He grew up riding in Münster both in jumping and dressage. He started breeding horses himself, and as he says, "step by step" he came to work for the Oldenburg Verband. In his tenure as the Breeding Director he has been responsible for licensing stallions such as Rubinstein I and Sandro Hit at a time when many did not see what he did in these stallions. Rubinstein I being a Westphalian branded stallion, had been rejected by the Westphalian stallion committee. However, Dr. Schleppinghoff knew how valuable Rubinstein's mare line was. It had produced Amon, Reiner Klimke's Ahlrich, and the then developing superstar, Rembrandt, so he sounded his voice in the committee to accept the young stallion and give him a chance. He of course could not have been more correct in his decision. Not only did the stallion go on to a very prestigious career himself of over 40 Grand Prix victories and a spot on the 1996 Olympic Team, he produced an incredible amount of exceptional offspring for dressage. Dr. Schleppinghoff has also been responsible for licensing esteemed stallions such as Quando Quando, Stedinger, Sir Donnerhall, and the jumpers For Pleasure, Balou du Rouet, Sandro Boy, Air Jordan Z, and many more. He is a very humble man for all that he has accomplished. His love and passion was never for the limelight, but was, and always will be, for the horses. Photo by Tammo Ernst.		DR. EVELIN SCHLOTMANN Riding friends' horses as a young child, Evelin developed a love for horses and nature that became her motive for studying agriculture at the University of Kiel where she distinguished herself and earned a PhD. When her studies were concluded, Evelin whose maiden name at the time was Vollstedt, worked for the State Stud in Celle from 1991 to 1997 as the assistant of the "Landstallmeister" [Director of the State Stud], Dr. Burchard Bade. She was the first woman to hold an executive position in the more than 250-year history of the Prussian Stud Administration. In 1997 she left Celle, and became the Deputy Breeding Director of the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes, and the Breeding Director of the North American division of the Verband. In 2006 she left the Verband to work independently and support her husband, Günter Schlotmann, in his company which operates in the field of renewable energy. She is, however, still intensively involved with horses. First through their own small breeding operation with time-tested dam lines. The goal being to breed strong type dressage horses that are willing to perform, and have the best possible movement. Secondly, as an honorary function for the Oldenburg Verband, she is a member of the Evaluation and Approval Committee, the first woman on this uppermost breeding authority in the long history of the Verband. The Evaluation and Approval Committee is responsible for decisions concerning the licensing and approval of stallions, the award of State Premiums to broodmares and Premiums to foals, and selection decisions for the Vechta Elite Auctions.
	KATRIN BURGER Katrin Burger is the Deputy Breeding Director of the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes in Vechta, Germany, and is the Breeding Director for North America. She brings with her a vast amount of experience and expertise. Katrin studied at the university in Hohenheim (Baden-Württemberg) earning a degree in Agriculture. During this time she was an auction rider for the Baden Wuertembuerg Verband, and Hubert Schulze Rückamp in Undingen. After finishing her studies, she started as the head at the newly built Gestüt Schlossäcker in Baden-Württemberg.  Her job included management of the stud and the choice and  training of the stallions together with her partner Joachim Neubert. She was very successful with their stallions, Day Dream and Dornenkoenig in Grand Prix leading to her earning the German Gold Medal. Katrin was also responsible for chosing the top stallions, Sir Oldenburg and French Kiss for the stud when they were foals, and went on with them to be the champion of Baden-Württemberg in the young horse classes ten times and regional champion four times. With French Kiss she became the German National Champion and the World Champion of the six year old dressage horses in 2004 after having won the World Bronze medal in 2003 in the five year old dressage horse class.		HOLLY SIMENSEN Holly has been the Director of the Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Society which is the North American Division of the Verband der Zuechter des Oldenburger Pferdes since 1998. She has been an avid breeder for over 20 years, and has been very successful in doing so. Having many top mares in Germany she has bred horses such as Ringo Starr who under rider Shannon Dueck and the sponsorship of his owner, Jean Vinios, was the 2007 USDF Horse of the Year nationally for Third Level, and was 5th on the 2008 USDF Horse of the Year nationally for Prix St. George.  Inheriting her passion for animals from her grandmother in Montreal, Canada, Holly has built a life dedicated to cats, dogs, and above all, horses. Her parents let her ride the bus after school to take riding lessons, and it wasn't long before she had won the championship title at the East Canada Riding Show. Being talented and brave she went from there to work at the local track. She broke and rode two year old race horses, and eventually began racing in Steeplechase races even winning one in her teenage years. It was at the track that she met the love and rock of her life, Marty Simensen, a well-known and highly respected racing veterinarian who later became the United States Equestrian Team vet for Eventing. It was a position he held for 27 years.
	ULRICH HENSCHKE Ulrich Henschke has served on the Evaluation and Approval Committee in Germany since 2005. He is a lifelong breeder, rider and judge who got his start by being an apprentice for Hans-Joachim Koehler in Verden, Germany. Herr Koehler founded the auctions in Verden for the Hanoverian Verband, and being the director of the German Horse Museum, he is considered to be one of the most prestigious hippologists of the second half of the 20th Century. Thanks to what he learned under Herr Koehler, Ullrich Henschke was successful in dressage up to M level (4th Level), and had many victories in jumping up to S Level (Advanced).  Much of this success was achieved while riding and training professionally for Wiltrang and Schockemoehle. Ullrich has also now been a judge in dressage, jumpers, and young horse classes for 15 years in Germany. He also bred the stallions Classic and Lezard who were very successful, and he stood the stallions Di Caprio, and Fuerstenreich who he purchased as colts and trained along with his wife, Brigit Wellhausen-Henschke.		THOMAS RHINOW Thomas Rhinow is the Marketing Director of the Oldenburg Auctions and is a breeding inspector for the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes. Mr. Rhinow attended the Westfalische-Wilhelms-Universitat in Munster/Westfalen, Germany, where he studied in the School of Law, Business and Economics. He has held a lifelong interest in animals, and in 1989-1990 was a Bereiter and assistant to Mr. Hubert Schulze Ruekamp at Hubertshof, the largest private sales and breeding farm in southern Germany. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Rhinow was the Bereiter for Ludwig Kathmann, owner of one of the oldest and most prestigious private stallion stations in Germany. During this time, Mr. Rhinow also rode Oldenburg auction horses in Vechta. In 1993, he began working full time as a Deputy Manager of the auctions under Mr. Uwe Heckmann, the General Auction Manager and Director.  Mr. Rhinow is a member of the committee responsible for selecting the very best of the riding horses and foals available for the Oldenburg Elite Auctions. He is also a fully accredited breed judge and inspector for the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes.
	. DR. ANDRÉ HAHN The Oldenburg Verband happily welcomed Dr. André Hahn to their team in 2008 to be a Studbook Assistant and as an advisor for the Young Breeders Program. Born in 1979, Dr. Hahn earned his PhD in Horse Breeding after studying extensively at the University of Kassel and the University of Göttingen. He also has a great deal of practical experience having worked for large stallion stations throughout Germany such as those in Röttgen, Graditz and Marbach. In between all of his studies and work, he has also enjoyed riding.		BASTIAN SCHARMANN Bastian Scharmann has grown up breeding horses, and riding in dressage his entire life. He was educated in business management before starting to work for the Oldenburg Verband in 2001 in Vechta, Germany working in the Studbook Administration department. He is, of course, always on hand to help out at the auctions as well. Bastian has been traveling to the United States and Canada as an inspector since 2004.
	LUDGAR THÖLE Ludger was born and grew up in Cloppenburg, Germany. There he was involved with the Oldenburg breed from early childhood on.  Ludger’s father Helmut Thole was General Manager of the annual Vorwerk stallion parade for many years and his first riding instructor was Theo Wienken, member of the Oldenburg stallion selection committee in the 1960s. At the age of 15 he moved to Warendorf to train and show for five years at the Westfalen State stud. After finishing his Abitur in Warendorf he moved to Vechta to complete his education at the local University. During that time he worked for the Schockemöhle stallion station, then owned by Werner Schockemöhle an internationally renowned breed judge and chairman of the Oldenburg Verband. Ludger spent 3 years as Bereiter at Schockemöhle’s. There he was responsible for starting the young colts and the training of the stallions at stud. He showed several of the Schockemöhle stallions in shows, the annual stallion exhibitions, and the Oldenburg and Hanoverian Stalion licensings. Ludger moved to the US with horses sold by Schockemöhle. He now lives in Camarillo, California with his wife Nicky and daughter Halina. He has trained and shown many horses through Grand Prix, and shown jumpers to modified level on the A-circuit.		MAURINE (MO) SWANSON Mo has been breeding horses for 30 years, and has been breeding Warmbloods for 27 years. She and her husband, Jim, own Rolling Stone Farm in Eastern Pennsylvania, and own the stallions Gold Luck, Shakespeare, Fhitzgerald, and Sir James, and have stood Welcome S. They have 10-20 foals each year selling them widely as sporthorses for the future. Their breeding program includes horses which come from their third and fourth generations of success. Mo started out in the sport of hunter jumpers, and then rode in the sport of dressage up to Prix St. George. The Hanoverian and Oldenburg horses that they have bred have been in the top ten of the national dressage rankings, and have won under saddle at Dressage at Devon, the Hunter show at Devon, and have been named champion and reserve champion at many In-Hand shows. Mo's greatest pleasure has been breeding suitable horses for the amateur market in the disciplines of dressage and hunters with an emphasis on rideability and movement.
	GUEST RIDER - SHIRIN RUPPRECHT-AMIER Shirin is the owner and trainer for StoryTeller Farms  in Southern California.  She started riding at age 4 and began competing in eventing  and jumping  as a junior before switching to dressage at 16 years of age. She is an accomplished FEI Trainer, USDF Silver Medalist and has won numerous year-end awards in dressage through FEI levels.  She attended college in California and studied Agriculture and Equine Management and has worked for several top breeding farms.  She is trained through Grand Prix and has ridden with such notable trainers, both in the USA and Germany, as “O” Judge, Linda Zang,  Kalman de Jurenak, Heike Kemmer, Egon von Neindorff, Albrecht Heidemman, Jurgen Olsen of Denmark, Eicke von Veltheim and Christine Traurig.  She was chosen by  Young Horse National Coach, Scott Hassler and Harmony Sporthorses in 2007 to be sponsored for the Young Dressage Horse Trainers Program, which she attends annually.  Shirin has spent the last 10 years starting and developing stallions and young  sporthorses for the FEI Young Horse classes and FEI levels in dressage.   Additionally, she teaches juniors, amateurs and professionals in dressage and hunter equitation clinics around the country. She also coaches and trains riders and horses for the  A-Circuit Hunter ring and USET Medals classes. Shirin was chosen as the rider for the 2010 OHBS West Coast Mare Performance Test  held at Pollyrich Farms in California and is currently pursuing her USDF Judging License in dressage. She stands and competes the Approved Oldenburg stallion, Lester Patron at FEI and an upcoming FEI prospect, Wiandro, by Sandro Hit.		GUEST RIDER - WANJA GERLACH Wanja was brought up in the German riding system, and even at a very young age showed tremendous potential which led to a lot of success. By the age of 14, he had competed and won in the pony divisions at M level in dressage (3rd Level), 1.30 meters in jumping, and rode in the German National Pony Championships in eventing. He incredibly earned all three riding badges in the German Abzeichnen system; dressage, jumping, and theory, where one must be put through a full examination by licensed judges. This is a feat that is very rare to achieve. He competed youngsters up to CCI** in eventing, and rode up to 1.35 meters in jumping and M level in dressage. He went on to do his Bereiter apprenticeship at the LLS in Vechta where Hanno Vreden schooled. Hanno had won the 2001 and 2002 Bundeschampionate in eventing with his horse, Limited Edition. After 8 months Wanja changed barns to complete his apprenticeship under Bernhard Fischer in Wallenhorst where he was able to concentrate further on dressage. He learned to ride up to Grand Prix level and do handwork to help train the piaffe and passage. He passed his Bereiter exam in 2004 in Warendorf with an outstanding score of 2.51 (The best being a score of 1.0 and the worst being 6.0). He was selected to be the rider for the Stallion Performance Test held in 2009 at Silver Creek Farms in Oklahoma after answering their advertisement in the German St. Georg Magazine. He was very well received by the stallion owners, and he has since been a guest rider for the OHBS' East Coast Mare Performance Tests.