June, 2006 The Vollrath report What happened at Vollrath Stud over the last 12 months? From Berny and Jutta Springtime proved to be a real disaster - we had the jinks about our mares – five had tested 'positive' and we ended up with no foal at all. We would have to ask the 'colour lady' for an explanation. Jutta rode our Stallion Worldwide P.B. into the "Grand Prix Scene" during the 2005 Winter Series with the result that he re-fractured his left hind pastern. Needless to say this put him 'out' for the 2005-serving season. However, he served three mares after Christmas - all with positive results! Jutta and Berny have decided to be fair to Worldwide and retire him from competition, which is truly a shame, as all the hard work of Jutta training him up to Grand Prix level seems to have been in vain. WW obviously is an athlete, who is prone to niggling injuries, which take him temporarily out of everything. This is very frustrating for the rider and the studmaster as well – not to mention the effect on the bank balance. Berny considers himself lucky, as he will have him now as a 'hack'! You see – every cloud does have a silver lining. Vollrath Lessing Our new boy, Vollrath Lessing, is a star in the making in more ways than one. He was bought on looks and bloodlines and again Berny proved to have a very lucky hand in bringing worldclass bloodlines into NZ, as he is by Londonderry out of a Prince Thatch xx mare. Twice TB-blood in paternal and maternal Grand sires and both sides providing top blood Hanoverian mare lines (Warkant / Eiger I and Argentan / Imperator). These bloodlines send the tingles up the spine of any serious warmblood breeder. Jutta could not wait to feel him under saddle – so at 33 months of age she rode him with ultimate joy and exciting impatience for him to grow a little older. He was only ridden 4 or 5 times and then he had to take over Worldwide's duties. Lessing served his compulsory limited book to 20 mares (due to his age) with positive tests. As one can understand there is some tension, joyful expectations at Vollrath and their associated breeders to see the very first crop of "Lessings" decorating the paddocks. On the riding front Jutta again was very successful with Vollrath Dornkaat, the last off spring of our beloved foundation stallion Dynamit. After putting patiently hours of purposeful training into him he won the Taranaki Novice Dressage Championship and then the National Novice Champs 2006. Vollrath Winnetou, a black, four yr old, Worldwide / Dynamit/ Genius Gelding is now under saddle and Jutta reckons he is a horse with extreme dressage potential. All things are right: temperament, movement in all gaits and trainability. Fortunately there are more youngsters of Worldwide in our paddocks to be started. One highlight for Berny was to buy back "Dynamit blood" from CHS Hanoverian Stud - the 2 yr old chn filly Vollrath Wild Fantasy (Worldwide-Dynamit-Genius) to breed her in the coming season to Lessing. Fantasy has the most powerful movement combined with a typical 'Worldwide' temperament. Very pleasing to us throughout the year was the successful presentation of Vollrath Wildfire (Worldwide / Genius ex Moonshadow xx), owned by CHS Hanoverian Stud in Auckland. Wildfire's 2nd season (2005-06) ridden by Tracey Blackmore-Sorrell has seen him really step up to the mark. Firstly been selected as a Wildcard for the FEI World Dressage Challenge after very limited outings in his first season, Reserve Champion Elementary at the Waikato Championships, Third overall Elementary at the North Island Championships and then onto Reserve Champion Young Dressage Horse 2006. Concluding his season he finished up Third overall in Elementary Horse of the Year 2006, missing reserve by a mere 1/2 mark. Worldwide offspring have entered the dressage scene now and there are more to come – just watch this space! For further info click on www.hanoverian.co.nz