November 2000 Tour with German Oldenburg Verband

Our tour began on November 10th.  We all met at the airport in Bremen.  We were greeted by Christine Meyer.  Our first stop was to Gestut Kastanienhof, a pony breeding farm and riding facility owned by Christine's family.  I've never seen ponies like these before.  They looked like miniature versions of our warmblood horses.  We watched a children's group riding lesson.  They start their children on the lunge line with no saddle, just a bareback saddle pad.  It was apparent the goal was for their children to learn to ride with their seat rather than relying on the false security of a saddle.  The children we saw were absolutely fearless and they were having so much fun.

Our days were very long although they still seemed short to me.  It was definitely a horse lover's dream.  All we did was see and talk about the most beautiful horses I've ever seen.  We woke up early each morning, ate breakfast and then set out on our tour.  We spent the next several days visiting local farmers and also famous stallion stations including Gestut Vorwerk, Bockmanns, Ludwig Kathmanns, and Kasselmanns.  Every day we packed sandwiches after breakfast because there was simply not enough time to stop.  There was so much to see, we still missed some of our appointments.  Only once did we stop for lunch and that was at the gracious invitation of Uli Kasselmann at his home.  His staff served us a spectacular lunch and excellent wine.  We usually ate dinner late.   Those were wonderful times too because that was when were all able to talk together and get to know each other.  We often ate dinner with others who were not part of our tour.  Some were friends who were also visiting Germany.  Others were stallion owners and farmers and also the famous Lisa Wilcox.  Lisa is not what I expected at all.  She was so very real and down to earth.  She was so very nice and funny and very animated.  She had some really funny stories.  It was very apparent to all of us how much she loved the stallions she works with.  I was most impressed with the stallions at Gestut Vorwerks, where Lisa rides.  They stand 13 stallions and every one of them was sweet.  My favorite by a long shot was Rohdiamant.  He was so sweet.  He allowed me to hug him and feed him treats which resembled Sweet Lumps (with Lisa's permission, of course!).  He was such a lover!

We saw so many famous stallions and I can't even begin to name them all.  I will however, create a link for pictures I have of those stallions.  I have listed them alphabetically since there are so many so you can pick and choose which ones you would like to see.

During the last 3 days we attended the Oldenburger Hengst-Tage Korung Parade and Auction.  We watched the new young stallions perform on hard ground, free-jump, in-hand and free.  One of them was Davidoff E and he was absolutely stunning!  He, of course, was one of my favorites.  My other favorite young stallion was a Sion son and his dam is by Contender.  He was a fabulous mover who was black with 4 white socks.  He was very flashy with big extravagant gaits.   I don't know what his name is but I would sure like to find out.  He will be one I'll be watching for.  My program states he is owned by Gestut Schlossacker.

The stallion parade was brilliant.  It moved along very smooth and never became boring.  I was in absolute awe with the incredible movement the stallions exhibited.  There was a jumping exhibition too which was very exciting.  Argentinus was in the spotlight.  I was very impressed by him.  He did not look anywhere near his ripe age of 21!  Lisa Wilcox rode Don Gregory, Royal Diamond and Relevent.  We all said good bye to Bonfire during his retirement ride by Anky Van Grunsven.

During this tour, I had the time of my life.  I was in the company of some very wonderful people who made the experience that much more enjoyable.  When I was planning this trip, the intention was to travel to Germany one time to see the "roots" of the Oldenburg horse to help me make good choices in my breeding program.  I came back from Germany with a peaceful feeling in my heart.  I know I have chosen the right path in my breeding program.  I am already planning my second trip for April in search of a good broodmare and I hope to also go back again in mid-June for the Mare Show at Rastede Castle.

This tour is a must for every serious Oldenburg breeder.   It will help to guide you and set goals for your future.

For more information about Oldenburg Verband tours, please contact Holly Simensen at (561) 969-0709 or e-mail her at oldenburg@oldenburghorse.com.

Sherry White

Graystone Farm Sporthorses