Barnsley Named Champion of the 2025 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing

Barnsley (Bonds x Diamond Hit), Champion of the 2025 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing

From Belafonte to Barnsley

Originally included on our First Looks list, the Number 42. Bonds x Diamond Hit x Florencio I colt was named the Champion of the 2025 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing this past weekend. Bred by Hans and Britta Scherbring and presented under the ownership of Anne Haase, the colt was praised as the "most complete" of the collection. He became the price highlight of the auction that followed, selling for 360k euro to Lövsta Stuteri in Sweden. He will stand at Dressurpferde Leistungzentrum Lodbergen and has been given the new name of Barnsley, although he sold as a foal in the June 2023 Oldenburg Elite Foal Auction under the name "Belafonte."

The stallion commission licensed a total of 32 colts out of 57 selected, with 9 designated as Premiums. Dynamic Dream had all 7 of his sons licensed in Vechta, while all 3 sons of So Perfect were also "gekört."

Premium Stallions

1b. Reserve Champion Nr. 57 Dynamic Dream x Fidertanz x De Niro - medium-framed colt that convinced in-hand, on the lunge, and also in freedom. From the same damline as KWPN Licensing Champion Le Formidable and the Keur stallion Bretton Woods. His dam is a full-sister to the Grand Prix horse Fabious. Sold for 95k euro.

1c. First Reserve Champion Nr. 68 For Romance x Floriscount x Rohdiamant - elastic, supple, always with good balance. Originally sold under the name "Fantastic Diamond" in the August 2023 Oldenburg Elite Foal Auction for 17k euro, this colt now goes to Gestüt Famos for 130k euro and has been named For My Heart.

Other Premiums:

Nr. 40 Be Sure x Sezuan x Temptation

Nr. 53 Dynamic Dream x De Niro x Plaisir d'Amour

Nr. 72 Asgard's Ibiza x Painted Black x Jazz

Nr. 82 Secret x Grey Flanell x Desperados

Nr. 86 So Perfect x Franziskus x Wilkens

Nr. 87 St. Emilion x San Amour x Lamerto H

Reserve Champion Nr. 57 Dynamic Dream x Fidertanz x De Niro

Bonds Highlights the Year 2025 in Oldenburg

Bonds presented not only the Licensing Champion this year in Vechta, but also the Champion of the Oldenburg Elite Mare Show in Rastede with Füchtels Hedda (out of El. High Heels by Damon Hill x Roadster). Bonds himself was Licensing Champion in Vechta back in 2015 (also with Haase listed as co-owner), was twice winner of his stallion test, and then successful to Advanced level. While he or his offspring have yet to break through at FEI level, the stallion looked to be in good form under longtime rider Beatrice Hoffrogge during the Althengst Parade on Saturday evening.

Bonds (Benicio x Sir Donnerhall) under Beatrice Hoffrogge, video credit: Jan Philipp Greve

OL Main Premium for Verbier

Verbier (Von und Zu x Dancier x St. Moritz), Champion of the 2024 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing, has now added OL Main Premium Winner to his list of credentials. The Hanoverian-registered 176cm stallion won his shortened suitability test last November in Münster-Handorf with an 8.8 for canter, 8.7 for rideability and overall impression, 8.4 for trot, and 7.6 for walk for a final score of 8.44.

Verbier (Von und Zu x Dancier), OL Main Premium Dressage Stallion for 2025

Verbier's first crop of foals has been well-received: the colt Very Hip was the price highlight of the June 2025 Oldenburg Special Edition Auction selling for 50k euro. A Verbier daughter (damsire Stedinger) was the Reserve Champion Filly at the Oldenburg Foal Championships in Vechta.

Very Hip (Verbier x Florenz)

Esquire OLD

The 4-year-old Esquire (Escolar x Fürst Heinrich x Figaro) began his career in 2024 as Reserve Licensing Champion in Vechta, subsequently selling for 400k euro to Poland. He has gone on to unrivalled competition success under young horse extraordinaire and Grand Prix rider Eva Möller. In July, he was the Oldenburg State Champion of the 4-Year-Old Stallions with a 10 for training, 9.5s for the canter and quality of conformation, and 9s for the walk and trot for a final score of 9.4. Two months later, he captured the Bundeschampion title for the 4-Year-Old Stallions with a 10 for walk, 9.5 for canter, and 9s for trot, conformation, and rideability, averaging a total score of 9.3. The stallion will now carry the OLD suffix in recognition of these strong sport results. Hopefully in 2027 we will see how he fares as a breeding stallion.

Bundeschampion Esquire OLD (Escolar x Fürst Heinrich) under Eva Möller

Extreme U.S. OLD

Based and heavily promoted in the Netherlands, Extreme U.S. (Escamillo x Vivaldi x Don Schufro) is in fact Oldenburg registered (bred by Paul Schockemöhle/Gestüt Lewitz). He was the high scorer of the 2022 KWPN Stallion Performance Test in Ermelo with 9s on walk, trot, elasticity, posture and balance, rideability, and talent as a dressage horse, and an 8.5 on canter for a total score of 89. He was Pavo Cup Winner of the 4-Year-Olds in 2023, and this year won the Pavo Cup for 6-Year-Olds with a 9.5 from guest rider and Australian Olympian Simone Pearce. Extreme U.S. will also now carry the OLD suffix. The stallion has been very popular in breeding within Europe (most KWPN-registered foals for the year 2024), although I will make a note that neither of his sons presented in Vechta received a positive licensing verdict.

6-Year-Old Pavo Cup Champion Extreme U.S. OLD (Escamillo x Vivaldi), video credit: Liz van Woerden

Sondra: It Means Grand Prix

One of the standout moments from the Althengst Parade was actually all about a mare – the top producing Sondra (Sir Donnerhall x Don Schufro x Continue). Just from her own offspring you find FIVE international Grand Prix horses: the Tokyo Olympic horse Glock's Total U.S. (by Totilas), Zaid (by Zonik), Gossip Girl (by Grey Flanell), Dante U.S. (by Dante Weltino), and the new Dutch team hopeful Zantana RS2 NOP (by Zonik). Sondra was represented in Vechta by the aforementioned Dante U.S., another son in Lamborghini U.S. (by Lord Europe), and the grandson Fürst Zonik PS (Fürstenball x Zantana). Also from this damline comes the Oldenburg State Champion Debutant PS (Deparon x Zantana), a stallion we tried to use in our breeding program this season but without success. We do still have a dose left over...

Licensing Champion Fürst Zonik PS (Fürstenball x Zonik)

You can find full licensing results below: