11 minute read
In Memoriam
Wendy Costello 1946-2020
Long-time AHS member Wendy Costello, age 74, passed away on December 3, 2020, following a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. Wendy grew up in Kansas City, MO, and attended George Washington University in Washington, DC. During that time, Wendy met Marty Costello, a midshipman at the US Naval Academy. She graduated from GWU in 1968 with a degree in Elementary Education and she and Marty were married a year later. They moved frequently with the Marines over the next eight years while raising her son Adam and daughter Jill. Her love of horses led to a change of career in 1995 when she purchased her first broodmare. She built a successful breeding operation as Riverland Farm in Wisconsin, adding several more broodmares to the herd, and the Hanoverian stallion Donavan as her foundation stallion. She later added the Oldenberg stallion Rosall to her breeding program. Following Marty’s retirement and their relocation to the Maryland Eastern Shore in 2007, Wendy moved the breeding operation to her farm in Stevensville as Kent Island Sporthorses. She was a highly regarded producer of quality sporthorses for dressage and jumping throughout the United States. In addition to her passion for children and horses, Wendy was an enthusiastic supporter of the Naval Academy. She was an avid tailgater at Navy football games, and was a “Sponsor Mom” to numerous midshipmen. She is survived by her husband Marty, their son Adam and daughter Jill, along with grandsons Corlan and Quincy.
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Ron Carlson 1931-2020
Ronald Edmund Carlson, husband to AHS judge Vanessa Carlson, passed away peacefully at his Claremore farm surrounded by family on Sunday, May 3rd, 2020. Ron and Vanessa owned Woodridge Farm in Claremore, OK.
Ron was born in the Swedish community of Titusville, Pennsylvania. The family of four boys and one daughter moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma when Ron’s father became Controller and Sr. Vice President of Kewanee Oil.
Ron attended Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering. After a brief stint in the Army, he resumed his education at the University of Oklahoma, earning a Master’s Degree in Business and Finance. Ron spent 10 years as an engineer for Shell Oil Company, specializing in equipment design and sales for structural resins and corrosion coatings in New Jersey, Atlanta, and Houston. In 1967, Ron founded Commercial Resins Company and returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 70’s and 80’s saw his small company grow internationally to include engineering of pipe coating facilities in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the U.K. with British Gas, South Africa, Columbia, Mexico and Australia
In 1981, Ron met and married Vanessa Anne Hogarth, of Bedfordshire, England. The pair travelled the world for business and pleasure, settling in Claremore, Oklahoma to build an internationally known breeding facility, Woodridge Farm, that specialized in breeding and training German warmblood horses for dressage. Ron developed his own interest in competitive carriage driving, was active in OHHA and helped build Oklahoma’s only permanent CDE course at the Payne County Fairgrounds in Stillwater. He participated in many Combined Driving Events and especially enjoyed participating in the National Drive in Kentucky.
Ron is survived by his loving wife Vanessa, his five sons and many grandchildren.
Wendell Haymon 1941-2020
Wendell Haymon, PhD, husband to Maryanna and owner of Marydell Farms, passed away July 16, 2020, from complications of leukemia. Wendell graduated from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1963 and a master’s degree in chemistry and food technology in 1965. During his time in the U.S. Army, Wendell was instrumental in the development of the Meal, Ready to Eat, and the space program. He separated as a captain in 1967 to attend NC State University, graduating in 1970 with a PhD in Food Science.
Wendell’s touched many of our lives throughout his career by helping to develop Lipton Cup of Soup and canned Ice Tea; he was a renowned expert in the manufacturing of hard sausages. He was also a devoted horseman, often seen at inspections and horse shows with his family. He closely monitored the development of Doctor Wendell MF as he became an International competitor. He is survived by his wife, Maryanna Haymon, son Gary, and daughter Sherlyn.
Andrew Hedreen 2021
President/Owner Strasser Woodenworks, married to AHS judge and Board of Directors member Judy Hedreen
How do you begin when your heart is broken. My husband and partner of 36 years, Andy, unexpectedly died Through all this he was so proud of me and our horses. He would say ‘you known when I go to lunch downtown with the last month. He was an ebullient and gentle soul who overcame enormous odds to achieve a successful and well-lived life. When he was 13 he was in the hospital for a year with polio; then came 2 years of rehab to help him walk again, with a leg brace. He went on to start a manufacturing company that now employs over 50 people. Having been raised in Peru, and speaking fluent Spanish, he mentored many Latinos, helping them find employment in the Seattle area. For many years he was on the board of trustees for a Seattle based nonprofit that supported low-income families and the elderly. guys, they talk about tennis or golf, and I tell them about going to Calgary, Belgium or Germany to see our horses’. We raised a wonder daughter, Annie, who is devastated. Andy was visiting Annie in CA when he fell and broke his leg. He was sent to a skilled nursing center to rehab - where he caught Covid. Three weeks later he was gone. He will leave a huge hole in our lives. It is still not real to me. I love you Andy, which I didn’t get to say as you were in ICU. All your friends are sharing your red wines and saluting you!
– Judy Hedreen
David Burke, Pangaea Farms 27 AHS progeny, 8 MS, 1 HPM
At the age of 25, the flashy black stallion Harvard passed away at Pangaea Farms in Ontario, Canada. The prolific stallion completed his 100=day stallion performance test and scored 119.86 for dressage and 74.31 for show jumping. He was trained and competed by Andrea Muller-Kersten, finishing fifth at the Budeschampionate in 2000. He was sold to Canadian David Burke in 2004 and sired dressage and hunter/jumper offspring, including 3 licensed sons.
70 AHS progeny registered, 25 MS, 5 HPMC, 6 HPM
Welfenkoenig II
14 AHS progeny, 1 MS
Sir Gregory Oldenburg
2005-2020
Dreamscape Farm 51 AHS progeny, 9 MS, 2 HPMC
Brentina Hanoverian
(Brentano II-Lieselotte/Lungau) 1991-2021
At the age of 31, EM Brentina (Brentano II-Lieselotte/Lungau), Debbie McDonald’s Hanoverian Grand Prix partner died at The Irons Farm in Santa Barbara, California. She was owned by Owned by Peggy and Parry Thomas.
In 2003, McDonald and Brentina became renown as the first Americans to win the FEI World Cup Final in dressage. Nicknamed Mama, Brentina earned two gold medals at the 1999 Winnipeg Pan American Games, an individual fourth place and a team silver and bronze at the 2002, and a team silver and bronze at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, McDonald and Brentina earned a team bronze and individual fourth-place finish.
The pairs famous “Brick House” freestyle earned them a standing ovation and a yellow ribbon at the 2005 Las Vegas World Cup Final. She was also the USEF Horse of the Year.
Brentina’s retirement in Las Vegas brought a tear to everyone’s eye but was sweetened by a later induction into the U.S. Dressage Federation’s Hall of Fame. In addition, the “Brentina Cup” Program is named in her honor and supports up-and-coming dressage riders.
In 2010 two embryo transfer foals were born from Brentina at Pollyrich Farms in California: colt Dillinger (by Damsey) and colt Brighton (by Kingston). In 2011 Brentina was bred twice to Totilas with frozen semen, but both embryo transfers (ET) failed to take.
52 AHS progeny, 3 MS, 1 HPM, 1 HPMC
Owned by River House Hanoverians and ridden to Grand Prix by Nora Batchelder, the Hanoverian stallion Bretone passed away on March 28. As a 2 year old, Bretone was third overall in his stallion test in Germany and successful competed to M Level (third/fourth level) in dressage. Here in the U.S., with Nora Batchelder, Bretone was Region 3 Open Grand Prix Champion, second in Open Grand Prix at the World Dressage Masters show in Wellington, FL and scored a “10” on his one tempis at the 2011 GMHA Dressage Days. He was ranked sixth in the national Horse of the Year Grand Prix Freestyle standings in 2009 with scores over 80 percent. Contucci Hanoverian
(Caprimond-Laureen/Langau) 1993-2020
280 AHS progeny, 81 MS, 4 HPMC, 10 HPM, 2 ES
He was 27 years old when he died— and what a mark he made on North American Hanoverian breeding. His name was Contucci and he was Hilltop Farm’s foundation stallion. He was bred by Klaus Storbeck in Germany and initially owned by Dieter Wulf.
He was approved at the 1995 Hanoverian stallion licensing in Verden and did his 100-day stallion performance test in Medingen in 1996. He scored 147.11 in dressage (1st) and 81.12 in show jumping (23rd) to finish third overall out of a group of 28 participating stallions with an index of 127.60 points.
He began his competition career in Germany in 1996 under Holga Finken, who rode him in the riding horse tests as a 3-year old, He was purchased by Jane MacElree in 1998 and became the cornerstone of Hilltop Farm stallion roster.
Contucci’s impact on North American breeding has been significant. His accolades include having earned the titles 2005 USEF Dressage Breeding Sire of the Year and 2009 USEF Dressage Sire of the Year, and he was consistently ranked in the Top 10 of the USEF Sire Rankings.
Landkoenig Hanoverian
(Landadel-Luna/Landsknecht) 1992-2021
198 AHS progeny, 30 MS, 1 HPM, 6 HPMC
At the age of 29, we lost Landkoenig, a giant in many ways, big, gentle and healthy until the end, leaving with us a giant legacy. Landkoenig laid down not to wake up and moved on to greener pastures where he is no doubt chasing his old stablemates Pablo and Escudo II. He was my big buddy for a long time and I already miss him. 24 years ago, looking to add some Holsteiner blood to my breeding program and knowing that the German “chef d’equipe” Herbert Meyer bred his best mares to Landkoenig right after he was licensed, I purchased Landkoenig. Landkoenig’s offspring set sales records in Germany, won Grand Prix’s, qualified for the Olympics and surpassed a million-dollar winnings in just a few years.
Landkoenig was very easy going and produced so much like himself.
I found him through his breeder Laura Bettinger who had his GP producing damline in her family for many generations. The pairing of Landadel with this very impressive Hanoverian dam line proved phenomenally successful in top jumper production.
Landkoenig’s first year breeding in Germany quickly set him up as an important sire of performance horses with a licensed son and a 4-year-old Landkoenig offspring that shattered the record price for a jumper sold in the “Hanoverian Niedersachsen Halle”. That marked the first of many magazine covers in “Der Hannoveraner” and multi-million-dollar offspring.
Landkoenig’s most famous offspring Lantinus started his Grand Prix career with Gregory Wathelet for the Ukrainian team and made the cover again after winning 3, 5 star Grand Prixs in one month as an 8 year old. With Denis Lynch on the Irish team, Lantinus ranked FEI # 1 worldwide and went clean at the opening rounds at the Beijing Olympics, won the Aachen GP and others in the Global champions tour and qualified for the London Olympics. Meanwhile other young Landkoenig offspring like Lucculus and Lipton where also placing and winning Grand Prix’s. Landkoenig offspring winnings quickly reached the million dollar mark. Meanwhile in the USA, Landkoenig had the highest jumper breed value and a full breeding book. He also produced top hunters, successful futurity horses and even GP jumpers out of TB mares as well as successful eventers. His legacy will live on thru his many offspring and we will miss him dearly.
- Edgar Schutte, Eurequine
Hotline Hanoverian
(Hofrat x DeNira x Wendepunkt) 2003-2021
2003, 17hh, Hanoverian, 43 AHS progeny; 8 MS, 2 HPM, 2 HPMC Owned by Jennifer & Amin Arnoldt, Dreamscape Farm, Canada
Blue Hors Hotline, a popular Grand Prix-level competitor and approved Hanoverian stallion has passed away at the age of 18. Originally bred by Heinrich Glesselmann, Hotline was named champion at his licensing in 2005 and sold at auction for the record (at the time) price of 800,000 euro by Paul Schockemohle and Blue Hors stud. Hotline did his 70-day stallion performance test in 2006 and became the winner, scoring 137.34 index points, with a score of 149,28 for dressage and 110.43 for show jumping.
Andreas Helgstrand competed Hotline as a 5-year old in Denmark. The dark stallion continued with several riders up the levels to Grand Prix and was in the running for the Danish Olympic team. Although he and his rider at the moment, Daniel Andersen (for Blue Hors) didn’t make the team, Hotline competed on the small tour until 2018 when he was retired due to injury. He was sold to Canadian breeder Jennifer Arnoldt of Dreamscape in 2018 where he catered to the North American breeding market. Unfortunately, In January of 2021, Hotline developed a lipoma that caused strangulation very close to his stomach.
In Germany, Hotline sired 7 licensed sons and 27 state premium daughters. He has no less than 517 offspring registered for sport and 57 of them competed at S-level and higher. In Denmark he sired almost 500 offspring, 15 sons were selected for the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing and 10 of the daughters receiving breed show medals: 1 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze.
