On the occasion of the 51st Holsteiner licensing and elite auction in Neumünster, a coveted award was presented, which this year went to Ocke Riewerts from Alkersum on the island of Föhr: he was honoured as Holsteiner Breeder of the Year and awarded the Landgraf I statue.
This honour was bestowed upon him not least because of the successes of a very special horse that was born in his stable on the North Sea island of Föhr and now flies the flag for the Holsteiner horse all over the world with his sporting achievements: namely London by Landos-Quinar, who secured team eventing gold for Great Britain with Laura Collett at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this year. “I will be forever grateful to London for this incredible memory of the Olympic Games,” said the rider. “I wish I could experience every single moment over and over again.” And London's 61-year-old breeder will also never forget the victory in Tokyo: “I burst with pride,” admits the personable North Frisian. He sold London, born in 2009, as a foal; the horse was initially reared in Schleswig-Holstein as a stallion candidate, then broken in and presented at shows, where Peter Thomsen discovered him. Since 2016, London has been in the stable of British rider Laura Collett, who has successfully represented her country at various European Championships. With her, the representative of dam line 3200 accumulated numerous victories and placings in international eventing: in 2019 and 2020 alone, he finished as the winner of the four-star events in Boekelo (NED), Chatsworth (GBR) and Little Downham (GBR) and the five-star competition in Pau, France.
Holsteiners are a family tradition
His connection to the Holsteiner horse is a family affair for the Föhr breeder: his parents already ran a small Holsteiner breeding operation and also maintained dam line 3200. Following the death of Ocke Riewerts’ father, his Holsteiners moved to his wife Marle’s parental farm, which the couple has managed as a hobby ever since; Riewerts works in the public sector as his primary profession. His sons Johannes and Julus help out on the farm and take an interest in the family breeding programme, in which three broodmares are used. London’s dam Vernante was a very special horse for Ocke Riewerts: his first home-bred state premium mare, for whom he chose the stallion Landos. “I was a fan of Landos, who was stationed on Föhr and still covered via natural service at the time. He had the right attitude to sport and was an ideal match for my blood-influenced mares.” He always followed London's career, setting up a profile on a social network specifically for this purpose and thus getting in touch with British rider Laura Collett, who was very pleased about the interest shown by London's breeder and was able to report on many successes. The bay's recent top placings not only ensured that the Holsteiner Verband is listed in second place in the WBFSH eventing ranking as the second-best breeding society of 2021. London also accumulated so many points that Ocke Riewerts leads the WBFSH breeder ranking for eventing horses worldwide. A fantastic success for the Föhr native, who has been a member of the Holsteiner Verband since 1992. Reason enough to honour Ocke Riewerts as Holsteiner Breeder of the Year 2021 with the Landgraf I statue. “That only happens once in a lifetime,” is his modest comment on the matter. And: “Without my wife's help, this would never have been possible.”
Three Silver Badges of Honour
Jens Hauschildt, Wulf Hinrich Hamann and Francesca Pollara were awarded the Silver Badge of Honour of the Holsteiner Verband. Hauschildt and Hamann received the award for their many years of work on the licensing commission of the Holsteiner Verband. Hauschildt was a member of the commission from 2005 until early 2021 and most recently served as its chairman. Hamann contributed his vast sporting and breeding expertise for four years. Francesca Pollara from Italy has successfully brokered Holsteiner horses—which she discovered at Holsteiner Verband auctions—to top international riders over the past few years, including the reigning European Champion JL Dublin by Diarado-Canto (Volker Götsche-Götze, Groß Buchwald) and the World Champion of seven-year-old eventing horses, Cute Girl by Coventry-Clearway (Hobe Magens, Ottenbüttel), and has significantly influenced their sporting careers.
Successful worldwide with Holsteiners
With Olympic champions, world champions and several European champions, the Verband der Züchter des Holsteiner Pferdes celebrated numerous successes on behalf of its members this year. Breeders, riders and owners of Holsteiner horses were honoured for their merits at the Olympic Games, young rider and senior European Championships in show jumping, eventing and dressage, as well as the U25 show jumping cup, and received high-quality commemorative prizes. In addition, the finalists of this year's Bundeschampionate in Warendorf—breeders, riders and owners of the placed horses—were honoured in the Holstenhallen.
Photo: Janne Bugtrup
