Dr. Ursula Mittermeyer

Dr. Ursula Mittermayer is probably one of the most successful and productive sport horse breeders in Europe, and the most noteworthy thing would be that she became such in a quiet, unerstatement-like manner that makes her even more interesting. A reason for Trakehners International to look behind the scenes of her top notch breeding program in Weisweiler, a small village close to Aachen in the State of Northrhine-Westfalia in Germany.

Dr. Mittermayer’s was once quoted saying “you breed palookas or competitors, but breeding competitors is incredibly difficult”. And she would know. She is a physician by training, but her large horse business has not left any time for her practice in the past. Together with her daughter Monika, she established a dressage stable training and showing to Grand Prix. With her son Karl, she did the same for show jumping. Her stallion station usually hosted 2-3 approved stallions and she actively breeds in the registries of Oldenburg, Zangersheide, the Trakehners, Holstein, and in the TB racing world. Her international contacts are vast and extend from England over Holland, Belgium and France to Italy and Denmark. Approximately 30 breeding animals live on 150 acres of pasture at the historic mill site of Paulinenhof in Aachen-Laurensberg, the home of the world-famous CHIO Aachen, the race-track and in 2006, the World Equestrian Games. The same number of horses is boarded in the training facilities in Weisweiler. After her marriage with Christian Mittermayer, like Ursula a physician and today, a professor at the prestigious Aachen University Hospital, Ursula had four children, one girl and three boys.

Dr. Ursula Mittermayer’s first horse was the Trakehner stallion Moritz by Thor, whom she bought with money earned on night watches in the hospital. He turned out to be a versatile talent for dressage and show jumping and even when older, helped to start son Karl’s career in the saddle. The most famous stallion of Dr. Mittermayer’s farm was the grey Suchard by Kassius out of ES Susi V by Cesar-Etong-Abendregen from the family of O231 der Suschka (Waschkies-Bremen). The impressive grey was a top show jumper from early stages on, and helped to bring the Impuls-line back on track, after Kassius always stood a bit in the background, even though he was the breed’s best jumper producer in the 80s. Impuls sired champions in all three disciplines that even made it to the Olympics, but it took his grandson Suchard to get the first Trakehner ever approved into the strict jumper breed of Zangersheide in Belgium. His son Balisto Z would follow later. Kassius left three approved stallions for the Trakehner breed, besides Suchard the bay Ulexis and the chestnut Unesco. All three of them jumped at FEI levels. Among the younger sons of Suchard is the grey Lessen, the best jumper in Neumünster in 2002, who also moved so well that he was awarded a premium title at the approvals. Sold to great Britain, this top jumper talent is now an accomplished younger show jumper with a bright future ahead of him.

The very early death of Suchard was probably one of the most tragic losses for the Trakehner breed in the late 90s, even though it sort of happened out of the spotlight. But seeing his few offspring today, horses with Arabic type, incredibly supple movement that make s most dressage horse fade, and obviously the enormous jumping potential that opened the door for the first Trakehner in Zangersheide, shows impressively where the breed could have gone with more of that stallion. His sons have his own quality, however, Balisto Z is not breeding, Budweiser Classic is a sport horse, and Lessen resides and shows in Great Britain. That leaves Lessen's full brother Lossow in Germany. Hopefully, Suchard's few daughters will manifest his influence. Suchard offspring excel in all disciplines, e.g. the grey Finch Hatton (out of a TB dam by Frontal xx), who is currently showing CIC*** successfully. Suchard's dam Susi also produced the top British show jumper and Trakehner approved Sir Graditz (by Inster Graditz) and her Parforce-daughter in Germany is at the beginning of a very promising eventing career.

Truly one of a kind, Binderin was one of the first and best brood mares in the stable, and her line is more than vital today. She belonged to the mare family O344 Sylvia, and produced the two S-level show jumpers Brenner (by Halali) and Braveur (by Mahagoni). Her jumping talent and the ability to reproduce it in her foals can't be more underlined than by noting that her best offspring came from dressage stallions...Binderin is also dam of Bakkarat by Vollkorn xx, who was a 4th level dressage horse. Binderin's only daughter, Bergfee by Adrian xx became a true foundation mare for the young farm. Her daughter Bernina V by EH Anduc, a multiple in hand champion mare at State level, produced the approved Balisto Z and the grey Budweiser Classic (both by Suchard). Budweiser Classic placed 6th at the Bundeschampionat as a 3 year old stallion (!) and then had an upper level jumping career. Another full brother, Beckett, was also placed at the Bundeschampionat and then approved in South Germany. Boheme by EH Consul out of Bernina V is the dam of the Oldenburg Id premium stallion Donovan, who a year after his appproval won the Bundeschampionat!! His full brother was approved in Oldenburg a year later.

Melodie by EH Marduc-Mandant is the second Trakehner foundation mare for Dr. Mittermayer. She had two foals by Cupric xx, of which the gelding Curtis was branded Oldenburg and became the top selling horse at the 1997 Vechta Elite auction (104,000DM). Her Trakehner son Magall (by Guter Planet) had quite an unusual and successful career. He started out as an uper level show jumper, even won the Trakehner Championships in Germany, and after a sale to Luxemburg, was tranformed into a dressage horse. Magall and his rider Diane Erpelding are now constant winners at FEI levels up to Grand Prix and even won the State Championships! Melodie had 12 foals for the Mittermayers, of which 6 were Oldenburg (two Cupric xx practially Trakehners, but branded elsewhere). Her Amiego-daughter Maikona jumped at medium levels, as did her her Suchard- son Moschino. Mayenne by Suchard was a 2nd level dressage horse, but evented up to intermediate successfully. Melodie belonged to the O390 Medina family. Interestingly, this family produced the Hanoverian stallion Einklang. In the Trakehner breed, this family remained small, but produced the highy successful dressage gelding Masur (by EH Marduc, a full brother to Melodie).

Thoroughbreds

Up to this day, Dr. Mittermayer always bred racing thoroughbreds and maintains a few in training with the well known German trainer Erika Mäder in closeby Krefeld. The influence of TBs is a very important factor in Dr. Mittermayer's breeding program, and especially Adrian xx and Vollkorn xx were used with great success. Later is was the chestnut Cupric xx (by Solo Dancer xx out of Corona xx by Siegebert xx-Saint Paddy xx), who is approved for Oldenburg and Trakehners. The impressive stallion had a few daughters at the auctions in Neumünster, but overall, his influence can only be called marginal. His story under saddle is quite amazing. He was a participant at the Bundeschampionat in dressage - twice - ....as a thoroughbred among Germany's big warmblood breeds! Today, he is the breed's only FEI level perfomer, and not only has the body and mind, but the movement to excel in dressage at the highest levels. The fact that he only bred a few mares in the Trakehner population is a real lost chance for us to infuse performance proven outside blood. Cupric's maternal half brother Cotopaxi xx, who wa s also bred by Dr. Mittermayer, was one of the better German race horses, and raced until the age of 8 (!), for a total handicap of 85.5kg.

Cupric xx

Trakehners and the Oldenburgers...

The success of the cross of Trakehners and Oldenburgers came quickly for Dr. Mittermayer. A concept that for decades had proved to be a great way to infuse refinement blood led to several outstanding successes for the breeder. Her bay mare Appearance is an Oldenburg branded daughter of the great dressage stallion Abanos (whose type leaves no question as to where the A comes from...Abglanz!), and out of her Trakehner EH Consul daughter Boheme. Appearance was a high priced auction horse at the prestigious PSI riding horse auction in Ankum, Germany. Or take Donovan. The impressive dark bay stallion was approved in Oldenburg with a premium title in 2004. He is sired by Oldenburg's top dressage producer Diamond Hit, a maternal half brother to the popular Sandro Hit, and Donovan's dam is again Boheme by EH Consul. The stallion was placed under saddle, and with daughter Monika Mittermayer, won the Bundeschampionat of the German Riding Horse in 2005. A brief look at the expected foals for 2007 show that the concept is one that Dr. Mittermayer follows.

Appearance	The champion: Donovan	Donovan

And the story continues...

The most recent success in the Oldenburger breed have led to more Trakehner mares being covered by Oldenburg stallions for the coming season, a reason that is rather troublesome for the Trakehner breed given the amount of performance blood that is lost. However, in Neumünster, the Hertug colt Balsamico (out of Bernina V by EH Anduc) appeared in 2004, and the most impressive Hofrat son Brennpunkt, also out of Bernina V, was sold via the Trakehner Spring Approvals in 2006.

For the 2005/2006 season, the list of horses in the barn reads as follows: Cupric xx, gelding by Suchard-Romanow (Rhld), colt by Diamond Hit-Consul (Old) - a full brother to Donovan, 3 year old filly by Abanos-Marduc (Old) - in foal to Donovan, 4 year old mare by Suchard-Rebel Z (Old), 4 year old mare by Suchard-Nebos xx (Trak), 5 year mare by Suchard-Rebel Z (Old), 6 year old mare by Cupric xx-Rebel Z (Old) - in foal to Donovan, 18 year old mare by Rebel Z-Harnisch (Old), 13 year old mare by EH Benz-Halali (Trak), 21 year old mare Melodie by EH Marduc-Mandant, 14 year old mare by Nebos xx-Siegebert xx (TB), 7 year old mare by Suchard-Tate Gallery xx(Trak) - in foal to Donovan, 3 year old mare by Cupric xx-EH Consul (Old) - in foal to Diamond Hit, 4 year old mare by Suchard-EH Anduc (Trak)- in foal to Balou du Rouet, 17 year old mare Bernina V by EH Anduc-Adrian xx (Trak)- in foal to Grafenstolz TSF, 9 year old mare Biskaya by Suchard-EH Anduc (Trak) - in foal to Diamond Hit, 13 year old mare Boheme by EH Consul-EH Anduc (Trak) and young stock by Lossow (Trak), Laurentio (Old), Diamond Hit (Old) and Chequille Z (Old).