Holsteiner horse breeding has always had its place on the historic Gut Schierensee estate in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district. Initially under publisher Axel Springer and after his death under the aegis of Günther Fielmann, who awakened the estate from its slumber and helped it regain its former glory.
Licensed stallions such as Amber by Ampère-Linaro have their breeding home here, and the Olympic eventing horse Vitali by Contender-Heraldik xx (Tim Price/NZL) was also born in Schierensee. But it is also the Holsteiner dressage horses that promote their breeding establishment all over the world: most notably Annabelle by Conteur-Linaro, stem 776, who travelled to the Olympic Games in Tokyo as a reserve horse for Germany with Helen Langehanenberg. She was also team European champion and sixth in the World Cup final. Following the World Cup competition in Gothenburg (SWE) in 2023, Annabelle retired from competitive sport in perfect health with an outstanding fourth place. She gave birth to a foal by Dynamic Dream, and last year two embryos by the stallion Daan v. Donkey boss were flushed. "She always wanted to do everything right from the very beginning," reports stud manager Carsten Thiesing, who has accompanied the dark bay mare since her birth, all the way to Tokyo, and now as a broodmare.
High-quality quartet with Annabelle
Fielmann's breeding programme has always been "deliberately small", and this credo continues to be followed even after the death of the eyewear tycoon Günther Fielmann. The stud owns around 40 horses. Annabelle spends the summer with three other horses on an expansive pasture, together forming a top-class breeding quartet: Bella Donna II by Baldini II-Calido I-Calypso II (stem 7126), Festel by Cascadello I-Heraldik xx-Landgraf I (stem 3317), and the Casall-Lord-Ronald daughter Chanou (stem 1298) are well cared for by Carsten Thiesing and his team. Annabelle's dam Mira G by Linaro-Reichsgraf (Manfred Göttsche, Tappendorf) laid the foundation for the Fielmann family's dressage horse breeding. The licensed Grand Prix winner De Chirico by Dolany as well as his full siblings Be Chirica, Devallier, Devino, current sport successes such as Darling by Damon Hill, and the 1.45-metre show jumpers Amber by Ampère and Cador by Cassini I represent this branch.
One quickly notices when spending time on the estate: thinking here is long-term and holistic. "Being able to keep a horse like Annabelle for so long in order to transition her into breeding after her sport career is not a matter of course," says Carsten Thiesing. Of the four to five homebred foals born here each year, not all remain in ownership, but many nevertheless stay on the estate for further rearing and training. "For our clients, we want to be able to offer an all-inclusive package that does justice to the horses and their respective strengths," says stud manager Thiesing, who himself boasts successes in show jumping up to advanced level. This also applies to an increasing number of horses from other breeders and owners who spend their first years of life under ideal conditions on the estate's lands.
Sophie and Marc Fielmann took over the management of the stud following their father's death in 2024. Around 1,200 hectares of agricultural land and 700 hectares of forest with nature reserves and lakes belong to the estate. The breeding of Limousin cattle and Carinthian Brillenschaf sheep for the conservation of genetic resources are further pillars of the estate's animal breeding. Horse breeding thus represents only a part of their activities, but the guiding principle on the portal of the 18th-century manor house still holds true: "Non mihi sed posteris" – Not for me, but for posterity – is inscribed here.
Young stallions, whether owned by the estate or by third parties, are reared together for as long as possible.
Schierensee Estate is a listed building that was constructed in the 18th century.
Plenty of space, plenty of light, plenty of greenery: mares and foals in nearby pastures
Carsten Thiesing, who has been in charge of the stud since 2009, was himself a successful show jumper up to advanced level
Photos: Kristin Bartels (cover photo: Annabelle by Conteur-Linaro)
Video: Johanna Voth (photos in the video: Janne Bugtrup/private)
