His departure caused a small stir in the Netherlands. The Oldenburg stallion Feinbrand has left for the United States for an indefinite period of time. Feinbrand was instated in the KWPN breeding programme as a valuable (German) dressage input but the stallion
, who was stabled in the barn of A.P. Dalemans-Gorter in Vries, only stood up for stud two seasons in Holland.
It is Angela Barilar of High Point Hanoverians farms in Maryland, USA, who contacted Feinbrand's owner Josef Wernke in Cloppenburg, Germany, after having seen successful offspring of this stallion. "My partner Klaus Schengber and I import Hanoverian and Oldenburg horses, we have had the pleasure of offering several outstanding riding horses by Feinbrand and on a trip to Germany last year I saw the young stallion First Game H (by Feinbrand x Matcho AA) and he blew me away ," Barilar explained.
When the opportunity came for High Point Hanoverians to have Feinbrand himself up for stud at their farm, they could not believe their good luck. "We feel very fortunate to be able to breed our mares and offer him at stud in America," Barilar said.
Feinbrand has got much Hanoverian blood but is licensed Oldenburg. Nevertheless, the pretty stallion is accepted by the Hanoverian, Westfalian and 7 others German breed societies, not taking his acceptance to the KWPN registry into account. "He crosses best with horses of blood and lighter warmblood mares. His high marks for ridability, type and movement should make these crosses very desireable," Barilar believes.
Born in 1986, Feinbrand was bred by Josef Wernke and is by the highly famous Feiner Stern out of state premium mare Lagune B (by Admiral x Lavendel x Agram). After being laureled as reserve champion at his stallion licensing, Feinbrand continued a combined career as competition and breeding stallion. After the inspection of his first crop of foals and after having done the Adelheidsdorf stallion performance test, he was proclaimed Oldenburg Champion Stallion.
Feinbrand took part of his first official dressage show at age 4 and became second of his age class at the Oldenburg Breed Championship (scoring 9.5 on his trot) and third at the German Riding Horse Championship in Verden. The same year he was reserve champion of the Stallion Performance Test in Adelheidsdorf. In 1991 he was fourth in the German Young Dressage Horse Championships in Munich, and in 1995 he won the 5-year-old-division at the Oldenburg Breed Championship in Radstede. He repeated his Radstede victory the year after as a 6-year-old. In 1996 Feinbrand was presented at Prix St Georges level and established a string of top five placements.
Although top show results were produced by this stallion year after year, Feinbrand had a difficult time keeping up with the many breedings and a high level of daily dressage training. Daily trailered to professional dressage rider Miriam Henschke, Feinbrand struggled to uphold a continuity in training. Relief was given when Feinbrand moved to a new stallion station, Gestut Schlossäcker in Baden Wurttemberg, Germany. Trained and shown by Kathrin Burger, Feinbrand received much love and care. Burger recalls that she loved Feinbrand so much because of his intelligence."It was impossible for me to tack him up in front of another horse; "Brandy" would just do so many things just to get your attention," Burger reminisced.
Feinbrand moved to Holland at the beginning of the 1998 breeding season, but he only last two seasons in that country. Angela Barilar has seen and realised the stallion's value, a producer of 10 licensed sons, 12 state premium mares and sire to many expensive auction horses, and decided to bring him to the United States, where he will fulfil the American Dream.
Text ® Astrid Appels - no reproduction without permission
Images by Werner Ernst + Bernd Eylers