Paul Wendeln and Paul Schockemöhle Awarded Oldenburg's Golden Needle with Diamond

Breeding

Oldenburg

Paul Wendeln and Paul Schockemöhle were awarded the highest honour of the Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Association (OL). They received the Golden Honorary Needle with Diamond during the 2025 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing in Vechta on 15 November 2025.

Paul Wendeln

Paul Wendeln, born in 1931, who was awarded the Golden Needle in 1999, can now look back on more than 20 licensed stallions, approximately 60 premium mares, and numerous highly successful sport horses.

His highly successful dressage breeding program is based on the mare line of Cinderella (by Armand x Camillo), which, when paired with Zeus, developed into one of the most spectacular Oldenburg mare lines, producing not only the athletic Oldenburg Champion and Federal Champion Mare Chinchilla, but also the two licensed stallions Zymbal I and II.

One of Paul Wendeln's greatest breeding successes is undoubtedly his State Premium and Elite mare C'est bon, born in 2002, (by Fürst Heinrich – Rubinstein – Inschallah), a great-grandd aughter of Cinderella, who returned to the Wendeln family stable via the Vechta auction and Austria. When bred to Sir Donnerhall I, she produced not only the licensed stallion Sir Heinrich OLD, born in 2008, who became Reserve Bundeschampion of five-year-old dressage horses in 2013 and Bundeschampion in 2014, but also four other Bundeschampions: the Reserve Champion Mare and Bundeschampioness Cindy OLD, born in 2009; the Champion Mare of 2016 and bronze medalist at the World Championships for five-year-old dressage horses, Candy OLD, born in 2013; the Brilliant Ring mare Caty OLD, born in 2014; and the Champion Mare Casey OLD, born in 2016.

Paul Wendeln also made a name for himself as a successful show jumping breeder. His equally successful show jumping breeding program is based on the Jonande dam line, a branch of the Juliane III family by Bucephalos xx ad Juliane by Orient. His Argentinus son Aquarell PW, born in 2004, by Journesse (Zeus-Bucephalos xx), celebrated international show jumping successes under Joachim Heyer, as did Jackie, also born in 2004, by Argentinus ad Journesse. In 2013, he sired Jurwina, born in 2010, by Diarado ad Jana (Couleur-Rubin), the champion mare of the Oldenburg-International (OS) show jumping breeding association. Two years later, he repeated this feat with Jella, born in 2012, by Last Man Standing ad Jaffa (Abke), who has achieved success up to M** level show jumping. Her full sister Jamela, born in 2011, is a S*** level winner with Denis Nielsen, as is Doriano, born in 2011, by Diarado ad Jana, under Kai Thomann. His breeding program has also produced, among others, the licensed stallions Aquilino, Rubino Rosso, D'Dur, Aquino and Si Bon.

Paul Schockemöhle

Paul Schockemöhle, born in 1945, shaped equestrian sport not only as a competitor but also as a breeder, entrepreneur, and visionary.

More than 50 years ago, he celebrated his first sporting highlight by winning the German Show Jumping Championships. Two years later, he was awarded a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, and went on to win the European Championship title three times in a row – in 1981, 1983, and 1985. From the mid-1970s onward, he also made a name for himself as a patron and manager of equestrian events, a trainer, and, above all, as a stallion owner and breeder of highly successful international sport horses. After retiring from active competition, Paul Schockemöhle shifted his focus to breeding and trading sport horses. Many top riders received their training from him, including Franke Sloothaak, Otto Becker, Ludger Beerbaum, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Andreas Kreuzer, and Patrick Stühlmeyer. Important stallions such as the World Champion of Young Dressage Horses Sandro Hit, the million-dollar stallion and triple World Champion Totilas, the show jumping sire Balou du Rouet, as well as the international show jumping sire Chacco-Blue, and the double champion stallions of 2008 and 2010 Fürstenball and 2011 and 2013 For Romance I, for whom Paul Schockemöhle is also responsible as breeder, were and are stationed at the Schockemöhle stud farm.

Paul Schockemöhle also played a crucial role in the modernization of Oldenburg horse breeding and always championed the highest quality in breeding. He is the co-founder of the Oldenburg-International (OS) Show Jumping Breeding Association, which he also chaired from its founding in 2001 until this past summer. The 80-year-old is currently at the absolute peak of his breeding career. At this year's European Show Jumping Championships in A Coruña, Spain, nine horses from his breeding program competed.

But Schockemöhle, who maintains not only the Conti dam line (a branch of Sondra) but also the line of his wonder mare Gesine, is also responsible for breeding highly successful horses for the grand prix dressage arena. For example, the European Championship participant Zantana Rs2 OLD, born in 2014, by Glock's Zonik NOP out of El.St. Sondra by Sir Donnerhall I, bred by Gestüt Lewitz and owned by Jacques Lemmens and Saskia Lemmens-Reijnen of the Netherlands, and ridden by the Dutch rider Marieke van der Putten, as well as the Olympic team gold medalist Bluetooth OLD, born in 2010, by El.H. Bordeaux out of Lorena by Riccione - Don Schufro - Ramino, bred by Gestüt Lewitz and owned by Hof Kasselmann in Hagen, were all born at his stud farm.