their suits and hats in the center of the ring. And then enter the stallions, braided and groomed to perfection, trotting boldly next to their white-gloved handlers…some of them reaching just up to the handler’s knees. It can be hard to keep a straight face! Adding to that humorous scene are the names—there are ‘shrunken’ versions of the biggest names of the Warmblood world, including Donnerhall, Chambertin and Numero Uno. Timo Coldewey is heir to the successful German breeding farm Kastanienhof, which has been home to foundation stallions Brillant (sire of For the Laughter), Kennedy, Kaiserjaeger and Halifax, and more recently, FS Cracker Jack, Hot Cream WE, The Breas My Mobility, Olivier K, Makuna Matata and Cockney Cracker. The young Coldewey is a big name in the German pony world and a seasoned pro at preparing and presenting both his own and outside-owned young pony and Warmblood stallions for licensing. “People who are competing don’t always look for the same things as breeders when they attend the stallion licensings and auctions,” Timo explains. “Riders want the product, and they want to work with what they have. Breeders want to know how did they do it? How can I do it?” “We’ve had people shopping for hunter ponies look at a pony, trained as we do
Left to right: (1) Timo Coldewey presents a stallion at the 2012 licensing at Neumünster. (2) A pony free jumping at Neumünster.
it here, and say this is no hunter… and then later, the pony becomes a successful hunter! They look for the product—they should look for the talent! If you see talent, and make the product, it’s not so expensive that way,” he explains. “I think the hunters want flat movement but also big, slow movement—the
same slow movement we are looking for too—but for dressage we like them to go more over the knee. If you ride a horse or pony slowly, with a long neck, for a long time—he won’t continue moving over the knee. But remember that a good trainer knows what he can change and what he can’t,” he concludes.
American Breeders Tackle the Market Timo Coldewey has some advice for the Americans too. In a huge country like
yours,” he says, “breeders and riders need to sit together.” He smiles. “Riders and breeders are connected to each other. As long as you keep that disorganized, and don’t reward the breeders of the winning ponies, and don’t get together the riders with the breeders, then you Americans will need to keep buying from us!” In fact, some U.S. breeders of German Riding Ponies are bringing the big names
from across the ocean, utilizing the successful pony lines already here, and working to create top hunter ponies on American soil. Dianna Orona, owner of Fox Creek Farm in Manhattan, Kansas, offers North
America’s most extensive list of top pony stallions available by frozen semen. She stands seven pony stallions, including the German Riding Ponies FS Daily Hero (FS Don’t Worry x FS Pavarotti), Chicco B (Chantre B x Nansen), Benno’s Dream (Blue Star x Askan), Foxcreek Diamond King (Dance Star AT x Kennedy) and Adonis (Argentino x Voyage), who was recently champion of the 2012 30-day pony test in Oklahoma. Dianna’s breeding program is unique in the U.S. for the strength of its mare
herd—she’s imported pony mares from the best mother lines in Germany, many of them States Premium, and often carrying a unique in-utero foal sired by stallions not currently available by frozen semen in the U.S. “From the beginning our emphasis has been on the quality of our mares,” Diana explains. “Why re-create the wheel? The German ponies have been selected and
Chanel (Bodyguard x Conda), bred at Whispered Wish Weser-Ems is showing in the hunters.
Warmbloods Today 85
Antony Quinn in Germany (1), and then here in the U.S. ridden by Dianna’s 12-year-old son Charlie Orona. Quite the contrast!
Ann Daum Kustar
Courtesy Dianna Orona
Courtesy Dianna Orona
Courtesy Heather Luing
Courtesy Heather Luing
Ann Daum Kustar
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