THE HANOVERIAN

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Sport Top offspring Corona by Contendro/ Garibaldi II at the Bundeschampionat in Warendorf. Photo: Luze Young Riders in Pardubice and Blair Castle with a bronze medal. Shortly thereafter the new high school graduate moved to Warendorf to start her training to pursue an equestrian degree. She had already been accepted into the perspective group of the German Olympic Committee at that time. She finished her degree with the best results of her age group and was awarded the Stensbeck-Plaque. She continued her training with the German Equestrian Federation. Sandra Auffarth returned home to her parental farm four years later in January 2011 to devote her time to the breeding and training’s facility. Enjoying the work The Olympic champion defines the most important rule regarding her training method, “My goal is to improve something. It is also important that horses are able to relax. The horses must clear their heads and be on the aids securely during training. They should enjoy the work. I love riding young horses because they advance quickly.” Over the past thirty years Bärbel and Karl-Heinz Auffarth have transformed the mixed farming business that included dairy cows into a modern boarding and training facility. The broodmares live in a separate stable. Father Karl-Heinz is responsible for the young horses and the broodmares. He attends to the pastures, the arable land and the breaking of the young horses while horse management master Bärbel is responsible for the organization, the training of the horses and the office. The same applies to Sandra. If she isn´t sitting in a saddle, she will be sitting in front of a computer dealing with paperwork, holding clinics or teaching. Katrin Jansen is the good soul on the farm. She stayed on the farm after completing her training in Ganderkesee. A rider and a trainee complete the team. “Elfe by Efendi/Marcio xx was born 1968 and was my first broodmare,” Karl-Heinz Auffahrt proudly tells, “She is a direct female ancestor of Florencio who was a privately owned sire and former World Champion of Young Dressage Horses.” Today three Hanover registered mares live in the broodmare barn: Fantasie by For Pleasure/Aldatus (breeder: Heinz Grade, Twistringen), Lacrima by Lombard/ Akcept xx and Rivera by Rivero xx/Lordanos. Karl- Heinz Auffahrt has high hopes for Fantasie’s twoyear old son by Duke of Hearts xx. He owes his greatest breeding success to the mare Lacrima: He had the OS-Champion Stallion with Coupe d’Or by Coupe de Coeur in 2010. “We have always tried to incorporate good Thoroughbred stallions or mares in our breeding program. The success however often sets in a generation later, Bärbel Auffahrt explains. Every now and again Sandra Auffarth looks into the mare barn. “We have quite a few young horses at the moment. I would love to continue breeding with the interesting mares but have to learn a lot more from my dad first, though!” She loves going down memory lane and thinking about the time when she participated in the Young Breeder’s Program. She attended to the offspring in the horsebreeding club Oldenburg with her mom Bärbel. “I always enjoyed the Young Breeders’ activities,” so Bärbel Auffarth. She clearly remembers one special Young Breeders’ Day in Verden. Sandra was there with her two-year older brother. “Once Jan realized his little sister was the better rider, he stopped riding altogether,” Bärbel Auffarth comments with a smirk. He cannot however refrain completely from the family’s passion. He entered into a partnership with his father on one mare. The training of event horses is very diversified and exciting. The management is very important. “Only horses in top condition are content and willing to perform and still enjoy life. It is not easy to bring all of it under one heading. It is an art to not demand too much. We must always listen to our horses,” says Sandra Auffarth. “I have learnt a lot from my parents but I have also always tried to watch and copy others.” The attitude of a horse towards a sport especially towards eventing is of utmost importance. “They must join in and at the same time be brave and have good nerves.” “Wolle” is the star Without question Opgun Louvo or “Wolle”, as he is lovingly called, is the all-time star in Bergedorf. The Selle-Francais chestnut came to Sandra Auffarth for training in 2007. “He did not attract any attention; he was small, almost homely and his movement appeared to be limited. But he had a super attitude towards work,“ his rider explains with glowing eyes. The first success set in in 2009: Third place at the World Championships for Young Event Horses in Lion d’Angers! Two years later the pair became members of the German Championship cadre. They won gold with the team at the European Championships in Luhmühlen and individual silver the same year – a sensational success! When it was time to distribute tickets for London it was obvious that Sandra Auffarth was not going to be left behind! In London a dream came true that she had not dared dreaming of four years earlier. There was not much time for relaxation after the Olympic Games. The barn in Bergedorf is filled with great talents. Lea- 4 The Hanoverian 04|2013
Sport ding the way is Corona by Contendro/Garibaldi II. Sandra Auffarth rode her in Warendorf where she became the Bundeschampion of Young Event Horses. “Wolle” and Corona may be very different but both have some things in common: their attitude and their performance willingness. “She inherited her ambition from her damline,” says Karl-Heinz Auffarth. He knows everything about this line. He had discovered the mare’s five year older full-sister Coletta at her breeder’s, Diedrich Meyer in Köhlen. Coletta won the free-jumping competition for young horses from the Program for Hanoverian Jumper Horse Breeding in 2005. The photo with the champion sash has a special place on the wall above the desk right next to the photos of the Olympic victory in London. Karl-Heinz Auffarth swears by the G-blood. “Garibaldi II was one of the very important sires that produced versatility,” he raves. Corona also was in Ganderkesee to be started under saddle. She returned to the breeder’s barn as a state’s premium aspirant. She completed a brilliant performance test and delivered a foal. Family Auffarth was overjoyed when the mare became available for purchase at Verden’s November auction in 2011 and they held the successful bid. “As an event horse she has a lot of fundamental qualities; she is also very suitable for dressage,” all Family Auffarth members agree. Campus by Calido/Matcho AA (breeder: Karl-Heinz and Hans-Günter Scherwitz, Diersheim) has been in training with Sandra Auffarth since 2012. The pair participated in the Bundeschampionate for jumpers. “This horse attracted my attention two years ago at the Hanoverian Jumper Horse Championships because he is of great type and a powerful mover,” Karl-Heinz Auffarth explains. The licensed sire not only won several cross-country competitions with rider Sandra Auffarth, but also earned his first placement in a jumper class at the S-level in January. Five-year old Valentino Now by Valentino/Lanthan (breeder: Sibylle Friske, Jeddingen) is another addition to the farm. He was bought on last year’s May auction and has collected ribbons in jumper horse classes with the Olympic champion since then. Last but not least comes Simao by Stalypso/Landadel (breeder: Eberhard Wotte, Rhede). Sandra Auffarth finished the first qualification for jumpers in Warendorf with him in second place in 2012. How important is the pedigree when selecting a future athlete? “In general I am interested in the pedigree but it is not of prime importance for a purchase,” Sandra Auffarth answers. Well-bred dam lines are important to Family Auffarth, though. “Wolle is proof of how important they actually are. He descends from the Olympic champion Jus de Pommes dam line with rider Ulrich Kirchhoff.” The family always decides on acquisitions together. In respect to the selection of stallions for the familyowned broodmares Karl-Heinz Auffarth applies even higher standards, “A stallion for my own breeding program must be highly interesting and modern.” A trusting cooperation Not only the competitive surroundings must be in order to successfully ride at the highest level. It also requires lots support. A very good and trusting cooperation with the horse owners has developed vver the past years. The Hanoverian Support Association FRH is also a part of this circle. The goals for 2013 are clearly defined: Sandra Auffarth will ride in Badminton for the first time in May. The European Championships in Sweden will then be the season’s highlight. A life without horses is unthinkable for all members of the Auffarth family. “Auffarths without horses will never happen,” is the immediate response. “Sometimes the days are just too short to see to everything that is important to us,” Bärbel Auffarth says. She does not want to change her life for anything. • “I enjoy riding young horses!” Sandra Auffarth while training the homebred Hanoverian Camelot by Chacco-Blue/Landjonker. Photo: Rau The Hanoverian 04|2013 5
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Page 3: Sport On the fast Lane One of her m
Page 7 and 8: Breeding that could have happened t
Page 9 and 10: Breeding A good reputation as a bre
Page 11 and 12: Breeding ting of Gibert Böckmann a
Page 13 and 14: Sport Zucht Hanoverian Highlights 2
Page 15 and 16: Sport Verden’s foal auction in 20
Page 17 and 18: Sport In Neumünster, Martin Christ

THE HANOVERIAN

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