Holstein heroines: Tessin – “She didn’t want to come second”

18. September 2025

With 26 stars – one of which is for her own performance – the State Premium mare Tessin by Cash and Carry-Silvester ranks third amongst Holstein’s most successful active broodmares. Reason enough to take a closer look at her.

Tessin was born in 2003 at Mirko Poehlmann’s stud in Wittbek. At the age of three, Jörg Carstensen, together with his father-in-law Thomas Petersen, discovered this representative of line 5916 at her breeder’s. “She really did jump with a very special, free-flowing style, so the decision wasn’t a difficult one,” recalls Jörg Carstensen today. Her first two foals also impressed him, and so Tessin remained in the breeding programme at Sollwitt. Lacox, born in 2008, immediately enjoyed great success. The son of Landos was sold at the auction for unlicenced stallions to the Berger stud in southern Germany. “Lacox actually jumped very well in Neumünster, but he was also a bit impetuous,” says Jörg Carstensen. In general, Tessin’s offspring are all a bit boisterous to begin with, but in later work and, above all, on the show jumping course, they are “simply incredibly easy-going”. Under the Bergers’ rider, Sven Fehnl, Lacox enjoyed success up to 1.60 metres before being sold to Italy.

Lacox and Sven Fehnl

Million Hearts and Mr. Million
Clide by Cassini I caused a minor sensation at the 2015 National Championships in Warendorf. With his daughter Teike in the saddle, the son of Tessin was crowned Reserve National Champion – on Teike’s 18th birthday. And with the full brothers Million Hearts and Mr. Million by Million Dollar, Teike also produced outstanding rounds on the Burandtwiese and qualified for the final classes. “Mr. Million is a very special horse; Teike would like to keep him for herself. He’s got real quality and we’re very impressed by him,” says Jörg Carstensen of Tessin’s six-year-old son. Another of her sons is currently under the saddle of Tjade Carstensen: Chitto by Crack HV. And high hopes are pinned on Tessin’s three-year-old son by Vigado. Jörg Carstensen describes the young stallion as a “thoroughbred with outstanding basic gaits”, and the whole family has high expectations of him.

Million Hearts and Teike Friedrichsen

Mr Million and Teike Friedrichsen

Tessin passed away from colic in the spring of 2025. With her daughter Herzblatt by Kannan, the Carstensens are continuing line 5916 in Sollwitt. She, too, is already the dam of a licensed stallion by Don, who was once sold at auction in Elmshorn. “Tessin was an outstanding broodmare for us. She produced many high-quality offspring with a wide variety of stallions. Whether paired with Cassini I, Kannan, Million Dollar or, for example, Vigado,” says Jörg Carstensen, describing Tessin’s breeding potential. “She was a very dominant horse, always number one in the herd. She didn’t like being second best.”