He was one who got things moving, who proved his fighting spirit even under the most adverse conditions and passed this dominant trait to his progeny: When it comes to an incredibly homogenous type and a willingness to perform, Landadel revolutionized breeding. You recognized his off-spring right away – and he advanced to become a trademark for modern sporting talent. In spite of a turbulent and trying biography marked by heavy blows of fate, this Holstein stallion created a dynasty of off-spring that have taken countless first places and medals. His progeny have won more than 3.7 million Euro so far – and not just in show jumping either: Landadel also produced outstanding dressage horses. This exceptional sire can boast with numbers that make you dizzy: 66 licensed sons including three Champion Stallions in a row, 50 State Premium mares, more than 92 horses successful at advanced level just in Germany – this makes him one of the most significant sires in the world.
„Landadel has influenced breeding with three components that are very rare in this combination: he makes brilliant types that have outstanding jumping ability and are also strong movers“ is the premium rating given to Landadel by Oldenburg’s Breeding Director, Dr. Wolfgang Schulte-Schleppinghoff.

But Landadel isn’t just the sum of convincing facts about his hereditary powers, he also stirred up personal feelings, made chances possible and empowered the people around him to individual success stories. „Landadel helped us make our breakthrough – without him we wouldn’t be where we are today“ is the way Antonius Böckmann pays tribute to this stallion that stood at his Oldenburg station for nine years. „Lady Weingard was the horse of my life – I had the most success with her“ is the praise Markus Beerbaum has for this Landadel daughter with whom he won team gold at the European Championships in Mannheim. But also Gerd Sosath’s station which has meanwhile grown to 19 stallions was initiated solely by the Landadel son, Landor S.

Landadel was born March 15, 1982 in Schleswig-Holstein, that northern part of Germany between two seas, not too far from the Holstein marketing center in Elmshorn, in a village called Klein Offenseth. Ilse Hell, the sister-in-law of the unforgotten stallion owner, Maas J. Hell, bred Landadel out of her mare, Novella. „Landadel was noble as a foal already but didn’t really stand out although his movements were actually quite special in those days“ remembers Ilse Hell. His true quality was only revealed later as a young stallion – where else with a pedigree like that – over the fences. The personality that this stallion would one day become was already evident in Landadel’s dam: „Novella was an exceptional mare with plenty of self-confidence and an outstanding character. She also had excellent movements“ says her breeder. Novella, by Farnese-Ladykiller xx, produced eight foals. Among these were three licensed sons, Aurel, Landadel and Acadius. Her Merano daughter, Valetta, is the dam of Willi Melliger’s world class jumper, Calvaro. Novella’s grandson, Luxius by Lux Z, stands at the Böckmann station.

Pferdemann Maas J. Hell stellte Landadel in Holstein vor.
Foto: Eylers

Landadel left home for the first time when he was two and a half years old. That was when Maas J. Hell purchased the young stallion from his sister-in-law. The pre-selection for the Holstein Verband approval had just taken place and the verdict of the selection committee was „Very chic type but not large enough. Take him back home for awhile and present him again later“. The Holstein Verband didn’t get to see the stallion again any time soon – Hell presented the bay stallion without a mark in Oldenburg and they licensed him right off the bat: „He received applause for his movements even during the inspection on hard ground“, remembers Ilse Hell. Oldenburg’s Breeding Director, Dr. Wolfgang Schulze-Schleppinghoff also remembers the first time he saw the young stallion: „We all applauded – Landadel was already a commanding personality and his appealing type and radiance made him very attractive. In retrospect, it was a blessing for Oldenburg that Holstein sent him back home.“

There was another turbulent story in the stallion’s history that ended in a dispute that had to be settled in court. Landadel covered mares naturally at Hajo Willms’ station in Esenshamer Oberdeich for two years in 1985 and 1986 when a dispute arose concerning ownership. Hajo Willms claimed that the stallion belonged to him and Maas J. Hell claimed the same. The question was decided in court in favor of Maas J. Hell who got his stallion back. Meanwhile, Landadel had won his stallion performance test in Medingen: with a score of 136.26, breeders took good notice. His double talent was outstanding – with a score of 137.72 in jumping and 131.43 in dressage he was on second place in both
disciplines.

He even received a 9.0 on the course – all the best prerequisites for a career in sport. But Landadel’s victory at his performance test was his first and last venture in sport. Soon afterward he had to be stabled at the Veterinary Clinic in Hochmoor for nine months, four of which he could not even stand, because of a severe colic and subsequent laminitis. „One of his testicles had to be removed during the operation and then laminitis developed in both hooves. He must have been in unbelievable pain but his will to survive was so strong that he made it“ remembers Böckmann. He believed in this stallion that he had ridden once himself during the performance test. „Landadel could have become a dressage horse – he was that rideable and strong moving“. At that time, Landadel’s half-brother on his dam’s side, Aurel by Ahorn, had been standing at the Böckmann station. When Aurel had to be put down because of colic while he was at his performance test, Böckmann started to investigate the whereabouts of Landadel. „Some rumors had it that he was now a gelding and others that he was no longer alive. But when I called Hell, he told me that the stallion was still in the clinic and I could lease him if I wanted to.“ And that’s exactly what Böckmann did because Landadel had not only his outstanding performance test results but also two very promising crops as references meanwhile.

Landadel was highly convincing – not just because of his movements… Foto: Eylers

The gamble paid off. The same year the stallion left the clinic he covered nearly 100 mares naturally. Landadel advanced to the star position at the station in Lastrup. „Once we switched to artificial insemination, he had around 300 mares in a good year“, says Böckmann. And that even though he was never again shown under a rider and had to spend several weeks in the clinic after each breeding season to regain his strength.

But his off-spring said it all.

One of the first horses to be successful in sport was the licensed stallion, Le Cou Cou, who came from Landadel’s first crop. Bred out of a Goldstern dam, this jumper won the Nation’s Cup in Prague in 1994 under Lars Nieberg and prizes totalling 66,500 Euro. With Fighting Alpha, Nieberg has a Landadel grandson under saddle. This KWPN stallion by Landjonker-Farn has collected international ribbons in series. He finished as the winner in 3-star competitions in Moorsela/BEL, Bologna/ITA, and Aachen, Nörten-Hardenburg, Kiel, Wiesbaden, Bremen, Dortmund and Münster in Germany. „He’s the kind of horse everyone dreams about – from rideability to willingness to perform“ Nieberg praises this stallion who had won a grand total of 379,412 Euro by the end of 2004.

Fighting Alpha’s sire, Landjonker, was one of Landadel’s first sons to be licensed. The off-spring of this brown stallion who was born in 1987 out of a Tin Rocco dam, had won 488,590 Euro by the end of 2004. The stallion was stationed in the Netherlands for five years where he was known as Frühling before he returned to Germany in 1995. Landfriese I is another of Landadel’s first sons to pass on their great sire’s bloodlines. This stallion, bred out of a Manstein- Vollkorn xx dam, has often been described as exceptional. His life was unfortunately very short: the two-time Bundeschampionat finalist had to be put down at the age of seven. He left behind many off-spring that were successful at advanced level and had won 257,000 Euro by the end of 2004 as well as six licensed sons including Landsieger I, the Champion Stallion of the Oldenburg approval in 1993 who set off on an exemplary career. Landsieger I graduated from winning tests for young riding horses and jumpers as well as aptitude tests to successfully participating at the Bundeschampionat twice before he proceeded to reach advanced level and Grand Prix. Georgenhof’s Lausejunge by Landfriese I-Pilot also emphasizes the great loss to breeders in connection with Landfriese’s untimely death. In 2000 he was a Bundeschampionat finalist and by 2004 he and his rider, Anna-Maria Jakobs took sixth place in the German Championships for show jumpers in the ladies class. The liver chestnut stallion, Landgold, and his enormous jumping ability also honor his sire. He received the highest score of 10 in jumping at his performance test in 1999. At the Bundeschampionat in 2000 he received scores of 9.2 and 9.3, making him Vice Champion in the class for five year olds.
In 2003 Landgold was successful under Franke Sloothaak in advanced level competitions in Leipzig, Borken and Dortmund.

In 1989, Landadel’s off-spring were already so popular that the six foals at the auction in Vechta brought an average price of 20,000 DM. One of these foals, a colt with the promising name of Le Champion who was sold to the US for 37,000 DM, had just been crowned Vice Champion at the first German Foal Championships. In the US he later became the West Coast Junior Champion Stallion. By 1990 his first daughters were collecting the best ribbons at the German Broodmare Show: Lavina and Venedig ranked second and fourth respectively.

A grey called Silva Little Gun is another one of these. When he was ridden by Helena Weinberg, competitors often only saw this pair from behind. As early as 1998 under Hauke Luther he won a Grand Prix in Malmö, Sweden and really gathered momentum the following year: London, the World Cup in Berlin, a Grand Prix in Stuttgart – they won them all. In 2001 this Oldenburg known for fast rounds won the World Cup in Moscow, a feat he repeated again two years later in 2003 which helped to increase his life time earnings to 376,293 Euro.

One of Landadel’s off-spring even made it to the top when prizes were awarded at the Hamburg Derby which has a reputation as the most feared course in the world. That was in 2001 with an awesome mare named Landdame FRH ridden by Franke Sloothaak. The mare stood out as a seven year old already because of her enormous jumping talent and ambition: she won in Rotterdam and Donaueschingen and a year later in Neumünster, Rome, Hickstead and Kiel as well as Grand Prix in Leipzig and Zurich and a 3-star competition in London in 2002. Sloothaak purchased this Hanoverian mare at the fall auction in Verden in 1996 for 100,000 DM. Just three years later she was the most successful Landadel off-spring in the FN’s Breeding Year Book with 149,765 Euro in prizes.

Her full brother, Laurion, a licensed stallion, was no less successful: He was a finalist at the Bundeschampionat twice under Sören Pedersen, participated in the European Championships in 2001, became Vice Danish Champion in 2002 and demonstrated his willingness to perform in numerous Nation’s Cups and Grand Prix.

It is exactly this great attitude that is Landadel’s trademark and the trait gets passed from one generation to the next. Need an example? Ludwig von Bayern with a Bavarian brand and the spectator’s darling at the Oldenburg Hengsttage 2001, is a Landadel grandson through his sire, Landor S: „He’s the best youngster I ever had“, says Gerd Sosath who stands the stallion at his station and shows him in sport. The highest scores in his 30 day test with a 10 for rideability and 9.5 in free-jumping as well as first places in tests for jumpers appropriate for his age in novice and elementary level and qualification for the Bundeschampionat in 2004 all confirm Gerd Sosath’s expectations.

His sire, Landor S, has already more than confirmed all of the hopes ever placed in him. More than 20 licensed sons are found among the off-spring of this Oldenburg stallion born 1991 as well as numerous successful sport horses and high priced auction horses. Landor S demonstrated his awesome talent in competition. In 1994, at his stallion performance test, he showed where his destiny lay: with 133.66 points he placed second in jumping. A year later he was the best placed four year old at the Oldenburg Stallion Championships, State Champion of five year old jumpers in 1996 in Rastede and placed in the Bundeschampionat finals in Warendorf.

With feline suppleness in the turns, a leg technique that is lightening fast and reactions that are just as fast, Landor S certainly deserved to win the Bundeschampionat the following year. This Landadel-Godehard son was successful all the way up to Grand Prix. Meanwhile the stallion has been retired from sport and earns his keep solely as a sire – a job at which he is also most successful. In 2003 nine of his off-spring reached the site of his own triumph: the Burandtwiese in Warendorf. And he was the only sire here to have two off-spring among the finalists in the class for six year old jumpers. One of these was Lagato, who sold at the PSI auction in 2003 for 200,000 Euro, a stallion out of a Caletto I dam who reached the jump-off with a score of 9.3 but was still beaten by others, including a half-brother on his sire’s side named Llandovery who took sixth place. Llandovery caused a firework of bids at the 2002 PSI auction that only ended when the priced reached 600,000 Euro. Not quite as expensive but still nearly a record was the price paid at the French auction in Fences in 2002 for the Landor S son, L’Arc de Triomphe: 460,000 Euro. Another extraordinary athlete is Little Love out of a Classiker-Godehard dam who became the 1998 Oldenburg State Champion of five year old show jumpers.

Überzeugt durch eigene Sporterfolge und die seiner Nachkommen:   Landor S

Landor S’ off-spring also drew a lot of attention at the approvals. At the Springpferdezuchtverband Oldenburg-International in particular that was founded in 2002, the stallion has been a dominating force: two of the three champion stallions this Verband has selected so far were by Landor S: Lovis Corinth, the first champion stallion for the new Verband in 2002 and Lauterbach in 2004. Lovis Corinth, an awesomely modern stallion bred out of a Holstein mare by Corofino I, was highly coveted at the auction in Vechta where he sold for 90,000 DM. As Reserve Champion of the 2001 Oldenburg approval and scores of 9.5 in freejumping and 9.0 on the course at his 70 day test, this has stallion demonstrated exceptional talent for performance. Also laced with Holstein bloodlines from his Contender dam, Lauterbach is another extra class jumper talent who sold at the approval for 50,000 Euro. But not just Landor S’ sons have inherited these qualities. In 1999 his daughter, Lady Madonna, won the Oldenburg Elite Broodmare Show in Rastede and there were two more Brillantring mares before Lady Heida won the class for mares with emphasis on jumping at the German Broodmare Show in Neustadt/Dosse three years later. Her full sister, Lady Heida II, received a score of 10 in free jumping at her performance test.

Landor S is not his dam’s only licensed son though. The dam, Fureida, was bred to Landadel several times and the results were three licensed sons: Along with Landor S there was Landwerder, a successful Grand Prix stallion in the US, and Lagoheidor. This strong moving bay stallion won his performance test and after successfully competing in show jumping for awhile, he switched to the dressage ring and advanced to Grand Prix in the Netherlands. Other most striking off-spring are Lonevan, a horse with a Baden-Württemberg brand who qualified for the 2004 Nürnberg Burgpokal with Ingrid Klimke and the licensed stallion, Lord Oldenburg, who sold for 200,000 DM in Vechta. The fourth leaf of this clover is a grey gelding called Laertes who competes at advanced level.

And speaking of advanced level: The highest stage in the career of a sport horse – accompanied by the pride of the breeder – has been reached by many of Landadel’s progeny. Dobel’s Luigi was one of them. Born 1991, this Oldenburg won numerous first and other places with Otto Becker up to 3-star level. „The mares were often more interesting. Some of the heavy Farnese traits that came from Landadel’s dam’s side often appeared in the males. The mares were usually more elegant“ remembers Tönne Böckmann. One of the most successful Landadel „ladies“ for a long time was Argelith Luna Luna. „A really bitchy mare but unbelievably cautious on the course and a real fighter“ is the way her owner and rider, Eva Bitter, characterizes her. She competeted in one show after the other with this mare out of a Vollkorn xx dam and was on the winning team in the Nation’s Cups in Prag in 1998 and Budapest in 1999. „Now we are hoping for a foal by Stakkato“, says Eva Bitter hopefully.

Still in the middle of her career is Fein Cera.

This brown mare was in best form at the 2002 World Championships in Jerez where it was dreadfully hot and advanced to win the title.

With the traditional change of riders, Fein Cera enabled all riders to clear rounds although the Swedish rider, Helena Lundbäck, was burdened with a penalty for time. The best horse at the World Championships, she carried her rider, Peter Wylde, to the bronze medal. In 2003, this mare bred by Harm Thormählen won 57,882 Euro, also winning the Grand Prix in Düsseldorf and Nörten-Hardenberg after having won 54,279 Euro the year before. In 2004 the pair crowned their career by taking home the team silver medal.

The Oldenburg mare, C’Dur, was another of Landadel’s highlights: she won the class for five year and older mares at the 1998 German Broodmare Show in Warendorf. Bred by Paul Wendeln out of a Zeus dam, she produced a Donnerhall son named D’Dur who became the second Reserve Champion at the 2000 approval. C’Dur’s full brother Laphroaig, the spitting image of his sire, was successful in tests for jumpers and is now active in Austria.

Landadel’s dam’s side is also a guarantee for quality. Many licensed stallions and successful sport horses have resulted from such a constellation. One example: Roh Magic, a North Rhine-Westphalian State Stud stallion by the Grand Prix winner, Rohdiamant, premium stallion in the final ring at the approval in Münster-Handorf in 2001. Another horse bred according to this recipe was the licensed Premium stallion, Rabano, who was purchased as a foal for 50,000 DM. His son, Rosizky, bred out of a Holstein dam, became one of the premium stallions in Münster-Handorf in 2002. Escalero-Ex Libris combined with Landadel was worth 170,000 DM to buyers in Vechta and the combination with the star Hanoverian stallion, Weltmeyer, produced the Bavarian State Stud sire, Weltenadel as well as the Hanoverian performance test winner, Westernhagen. When bred to the World Champion in dressage, Sandro Hit, a Landadel daughter produced the 2002 Oldenburg Champion Stallion, Stedinger, who not only successfully competed in tests for riding horses but also produced striking type foals. With the awesome jumper Caretello as his sire, the Bavarian stallion Carlando has been successful in international show jumping under Heinrich- Hermann Engemann. The Bundeschampionat finalist, Forrester, who is by the 2x Olympic team gold winner, For Pleasure, proved his willingness to perform under Sören Pedersen at international level.

August der Starke

With Argentinus, another Landadel daughter called Elinda produced one of the price record breaking horses in Vechta, August der Starke: this licensed stallion successfully ridden up to Grand Prix by the Austrian rider, Victoria Max-Theurer, was purchased in 1999 for 667,000 DM.

The same applies to Landadel’s sons: 66 sons were licensed in Germany alone and many of these proved their qualities in sports. For example the Hanoverian stallion, Lambourghini Diabolo out of a Calypso II-Graphit dam: after winning tests for jumpers, this stallion born 1995 successfully advanced to the top.

The noble Lancado, who received the dream score of 10 at his stallion performance test not only has that typical Landadel look but Contender-Wedekind in his pedigree. He proved the so highly esteemed willingness to perform that his pedigree promised in advanced level jumping.


Landcapitol is another stallion with a very fine pedigree. As the name already indicates, this Holstein stallion with ribbons in advanced level show jumping was bred out of a fill sister of the trademark stallion, Capitol. Born in 1994, this stallion has already produced five licensed sons. A stablemate of this bay stallion stationed with Böckmann called Landrover, who is a successful medium level jumper, has meanwhile been leased to Poland. His dam line has also proved to be particularly strong: when bred to Cord a la Bryére, the dam Aleska Z produced Cordalmé who became an internationally successful show jumper and the sire of Olympic Game participants as well as HGF Can Fly who became the 2002 Bundeschampion in the class for five year olds. Landphönix has also reached the stratosphere of international show jumping. Inbred on his dam’s side over the Westphalian trademark stallion, Pilot, the stallion was a finalist at the 1999 Bundeschampionat, won a jumping competition just for stallions in Sögel and has meanwhile made a reputation internationally. His licensed son, Landpirol, who took sixth place at the Bundeschampionat in the class for five year old jumpers and has been on the German Olympic team since 2004 under Marco Kutscher, is another great advertisement for his sire.