Covering history: From 1963 to 1967 in Varl, Warendorf 1968-1986, perished in 1987

In Westphalia Hanoverian stallions have always been used in breeding. This also applies to the small chestnut Frühschein who spent two seasons in 1959 and 1960 as a Warendorf state stallion in Höven-Varlar and then without much ado disappeared again from the services of the NRW state stud. Yet hardly anyone would have credited him with siring a sire of the century for Westphalia. Nevertheless this was the case. His breeding record for these two years includes 13 registered mares and one approved stallion: Frühling. On the maternal side he was also purely Hanoverian bred. In 1963 he first took up duty at a covering station in Varl. During his first year there he already sired a bullseye, namely the approved bay Frühlingstraum I who went on to become one of the most significant Frühling stallion sons. Frühlingstraum I covered in Warendorf for many years before he spent the dusk of his life in the Oldenburg region. In 1966 a full Frühlingstraum I brother, the chestnut Minister 4 was born, who as a gelding was to become German champion showjumper under Norbert Koof. Together the pair was to outclass the entire German showjumping elite. A new star of showjumping had been born and the name Koof was to continue to be associated with the Frühling line. In 1982 Koof who is resident in the Rhenic town of Willich became world champion showjumper with the enormous chestnut Fire 2. Fire was a son of the big framed variegated chestnut Frühlingstraum II, who even outdid his older full-brother in terms of performance transmission. Apart from the “Frühlingsträume”, Frühlingsball, who derives from Rühling’s second covering period and was born in 1970 is no doubt the next most important Frühling son. He sired countless top performance horses and made the headlines in 1998 once more with his Hanover branded son Fibonacci, when he became federal champion six year old showjumper. All representatives of this line have a pronounced diversity in their hereditary transmission. Even during his lifetime, Frühling had the aura of a legend. He himself was approvals champion in 1962, a I-b prize winner at the 1964 and 1968 DLG shows and he mastered all classes up to Grand Prix. He was moreover a mighty stallion of enormous depth. In spite of the dearth in thoroughbred blood in particular and noble blood in general in Frühling’s rather poor blood background, his progeny are animated by a pleasant inclination in their paces. Unfortunately Frühling progeny are currently no longer playing a leading role in Westphalian studbook or Rhenic studbook breeding for that matter, despite all their unquestionable achievements. One can only hope that the somewhat attenuated bloodline can nevertheless maintain itself in the male line.