By Sven Völz

This news makes me very proud; for over a decade, Carinjo was one of the figureheads of our stud farm. He was discovered as a foal by my father at his breeder’s, Klaus-Hermann Hollm. The first major success for Carinjo and my family was the title of Champion Stallion at the 2003 Holstein Licensing. As a young horse, the journey with him wasn’t always easy; he was a late bloomer, not a classic show jumper, yet I – and my father in particular – always believed in this extraordinary stallion. His intelligence and big heart are what set him apart. In competition, he later fulfilled all expectations; with Thomas Voß, he came second in the Aachen Grand Prix and went on to achieve many international successes.

He didn’t start his competitive career until he was seven years old; nowadays, that would be a ‘death sentence’ for a stud stallion, but that was exactly what he needed to go on to achieve these sensational performances. In Thomas Voß, I found a kindred spirit who believed in Carinjo’s quality. In the first year, many of our colleagues laughed at us; but by the second year, when he was eight, the critics fell silent and he began to prove that he was something quite special. His offspring took after him; at first, my breeders weren’t always satisfied with the results, but gradually more and more of them – who simply needed a little more time when young – began to make their mark on the international sport scene. When I meet them at shows today, they treat me to a coffee out of the breeder’s premium. Now Carinjo is flying the Holsteiner flag high on the international stage too.