the moose antlers - Trakehners Australia Inc.

35 Years With The MooseAntler Horses In 3 ContinentsWritten ByConnie Kempterhttp://rappenhof.com/about/Connie Kempter, September 2008,a month before the big move to BC.

The Farm25 acres pasture of excellent soil with 10 irrigated pastures, 10 box stalls (7 of broodmare size), homesteadand all barns recently built in log style. Olympic size 60' x 180' sand ring, facility for semen collectionwith phantom, examination stand and laboratory room, shelters for guest mares, parking lot for carsand trailers. All newly installed in 2007 – 2010.Phone 250-446-2149 / Fax 250-446-2148 / connie @ rappenhof.comSteve Watson with Rappenhof mare, Helena RH,and Border Collie/Lab mix, Shades.Cornelia KempterBorn in Berlin/Germany. Show success in dressage and jumping in Germany and Australia. Riding InstructorGerman and Australian Equestrian Federation and Studmaster German Agricultural Ministry.Dressage judge in Germany, Australia and Canada. Trakehner breeder for three decades producingwinners and award recipients in all classic disciplines including Worldcup Finalists, a Canadian TripleCrown Grand Champion in hand, High Point, Model, Premium mares and Approved stallions.Steven WatsonBorn in Montreal/Canada. Brother of a Trakehner breeder and show rider. Working with horses since25 years. Has a technical college degree and works part time as a guitar teacher. Steve is indispensableto Rappenhof; capably and patiently handling horses, horse trailers, tractors, tools and customers.

Tam, Flicka and MeFrom Austrak to Rappenhof35 Years With the Moose Antler Horses In 3 Continents.Blame it on Mary E. Patchett, who wrote ‘Tam the Untamed’, or on my parents, who chose it as a gift for me on my 10 th birthday,the day I had my first riding lesson in my native Berlin. I became fascinated by her descriptions of her childhood on Gunyan stationnear the village Texas at the New South Wales Queensland boarder. Together with Mary O’Hara’s Flicka from Wyoming inthe American Rockies, ‘Tam’ inspired me to become a horse breeder on a continent with wide open spaces.At the same time with Tam, the silver stallion, a gray Trakehner named Leroentered my life. This beautiful horse in the Fetysz-Abdullah type, had survivedthe "trek" as a yearling and served as school horse in the Berlin riding centre ofan East Prussian refugee, a former Hanover cavalry school officer. I still havemy club membership card, showing the logo of a foal jumping over the mooseantlers. My mission became more clearly defined: to be a Trakehner breederoverseas to help to prevent another near extinction of the breed in a war. Twomore events shaped my new passion - a summer riding camp at GovernmentStud farm Achselschwang (there my idol Habicht later won the CCI Three DayEvent!) gave me the chance to groom the resident black Trakehner stallionKomet - I want to breed black Trakehners! (Actually, Komet's full brother Kobaltis Rappenhof foundation stallion Carino *E*'s maternal grandsire.) A few yearslater, during my University summer break, I worked at Olympic dressage riderRosemary Springer's beautiful Trakehner Stud Halloh near Neumuenster androde her stallion Tornado I. She owned 10 classy mares, some offspring likeHadrian (Horst Karsten, 3 DE) and Isis (Theodorescu, dressage) made it to internationaltop level. Performing black Trakehners is IT for me.For 15 years I was involved with different aspects of the equestrian sport inGermany; as a competitor in dressage up to wins at the Berlin Cup and theBerlin International Indoor, also Material and Suitability classes, later also asjudge. I won in the jumper ring and served as hunt master. Later I passed theConnie Kempter, 1973 (center) at the Berlin internationalHorse Show. "For 15 years I was involved withdifferent aspects of the equestrian sport in Germany;as a competitor in dressage up to wins at the BerlinCup and the Berlin International Indoor, also Materialand Suitability classes, later also as judge."instructor exam, on a Trakehner, of course - and finished with the Studmaster Certificate. But all this served mainly to become abetter sporthorse breeder. No win ever made me feel as happy as the birth of a healthy foal.In spring 1977, as a 28 year old, I experienced this miracle for the first time, rather nervously though; with a foaling manual inone hand I welcomed my Trakehner chestnut filly by Ibikus. Her dam, an Erzsand daughter, I had purchased with my then husbandWalter Sauer in the previous year at the Verband mare auction sale from Otto Langels, who became like Mary O'Hara, myunattainable standard. He and his family are not only still one of the leading breeders and trainers of Trakehner horses, butdeeply impressed me by his marketing skills and his exemplary customer service. Two years later came "first prize" ribbons at theTrakehner State Show of Bavaria for my broodmares, our good-bye from the German breeding scene.In 1980 I dared the big flight across the ocean with six Trakehner stallion and six Trakehner mares, establishing AusTrak Stud inthe Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Its direct neighbor was the Mounted Police Studfarm Echunga, venue of the Australian EventingChampionships. Walter only joined me three years later from Germany for divorce court… However, many of my dreams cametrue in Echunga: affordable terrain to breed on your OWN land and the chance to win new territory for the breed. A foundingmember of the Trakehner Society of Australia, I served as its registrar and PR officer. We had our meetings in the AusTrak livingroom; our first president was neighbour and Police Commissioner Laurie Draper, himself a former Mounted Police rider and fatherof a 3DE riding daughter.So many Australian horse people made me feel welcome and helped me to get settled in the horse scene, to name just a few ingratitude: Mounted Police officers John Vaughan, John Patterson, John Tenant, Bill Green; breeders Rob and Maureen McBryde,Pat and Franz Denk and the Horner family; riders Di Schaeffer and Scott Keach, Simon Kale, the Roycroft family, especially Vicki,finally dressage pioneers Marian Malecki and Erika Taylor, whom I met again in Toronto at the World Dressage championships,where she represented Australia very well, finishing in 15 th place and I volunteeered as VIP hostess. I was busy giving lessons,judging dressage at the Equestrian Federation trials, at Ponyclub ‘A’ and at horse trials. I passed the Roseworthy Collegeshow judge exam and even got to judge a big Hack Show in the Flinders Ranges and to give a weekend clinic at the WaikeriePony Club. So many fond memories!AusTrak stallions did their share to promote the race: Kassiber as Australian Champion Eventer; Polarschnee as Grand Prix showjumper with Olympian Vicky Roycroft and Koenigsberg (Kaempfer) as member of the winning state team at Gawler 3-Day Eventand as Warmblood Champion Horse of the Year Show. I woke up happily every morning to Kookaburras and Magpies and hadthe time of my life, though on a ‘no personal frills’ budget. I loved the rolling landscape with ghost and river gums with all myheart and it took me 27 years to get over being home sick for Australia. Part of me will always be there. These were the happiestyears of my life.The stallions all made their mark "down under" with their offspring too. The most noted among AusTrak’s purebreds were Verbandapproved Coktail son Domhardt as overall winner of the FEI Samsung Dressage Cup Group 5 '93 and Koenigsberg’s daughterNeversfelde Samonienen, Dressage World Cup finalist '95. Kassiber sired for her owner/rider M. Bruce Neversfelde Kensington,his '94 finalist. Polarschnee, when leased out to New Zealand, produced Jaegermeister, eventing Bronze medallist in Atlanta'96.

22 Years Rappenhof Trakehner Stud, Montreal (1986 – 2008)Just when everything seemed to be on the right Tra(c)k, my life took an unexpected turn; following thedivorce, I managed the world’s biggest WestphalianWarmblood studfarm, Hacienda La Escondida,owned by Mexican industrialist Guillermo ZambranoLozano near Monterey, Mexico and grew fond of theMexican culture and people.I returned to Berlin, when my father died suddenlyof a heart attack in 1985. Reality really set in, when Iattended Neumuenster the same year - for the firsttime as a non-breeder, not even owning a horsethen. I hesitated until most horses were already beingloaded, before I entered the barn, just to cry in thedark at some Trakehner's neck . . . My prayers musthave been heard and were answered less than amonth later, when I met a Canadian resident HorstKempter, an East Prussian from mother’s side. ForChristmas and engagement he bought for us aTrakehner yearling filly, Sahara (Polarmond-Samlandby Ordensglanz) at Ahrensberg Trakehner Stud inOntario. This marked the beginning of RappenhofTrakehner Stud Montreal in the equestrian suburbSaint Lazare.Aerial View of Rappenhof Trakehner Stud in MontrealRappenhof (German for farm of the black horses) Trakehner Stud wasn't built in a day. It took years of hard work (and hardcash) to convert a run down racing barn on "run to seed" farmland into a functional stud farm with tile drained paddocks, trainingtrack, 20 x 40m indoor arena, 25 x 110 outdoor sand ring on 40 acres with 42 pastures. I became a dressage judge withthe Canadian Equestrian Federation and a director and mare and stallion inspector with the Canadian Trakehner Horse Society.The barn usually housed around 20 purebred Trakehners, plus guest mares during breeding season. Our Trakehner herd consistedof broodmares LOTTCHA (Koree- Pregel brother Slesus) Trakehner Grand Champion Sporthorse Breeders Show'95); PALMA NIGRA, imported from Germany, ( Habicht - Insterruf, fam. Pelargonie / Trak., Show Grand Champion SporthorseBreeders Show 94); ONIA, 3/4 sister to Onassis, imported from Germany, (E.H. Consul - Lucado, fam. Oka / Prince Dohna),Show Grand Champion Sporthorse Breeders Show '93); LOVELY LADY (Tizian - Donauwind); MIRACLE VOM RAPPENHOF,embryo-transfer produced (Carino *E* - Neumuenster Grand Champion Amateur I), 3 year old Champion allbreeds Sporthorse Breeders Show ‘95, and JAMAICA (E.H. Enrico Caruso - Jay's Magic xx), 2 nd Trakehner Group, America CupShow '91).The stallion, who made the Rappenhof name, was ATA Elite Stallion andCanadian Sporthorse Stallion of the Year 2000, Carino *E*, 1976 black,16.2 hh imported from Germany, previously owned by Trakehner StudSchneider, who put him through Neumuenster approval and 100 daytest and many wins under saddle in Material and Suitability Classes, RidinghorseChampionships, dressage and jumping. He was by RhinelandState Stud Stallion Liguster out of Caterina by Kobalt, who also producedPremium Stallion Catarakt.Carino always made everything easy for me. He was the easiest horseto ride, handle, medicate, transport, breed and collect. He was alwayshealthy, never broke fences and never put himself in harm's way, whereverhe went. For riders from beginners to professionals, from toddler tooctogenarian, bare back or fully tacked, at home or on demo at fairs orshows, he provided the safest, most comfortable ride, you could imagine.Carino *E*http://www.cantrak.on.ca/Le_Trakehner.htmlThis he passed this on to the estimated 400 offspring in Germany andNorth America, among them probably as many as 200 winners in disciplinesas diverse as halter classes, dressage up to FEI level, Show Hunter/Jumper competition on the 'A' circuit, Endurance and Harness Driving.Carino's story continues through his sons and his many studbook daughters.He secured single handedly the continuation of Trakehnen'sIrrlehrer stallion line. In 1997 Carino was the most popular Trakehnerstallion in North America.

A Platinum future for Rappenhof.Platinum vom Rappenhof *Pb*Winning at Vancouver Thunderbird Horse Park2010.Horst Kempter passed away from leukemia in 2001 and I was unsureabout the future of Rappenhof . Rather than closing down,Rappenhof extended its facilities to become also a popular ridingand boarding center with 32 box stalls. This was largely possiblebecause of the support of the love of my life, Canadian Steven Watson,a brother of a local Trakehner breeder. With long experience inthe horse industry, Steve stood behind me all the way and workedhard for Rappenhof’s future and the career of the farm’s next generationof mares and stallions. From 2003 to 2007 a Verband PremiumStallion we imported,made his mark as Rappenhofstallion: Guy Laroche(Verband Elite Stallion andGerman Stallion of the Year2006 Michelangelo –Donauwind-son Lucado)trained by Olympic andWorld Champion Uwe Sauer,now at stud in the USA.In 2000 I wrote in a Laudatio for Palma Nigra, just named winner of the ATA Gerda FriedrichsAward as most valuable broodmare: “It is Palma's youngest black son, Platinum vomRappenhof *Pb*, born in May 1998, whom we choose to try to fulfill our ultimate dream: tobe the successor to his now 25 years old sire Carino at Rappenhof and, beyond this, savethe paternal Perfectionist xx - Irrlehrer stallion line, made famous by Olympic medalistsNurmi, Adular and Afrika, which would become extinct with Carino. Platinum will be presentedat the 2001 ATA approval. We pray, that Palma reaches this double pinnacle of abroodmare career, being mother ofan approved ATA stallion and helpingto continue a sire line from Trakehnenhere in the New World.”Prince of Prussiahttp://www.americantrakehner.com/Stallions/PrinceOfPrussia.aspPrinz Habicht *Ps*,http://pineridgesporthorses.blogspot.com/Now more than a decade later, weare so blessed that both these dreams came true: Carino and Palma Nigraboth were honored with the ATA Elite titles. This couple did not only producedone ATA stallion together but four, plus an ATA Model mare, all ofthem black, successful in the show ring and through their offspring: Prince ofPrussia, Prinz Habicht *Ps*, Platinum vom Rappenhof *Pb*, Patras vom Rap-penhof and their sister Piroschka vom Rappenhof *M*, whose daughter-Parody became Champion Filly at the 2008 ATA Convention Show in BurbankCA. All made significant contributions to the Trakehner breed and theIrrlehrer line. All of the 12 living foals of Carino and Palma competed withgreat success, some at highest level. Among them were also two outstandingbreeding class horses, Priamos vom Rappenhof, Canadian Triple Crown SupremeGrand Champion in hand, andPaloma vom Rappenhof, ChampionMare of the ATA convention show Columbus, Ohio, both making their markunder saddle as well as dressage champions.In 35 years of breeding Trakehners in Germany, Australia and Canada I only once made a prophetic remark about a new bornfoal: Platinum vom Rappenhof was just a minute old and still lying wet in thestraw next to Palma, when I said spontaneously “This will be my next stallion”and he is. To become Carino’s successor in my barn and in my heart is atough act to follow, but Platy succeeded there, like he did in all four classicequestrian disciplines as well as in the approvals and stallion performancetests of ATA, CTHS, CSHA, CWHBA and Oldenburg.Platy became an instant success in eventing in 2003 , placing in each evententered and ending the season in 7 th place (of 27) at the Quebec Open ProvincialChampionships at Pre-Training level. Main objective was the passingof the ATA stallion performance test requirements. Long time Canadianeventing team rider Yves Landry saw in him a talent for the internationaleventing sport.The following year Platy passed the Canadian Warmblood Station Test forStallions with praise and highest marks from test riders Ann Zander(Canadian eventing team) and Erynn Ballard (Canadian Hunter Championand Canadian Jumper Champion). Ann gave him a ‘9’ and stated: “I never do‘catch rides’ in eventing, but with Platinum I would do it any day’.Patras vom Rappenhof

It took us the whole winter to convince retiredhunter/jumper professional Alain Kieffer, the firsttrainer of Olympic Champion 2008 Eric Lamaze, toconsider a comeback with showing Platy. Alainnever came to regret his decision and called Platyhis most favored horse he rode in three decades oftop level competition. When our friend Alain diedof cancer in 2008 at 48 years of age, two paintingsof Platinum hung in his bedroom. One ofthese (by well known equestrian artist MelindaBrewer), showing the pair over an oxer in theOpen Hunter Classic at Pepiniere 2006, graces ourstud farm sign on Highway 3 (famous ‘Crowsnest’Hwy) at the corner of our property. There they willgo on jumping together forever! Last January theOlympic torch for Vancouver travelled right bythere and shone on them.Platinum vom Rappenhof *Pb*The list of achievements of Platy and Alain on the ‘A’Hunter circuit 2005 – 2007 is too long to cite here.The highlights speak for themselves: winner OpenHunter Classic Blainville (with 90% score for eachround), Working Hunter Champion Bromont InternationalCSI W ***, Working Hunter Champion QuebecCity, Provincial Yearend Reserve Champion and eightnational Hunter ‘Horse of the Year’ titles incl. fromATA. Platy was presented at the ATA Convention ColumbusOH 2006 and finished 2 nd in Hunter Stakesand 2 nd in Jumper Stakes at 4’3” in jump off. Platyhad only jumped 3’9” height in hunter classes before!.After one last win at Blainville International CSIW *** 2007 Alain had to stop riding due to chemoand radiation treatments. … Platy received the ATA*Pb* honors as a hunter (this far the only one in theATA to have done so) and came very close to *Ps*status.Platinum vom Rappenhof *Pb*Platy missed being ridden, so we looked for a nice rider toexercise him. We found 28 year old biologist Julie Pepin,who with a nice dressage seat, good hands, caring attitudeand dedication made up for what she lacked in competitiveexperience. Platy and Julie bonded fast - we decidedto enter them in dressage classes. They finished asregional Yearend Reserve Champions First Level 2008.They also were invited to join the team at the QuebecEquestrian Games in Bromont. (1976 Olympic Equestriansite). There Platy was part of the bronze medal team andwon the individual gold medal First Level, plus the individualfreestyle bronze medal. Julie and Platy also made theirmark on the A circuit as First Level Reserve Champions ofthe Beaulieu Summer Dressage Classic . Julie said a tearfulgoodbye to Platy as the transport left for BC – her boyfriendconsoled her with proposing. They got married andexpect their first child this spring.Platinum vom Rappenhof *Pb*

The Grand Finale, Rappenhof Sporthorse Okanagan 2008 – 2011.Rappenhof Sporthorse Stud OkanaganAt the end of the 2007 breeding season, our trusted semen collector for 14 years, took his well deserved retirement and movedto Toronto. We saw this as a possible sign for change, and after 22 years of hard work and investments, we listed our RappenhofFarm for sale.Still searching for a landscape resembling never forgotten South Australia or Flicka’s Wyoming, we looked at properties in theSouth Okanagan, between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. In September 2007 we went on anexploratory car drive from Calgary to Vancouver. We fell in love with South Okanagan wine and orchard country, famous also forits powder ski resorts, and we fell even more for the photo of a local property for sale on Crowsnest Highway at Anarchist Summitnear Osoyoos. It was a14 year old red roofed log home sitting on a hill top dotted with pines trees and blessed with a 360 degreemountain view. We bought this 6 acre breeding farm with adjacent 20 acre rental pastures in semi-arid Okanagan Highland,surrounded by mountains and lakes near Canada's only desert, only 1 km away from the Washington State border.October 2008 we made our more than 4000 km move with three 73 foot trucks, carrying our household, vehicles, farm machineryand horses. Platy and our mares arrived well after a 3 ½ day non-stop trip across the continent. Our horses loved the clearmountain air at 1200 m (4000 ft) altitude. The horses adjusted great, enjoy being out 365 days a year from dawn to dusk andthey are muscled up from cantering the rolling hills .We brought of course our beloved Platinum, his dam, ATA Elite Mare Palma Nigra 'E', our Trakehner broodmares, imported GermanHELENA RH (Verband Elite Stallion Biotop – intern. Super Stallion Hand-in Glove xx); PANORAMA RAPPENHOF (ATA EliteStallion Martini- ATA Elite Stallion Donaufuerst) and Palma Nigra's last daughter, PHANTASIE VOM RAPPENHOF by Guy Laroche.We also acquired three new Trakehner mares to join our herd: 2006 black imported black German Trakehner filly AVANGELINERH (Buddenbrock-son In Petto - Verband Elite Stallion Friedensfuerst); chestnut HEUREKAS HARMONIE (Canada West ReserveChampion Grand Prix dressage Mendelssohn by Marduc - Michelangelo and Mahagoni- sire Pasteur xx): finally Oldenburg PremiumMare, Danish imported Trakehner mare CASCADE (German Stallion of the Year 2009 Kostolany -Grand Prix dressage winnerArsenal, mare family Corvette/Trakehnen, closely related to famous stallions Cantus-As, Camelot and Chopstick . Cascade wasa winning dressage mare in Germany before she became a showhunter champion on the pacific circuit of the USA.And Platy made us known on the West coast, too: With junior rider Ashley Walton he won Reserve Champion First Level atKelowna Spring Dressage Festival (A circuit) and won at Freestyle and placed second at 2 nd level at Salmon Arm Dressage Show.Ashley’s school commitments made a rider change necessary, but Platinum received the Canadian Warmblood 2009 DressageAchievement Award.Through our horse vet’s recommendationwe found 29 year old event rider Barb Nielsenfrom Grand Forks. To get to know eachother, Barb and Platy attended an eventingclinic with international trainer Dale Irwin.Platy was so eager cross country, galloping‘with a big smile on his face’, that wefinally said: ‘Why not?’ Now he was back at‘A’ level eventing, where he can prove courage,speed and stamina like ‘grandpa’Habicht, who was for many years memberof the German eventing team. At his firstevent in Vancouver- Maple Ridge Barb andPlaty placed 7 th of 39 competitors at Pre-Training level. He also placed second inshow jumping at the Topline Summer DerbyJumper Show. Platinum finished in the topthird at the Provincial Eventing Championshipsand ended the season with a thirdplace out of 33 starters Pre-Training at thepopular Island 22 Event in Chilliwack, FraserValley.A beautiful sceneryLooking out over a paddock of Rappenhof Mares and foals

Platy made a name for himself as a sire too: his carbon-copy’, mostly black offspring are tall, typey, athletic with ground covering,cadenced movements and outstanding jumping form. They also share Platy’s versatility. To name just a few: Boogie Manwas2008 high score Oldenburg colt in California, Joie de Vive finished 2 nd in the Dressage Suitability under owner Debbie Popolizio(Tehachapi, CA) of the 2008 ATA Convention Show, Burbank California. Koeura with breeder/owner Marcy Laframboise(Windsor ON) is multiple champion in breed classes, dressage and hunter shows. Jade vom Rappenhof was first successful inhand at Sporthorse Breeders Show for us, then won a Vermont regional dressage championship under owner Kat Olbrych atFirst Level at age three years old. Canta Su Esperanza was a winner at Provincial championships in dressage under her firstowner, then won asIntricate Design on the ‘A’ Hunter circuit with her second owner and moved on to become a showjumper.And there are many more in training at major show barns throughout North America waiting for their chance. Two Platinumdaughters became Canadian National High Score Champions: Cendrillon in 2007 as best Canadian Trakehner mare, ArcticCeleste in 2009 as best Canadian Warmblood mare. Prestige vom Rappenhof (out of Panorama) was trained by Canadian Olympicriders Gina Smith and Belinda Trussell and was exported as dressage horse to Sweden, a feat we are especially proud of.2010 was anyways a great year for Rappenhof: Platinum was awarded the rarely awarded Canadian Warmblood Lifetime PerformanceAward. In May Platinum, ridden by noted US professional Jack Hammond, had a hunter win at the Pacific CanadaSpruce Meadows equivalent, the amazing 11 ring, 980 box stall Thunderbird Show Park near Vancouver. And Platinum had agood breeding season at the stellar quality training centre, boarding and breeding barn Miellie Meadows near Vancouver, beforecoming home for stud duties at our barn.In July Rappenhof hosted the American Trakehner Association mare inspection Canada West with Platy’s sister Phantasie vomRappenhof *M* as High Score Champion and Helena RH as High Score Reserve champion. Phantasie was awarded the covetedATA Model Mare title reaching 56 points (80 % average) with a 9 for trot and another 9 for overall impression. In October wehosted the Canadian Trakehner Horse Society annual general meeting with mare inspection. Phantasie received the prestigiousHanna Schmocker Award as highest rated Canadian Trakehner mare in 2010.Platy’s kids continued to do well: In 2010 Platy daughter Belle Nuit was Reserve High Score Champion mare at the ATA inspectionfor Northern California. Platy’s yearling son Pharos vom Rappenhof won his class, the Futurity and the Colt and GeldingChampion title at British Columbia Breeders Cup Show 2010(formerly BC Royal). Several Rappenhof offspring won also titles atthe annual ATA Horse of the Year performance awards.ATA Elite Mare Palma Nigra *E*. A record-breaker with 4approved sons and 1 ATA Model Mare to her credit.The year ended however on a sad note, when our belovedPalma Nigra. ATA Elite and Honour Roll Mare andGerda Friedrichs Award recipient and Sportshorse ShowOverall Grand Champion Palma Nigra *E* by Habicht,born March 6, 1984 at Gorlo Trakehner Stud Germany,died on Dec. 11, 2010 at Rappenhof Okanagan and isburied here. 14 foals survived her, all ATA registered, stillalive and competing. What a legacy she left us!I am just writing her obituary, but it will end on a positivenote with the successes of Platy’s full brothers and offspring:I learned yesterday from owner Debbie Brown ofWhispering Pines Stud, Sunderland ON (also owner of fullbrother, Grand Prix dressage horse Prinz Habicht *PsPs*),that Palma’s son, ATA stallion Patras vom Rappenhof willbe joining Canadian WEG eventing team rider JessicaPhoenix on January 31 in Florida in preparation for the2012 Olympic Games. I also heard from Prince of Prussia’sowners, that former Palma’s grand daughter Jennievom Rappenhof (Prince of Prussia – Jamaica), later as Magdelenasuper star in breed classes (ATA ad Dressage atDevon Reserve Grand Champion) and in hunters underOlympic Champion Joe Fargis (US Zone 3 Champion), isnow a winning 4 th level dressage horse with Tiffany Hattler in Virginia. This is Carino’s and Palma’s grand child and herself alreadya mother. I am confident, that Palma will in spirit be with her kids and grand children. Our tribute to Palma Nigra is, that we willbe retiring from breeding with her. Once farm and horses are sold, we would go to Puerto Escondido (Oaxaca Pacific coast, 5hours south of Acapulco, 1 ½ hours north of Huatulco). We plan to buy a property close to the famous Mex Pipe Zicatela surfbeach then, suited to B & B/ rental, where Steve can also give guitar lessons. Maybe I will finally have time to write my Trakehnermemoirs along the line: With the Moose antler breed in three continents. What a ride it has been!We will still stay involved in the Trakehner movement worldwide and ideally keep a part ownership in Platinum. After everythingis settled, we could finally also travel more freely. It would be my dream, if life comes full circle and some of our horseswould finish up in Australia! A trip to beloved Down Under and its Trakehner breeders not that far away would be definitivelyfirst on our list and maybe some of you would be one day our guests of honor and canter along the Mexican beach with us.(Connie Kempter)