Over the Whitsun weekend, Holstein horses achieved top placings all over the world:
Nexus (Dieter Pingel, Altenmoor), a son of Nekton and Calando I, line 2428, and Maximilian Weishaupt (GER) secured victory in the 1.50-metre two-phase show jumping competition at the traditional competition in Wiesbaden. “Nexus has a huge canter stride and is a naturally fast horse,” said the winner. “I actually took Nexus on in 2019 from a good client and friend of ours, just as a stand-in whilst she was on maternity leave,” he smiles, clearly not wanting to part with the gelding any longer. For Nexus, it was his Wiesbaden debut and his first four-star victory.
Fourth place in this class went to Cous Cous by Cachas-Lasino (Norbert Schmalbach, Mollhagen), line 18B1, and Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER). In the Grand Prix on Whit Monday, the pair then took silver. “We’ve come second in major show jumping events many times now, but first place isn’t far off,” Dreher is certain. For example, in Mechelen (BEL), Maastricht (NED) and New York (USA), the grey horse and Dreher finished in second place.
The Holstein Association stallion Zuccero by Zirocco Blue-Caretino (Hanno Köhncke, Badendorf), line 4539, and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) celebrated their second Grand Prix victory of the year. The pair initially competed for Sweden in the Nations Cup, where the team finished in sixth place. In Sunday’s Grand Prix, only five of the nearly 50 starters managed to complete the course clear of faults. And the pair repeated their commanding performance in the fast jump-off. “The winning horse wasn’t just the one with the best result of the day. It was also the one that made the course look the easiest,” reports Svenska Ridsport Förbundet. “Zuccero is easy to ride; he always has a clear overview of the situation, possesses the necessary caution required of a world-class horse, and at the same time he is brave,” said Rolf-Göran Bengtsson.
In the previous Nations Cup, several Holstein horses were represented in the top-placed teams: Ethene by Corrado I-Cayado (Ferdinand Rutjes), line 776, and Lars Bak Andersen secured silver for Denmark. The German team took bronze: The team included Greece by Mylord Carthago–Quinar (Margit Petersen), line 3401, and Teike Carstensen – the 24-year-old completed her first Nations Cup at senior level with two clear rounds. Zaccorado Blue by Zirocco Blue-Acorado I (Tanja Schramm), line 1298, and David Will were also part of the German bronze-medal-winning team. Quirados AS by Quirado-Lavall I (Behrend Jacobs), line 8784, and Matas Petraitis took fifth place for Lithuania.
A Nations Cup was also held in Rome (ITA), in which the German team finished fifth. The team also included Limbridge by Limbus-Cambride (Ralf Pawlowski, Heidenheim), line 741, and Jana Wargers. The Dutch team came sixth with Long John Silver by Lasino-Corrado I (Peter Burmeister, Wangels), line 2896, as well as Uricas v/d Kattevennen by Uriko-Cassini I (Otto Boje Schoof, Hedwigenkoog), line 1916, and Harrie Smolders. Long John Silver also finished fifth in the Grand Prix.
Further results for Holsteiners from around the world can be found here:
Photo by Stefan Lafrentz: Nexus and Maximilian Weishaupt
