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It is November 2003 and looking back over the past 12 months, I just wonder what we did wrong to deserve all these setbacks - but maybe we are good guys after all and the following is just part and parcel of breeding horses:

• With great hope DORNKAAT was reared as a replacement stallion for Dynamit only to find out last November that he was shooting 'blanks', plenty of sperm, however very little motility. He was gelded and is now under dressage training with Jutta and entered his first competition at Taihape. On 22/11/03 Dornkaat instantly scored 73.92% in the Horse Power Young Dressage Horse 2003/04 Area Qualifying test. Yes, he will be in Taupo next March!
• WORLDWIDE P.B. was aimed at the NZ title of Advanced Medium … tough luck, in February 2003 he went lame in the front and Massey UNI Vets x-rayed and scanned: damaged ligament which resulted in a six months paddock rest. No saddle for a long time!
  Jutta has been riding him since late September and with a matching saddle he is just a joy to see him move. Imagine - he made me stop mowing I had to save this movement on video. All his brakes were off - what a difference a proper matching saddle made! As far as the serving goes for him, he is keen and very fertile, but he doesn't get enough mares.
• FOALING in 2003 - this is a story we have not had before. Five mares positive and we end up with two foals!
  • Akvavit did exceptionally well producing WESTERLOH. He is just beautifully strong and shows from the word go all desirable attributes ... character, temperament and movement.
  • Dynacast gave us WOLKE - a full sister to Winnetou and Wedekind. She is just so cute and a welcome future replacement for her dam, who suffered at a very young age a broken bone in her fetlock (hence her name!)
  • Portofino reabsorbed - she did not tell us why.
  • Genevieve was large and I had my doubts about her. Tragically she went down two weeks overdue having twins. Our veterinary friend Malcolm Jansen had to haul a dead filly out and with a breach position a little colt followed. His lungs did not stand up and he died 20 minutes later.
  • Giselle denied us the hotly awaited 3rd foal. Jutta and I went to our Kai Iwi block, where we keep the young stock and winter the mares, the other day trimming the horses' hooves. And there was Giselle, in my book still 10 days away from foaling, with dried blood around her hind legs - a typical sign for 'afterbirth' staining. Jutta said instantly that she had had her foal (which was nowhere to be seen!). My response was "Quatsch - don't be silly". Truly, I was in denial and I accepted the truth only, when the Vet confirmed that she was "empty". But where was the foal and where the foaling spot and the afterbirth? I had walked along the riverbank and checked the danger spots for a young one. Found nothing, however the next day I walked it all over again and there was the foaling spot, just on the sloping side towards a large drain, disturbed earth, flattened grass and some manure. The afterbirth not far away, already 'smelly', but where on earth was the foal? If it was still born it should be just sitting there, but it was not.
    I am sure the foal is dead. And my idea is that it most probably did slide down towards the drain and from there to the river is about 50m away. It could have drowned there or …?
    The fact however is that this could have been avoided if Giselle would have been brought home earlier - bad management - Berny!
    On a lighter note however I must say, that Giselle kept her record straight:
    his was her 9th foal and believe it or not for some reason or another we have never seen her foaling.

    To top all these happenings off, Jutta's dearly beloved friend for 12 years and steady companion - her DAISY dog - did not return from her "hunting trip" in the bush and bog on 25/11/03. After a few days of searching and calling we believe that she suffered a bad accident and we have to pronounce her 'missing in action'. She will be sadly missed by all at Vollrath but is an extremely hurtful loss for Jutta.

  Thanks for reading and sharing this story with us - next year will be better!
  Kind regards from a still quite sore Berny Maubach - and Jutta feels very much the same.

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  October 2003

  

  Brentano II (dam sire of Vollrath's stallion Worldwide PB)
  Hanoverian Stallion of the Year 2003

  At the Verden Stallion Licensing, the chestnut Celle State Stud stallion Brentano II was awarded the prestigious title:
  

  Hanoverian stallion of the year 2003
  His breeder, Dr. Max Schulz-Stellenfleth, was honoured with a cheque for EURO 10.000 and a valuable Wohlklang-Statuette. The Uelzener insurance company always generously supports this award that honours important Hanoverian stallions, which have a tremendous influence on the breed.

  In 1983, Brentano II was born on Dr. Max Schulz-Stellenfleth's farm in Kehdingen. His dam, the Grande-daughter Glocke, descends from one of the most important mare families in Hannover, going back to the Schumann-daughter S449. The stallions Garibaldi I and II, Wolkenstein I and II and Beltain as well as Beauvalais, one of the internationally most successful dressage horses with Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, belong to this equine family. Recently, Beltain caused a sensation in Warendorf: Under Holga Finken, his son Belissimo M became federal champion of three-year-old stallions. After having won the stallion licensing, Brentano II moved to the Celle National Stud. At his stallion performance test, he presented the best dressage performances, and with a final score of 129,97, he ranked second. One year later, he achieved the fourth place at the Federal Championships of the German Riding Horse. He is trained up to advanced dressage level, and he has been belonging to the Celle Quadrilles for years now. Since 1987, he has been stationed in Artland, first in Natbergen, later on at the Ankum insemination station, where Brentano II met most suitable mares.

  The chestnut stallion is the sire of 68 state premium mares and 15 licensed stallions. In 2000, his daughter Bona Dea II left the Ratje-Niebuhr-Show as the winning mare. Together with her full sister Bona Dea, she won the Ratje-Niebuhr-Prize. Brentano II supplied so far 19 horses for elite auctions, among them the first-class horses Brentina, Brasseur P, Bandito and Bon Jovi. At the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Brentina won the team bronze medal under the American Debbie McDonald. Her right brother Barclay is just about to start his international career with Sven Rothenberger.

  In the youngster division, Bernstein and Christian Ritter is a successful and important equine pair. This year, Bon Jovi was especially successful: He won the federal championship title of four-year-old horses in Warendorf. Apart from that, he is the dam's sire of the Brandenburg mare Poetin, which is on everyone's lips after having won the World Breeding Championships Dressage of Young Horses and the Federal Championships. Brentano II is a dressage stallion with an exemplary inheritance, and his dressage breeding evaluation reaches the above-average mark of 137 points. With his successful offspring, he is one of the sons of the trademark stallion Bolero who ensured a revival of this bloodline in sport.

  Thus in October, Bonaparte (Heike Kemmer) was awarded the "most successful dressage horse of the world".

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  July 2003

  Brentina

  Beauvalais

  Two Hanoverian horses excelled in the dressage at the WEG 2002, one being Brentano's daughter Brentina, ridden by Debbie McDonald for the USA and the other Beauvalais (Bolero), ridden by Beatriz Ferrer Salat for Spain.

  Brentina (by Brentano II -damsire of Worldwide PB) added further success by scoring 2nd places in the Grand Prix as well as the Kur in 2003 / Goteborg/Sweden.

  It was her first appearance in a World Cup Final. And Brentina was the wildcard of the American team ... but she pulled it off.

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  January 2003

  Dynamit offspring scooped success at the 2002 Canterbury Dressage Championships!

  Open Medium Highland Laddie Cup:
  Champion: Royal Aspen - bred and ridden by Tracey Johnson
  Reserve: Wistow Iman - bred and ridden by Sharon Inwood

  Advanced Medium:
  Champion: Damask - ridden by Laurel Cross (bred by S Foreman)

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