The European Dressage Team Champion, World Cup Final sixth and Olympic reserve Annabelle becomes a broodmare. The World Cup Freestyle in Gothenburg/SWE, where “Mausi”, as Annabelle was always affectionately called by her german trainer and rider Helen Langehanenberg, finished fourth and broke the 80 percent mark for the sixth time, was the last sporting appearance of the now 15-year-old Holsteiner Conteur daughter.
From now on, Annabelle will be used for breeding in the stable of her breeder and owner Günther Fielmann at Gut Schierensee in Germany. “We are infinitely grateful to Helen that she has led Annabelle to so many great successes and even championship honours – and that Annabelle can now start her second career in the best of health,” Carsten Thiesing is pleased to say. It is the traditional philosophy of the Fielmann family to only ever take the really best mares into their small, fine breeding, explains the Gut Schierensee stud manager. “Besides, Annabelle should really have her foals herself. That’s why the timing is perfect now.”
Not only dressage horses are bred at Gut Schierensee, but also performance horses for show jumping and eventing. Four-legged figureheads here include the Olympic team fifth in eventing, Vitali (by Contender-Heraldik xx) under Tim Price/NZL, and the recently licensed Conthadini (by Conthargos-Baldini II), who is now part of Paul Schockemöhle’s stallion station.
Annabelle is a half-sister to the licensed and also Grand Prix-placed De Chirico (by Dolany), to the premium stallion and internationally successful jumper up to 1.45 metres, Amber (by Ampere) and to Darling (by Damon Hill), who won up to the German Championships for Children. When she was five years old, Helen Langehanenberg took over the work with Annabelle, who at that time was the 2nd Reserve Champion of the Holsteiner Mare Show and had won Gold at the Holsteiner Riding Horse Championships in Elmshorn and Bad Segeberg under Karin Winter-Polac. In 2016, the new dream team recorded their first successes in the international Small Tour and then at Grand Prix level in 2017. In 2018, they made the leap into the international Grand Prix class. In the meantime, they have won the World Cup Freestyle in Madrid/ESP and Motesice/SVK as well as the Special in Vilhelmsborg/DEN and numerous other top placings in Munich/GER, Aachen/GER, Salzburg/AUT, Hagen a.T.W./GER, Herning/DEN, Gothenburg/SWE and London/GBR as well as fifth place at the German Championships in Balve. In 2021, Annabelle and Helen Langehanenberg travelled to the Olympic Games in Tokyo/JPN as a substitute pair and shortly afterwards were part of the winning German Team at the European Championships in Hagen a.T.W./GER.
“Of course it always hurts to say goodbye to a horse, especially when it marks the end of an almost ten-year journey together with a lot of training work and at least as much heart and soul. I am incredibly grateful to the Fielmann family for this long time together with ‘Mausi’ and the trusting cooperation,” says Helen Langehanenberg.