Our Breeding Programme

Since 2002, Valkenhof Dressage has teamed with Webster Equestrian Ventures Inc. to offer a small Hanoverian breeding program mandated to provide quality dressage horses from established dressage lines. Our breeding selection within those lines selects for athleticism, superb temperament, and rideability.

The two mares that form the foundation of our breeding are of the well known Weltmeier lineage, Wolkenstein II and Wittinger, and to date there are offspring from such notable stallions as Rotspon, Hohenstein, Distlezar, Rio Grande, De Niro, San Remo, Fabuleux (son of Fabriano), and Don Principe (son of Donnerhall).

Our State Premium mare Witta is by the Class 1 Elite Stallion Wolkenstein II (winner of his performance testing) and out of Cara by Cavalier. She was purchased in foal to Rotspon at the Verband auction on November 2001 and came to us in January of 2002.

Her first offspring, Rosco VHD (2002, w. Rotspon), who is now owned by Ellen King, has showed amazing temperament and rideability. In 2009, he showed 2^nd level under Armand Valkenborg and achieved scores in the 70s.

Her next foal, Diaz VHD (2004, w. Distelzar), has shown his wonderful temperament and well balanced gaits right from the beginning. He was purchased by Andrea Bressee, a 2007 Pan American Team Member, in 2009.

The 2005 chestnut filly Riona VHD by Rio Grande is showing the same traits. She is a carbon copy of her mother, an excellent filly with all the potential to be a great broodmare and/or sport horse. Now owned by a client of Valkenhof Dressage, she has started her basic training and will be presented to the Eastern Canadian Hanoverian breeding club for mare approval in 2010.

Additional offspring that are available for sale are Fabian VHD (2006, w. Fabuleux), Fabiola Sombre VHD (2007, also w. Fabuleux) and Destiny VHD (2008, w. Don Principe). Fabuleux is the son of the Verband stallion Fabriano, known for producing versatile offspring of superb athleticism, by an Augustinius mare. Fabuleux is stationed at Bridlewood Farm in Kentucky (for information see www.bridlewoodhanoverians.com). Don Principe is the US son of Donnerhall by a Prince Thatch mare stationed at Marydale Farms in North Carolina and is currently showing at the Grand Prix level (for information see www.mfhanoverians.com).

Fabian VHD, a dark bay with black tail and mane, who is now 4 years old and already almost 17 hands, is a gentle, sweet giant and is just starting basic training.

Fabiola Sombre VHD who is turning out to be exceptionally pretty and well put together as a two year old, with again the same coloring as the stallion, was born April 16, 2007, within hours of Webster Equestrian’s grey stallion, Shadowfax, (grandson of Gotthard) passing at the ripe old age of 29. Webster Equestrian Ventures Inc. likes to think that some of his spirit resides in Fabiola (hence “Sombre”).

Destiny VHD is a chestnut filly whose temperament is best described as affectionate, honest and kind. Physically she is gifted with big, beautifully balanced gaits that she has obviously inherited from her grandparents. Destiny is bred for, and certainly has the potential to reach, Grand Prix.

Witta was not bred for 2009 and is now in foal to Dam Pezzo, by Don Frederico / Lauries Crusader, from Alberta for 2010.

The second component of our breeding operation resides in Germany near the seat of the Hanoverian Verband in Verden. Our second mare, Wicke, is the product of a small breeding farm that was run by Helmut Ostermeier (for more information see http://www.hannoveraner-zuchthof.de). She is also a states premium mare out of Wittinger by Herr Ostermeier’s states premium mare Wichita, now deceased. Purchased in early 2002 in foal to Hohenstein, we decided to leave her there due to the easy access to the stallions at the state run stallion station in Medingen. Wicke has had a series of successful offspring including Golo (w. Graf Top) and Donna (w. Donnerhall), before she was purchased by Webster Equestrian Ventures Inc., that serve to show what good qualities she passes on to her foals. She is likely one of the few mares to have three of her offspring participate in the Federal State Championships (Bundeschampionat) in Warendorf. Her 2002 filly Hermione 2 (w. Hohenstein) won the Lower Saxony Championship in 2005, achieved third place in the 2005 Bundeschampionat as a three year old and fourth place in the 2006 Bundeschampionat as a four year old.

Hermione 2 achieved excellent marks as both a 3 and 4 year old including a 9.5 in her trot, 9.5 in her canter and a 9.0 in her walk for an overall impression of 9.5. Hermione is very flashy black mare with a distinctive white whorl on her forehead.

Wicke’s second foal, Hidalgo (2004, also by Hohenstein) has undergone his basic training at Hof Kleemeyer and is now showing at FEI 6 Year Old and 3^rd level here in Canada. Both Hermione 2 and Hidalgo were imported to Canada in May of 2009 and are available to be seen at Valkenhof Dressage. Hidalgo is available for sale.

Wicke (and her sister, still owned by Herr Ostermeier) now live at Hof Kleemeyer, a family owned Hanoverian breeding and training facility that is well established with the Verband in Verden and has achieved awards for their breeding operation (for more information on Hof Kleemeyer see http://www.hof-kleemeyer.de). Her 2006 filly from San Remo, Santosha, is remarkably like Hermione, although at 16.1 hands a bit smaller. San Remo is a privately owned Oldenburg stallion by Sandro Hit out of a Donnerhall mare that has achieved high placings as a 5 and 6 year old in both the Bundeschampionat and the World Young Horse championships (for more information see www.hanoverian-stallions-pape.de). Santosha has started her basic training and achieved her State premium candidacy this summer with an overall mark of 7.9. Santosha is also available for sale.

The 2008 offspring from Wicke is a colt by the name of Delgado (w. De Niro). As a yearling he runs with the herd on yearling colts at Hof Kleemeyer but shows an exceptional calm and friendly disposition.

Unfortunately, the foal for 2009 from First Dance, a 2004 stallion out of Fluorestan by a Donnerhall mare owned by Leatherdale Farms was lost due to a viral induced miscarriage, but Wicke was successfully rebred to First Dance for spring of 2010. Fiona (2010, w. First Dance) has 2 white socks on her hind legs and a star. According to Herr Kleemeyer this is Wicke’s best foal yet.