Rotspon Hanoverian Stallion of the Year

Verden, 31 october 2017 –  The Rubinstein/Argentan-son Rotspon was nominated “Hanoverian Stallion of the Year”. Breeder Christiane Müller from Stade was overjoyed when she accepted the award for her deceased husband Hans-Heinrich while the Celle state stud stallion went for his victory lap, much to the delight of the enthusiastic audience. The black stallion occupies a kind of background position in breeding, particularly on the maternal side. Apart from above-average basic gaits, he passes on his super rideability to his progeny – qualities that riders all over the world appreciate. 

Rotspon was born on February 22, 1995 at Hans-Heinrich Müller’s in Stade. The passionate breeder believed in the black colt and presented him at the 1997 stallion licensing in Verden. The State Stud Celle purchased the youngster at the Stallion Market and gave him the name: Rotspon – a tradition-rich North German expression for high-quality red wines. The pedigree of the stallion reads as amazing as the names of French wines. His pedigree features Hanover’s trademark stallions Rubinstein, Argentan, Pik Bube and Wendekreis, turning Rotspon into one of the most important representatives of the dam line of Noreja. The Olympic eventing horse Amadeus is a successful and well-known progeny out of this line. The dam, state premium mare Antalia, already confirmed her rideability and quality of movement when she won the prestigious Hanoverian Riding Horse Championships at the age of three.

Rotspon convinced at his stallion performance test in Adelheidsdorf. He was the best of his age-group, scoring 148.72 points in the dressage evaluation and 145.67 points overall. He prevailed against Londonderry, the former winner of the stallion licensing and nominated “Hanoverian Stallion of the Year” in 2013. Rotspon’s victory at the stallion performance test in 1999 brought his breeder Hand-Heinrich Müller the Freiherr von Stenglin-Award. 

His breeding career led Rotspon to the North German region called “Land Wursten” between Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven to the Oberndorf insemination station, less than 50 km from Stade, his place of birth. The mares there perfectly matched his hereditary qualities, and he is still popular with the breeders in Dorum today, 18 years later. State premium mare Romanze is one of his first progeny, winner of the 2002 Ratje Niebuhr-Show in Verden. His sons Rascalino and Royal Blend moved to stalls at the State Stud Celle. Almost 100 of his sons and daughters are successfully competing at the advanced dressage level, and he has been siring 277 auction horses until today. Rotspon established an excellent reputation as dam’s sire. His genes can be frequently found in the pedigrees of successful dressage horses such as Olympic Champion Showtime FRH, member of the German gold squad with Dorothee Schneider in Rio de Janeiro.

His breeder Hans-Heinrich Müller unfortunately did not live to see this success. His wife Christiane was completely overwhelmed when she accepted the award on his behalf, an oil painting of the artist Manfred Busemann and a well-remunerated cheque.

The Hannoveraner Verband has been honouring a particularly valuable Hanoverian stallion since 1992 in co-operation with the insurance company R+V/Vereinigte Tierversicherung.

Press Release Hannoveraner Verband