Schockemöhle Stud published the following statement on Sunday (12 July):
It is with deep sadness that Lone Boegh Henriksen and Paul Schockemöhle announce that the legendary sire Fürstenball has died at the age of 20.
“He was truly something special and can absolutely be considered one of the most influential stallions of all time. Not only did he pass on his wonderfully elegant type and his brilliant gaits, but above all, his consistently willing and people-oriented character. He was truly exceptional in every respect. We are incredibly grateful to this icon of modern dressage horse breeding,” explained the two joint owners.
Fürstenball set standards in breeding from the very beginning and is currently among the top 20 in the WBFSH ranking of the world’s best dressage sires. He owes this to his almost 40 Grand Prix-successful offspring, led by Heiline’s Danciera, team world champion, Olympic team fourth and individual seventh, and European Championship team bronze medallist. Fürstenball’s championship-successful offspring also include, among others, the Para European Championship individual and team gold medallist Poesie/Heidemarie Dresing (Grade II).
Fürstenball sired over 100 licensed sons, including the European Championship participant Fuerstenglory OLD/Severo Jurado Lopez/ESP and the licensing champion, Bundeschampion, and Burg-Pokal third-place finisher Fürsten-Look/Isabel Freese/NOR.
Five of Fürstenball’s offspring won gold at the Bundeschampionat, most notably Feine Bella NRW, also Westphalian Champion, performance test winner, seventh at the World Dressage Championships for Young Horses, and currently qualified for the Burg-Pokal Final.
The numerous top-selling Fürstenball stallions at auction are led by the sensational €1.7 million price tag of the PSI auction: Force Majeure, Oldenburg State Champion, eleventh at the Bundeschampionat for Young Horses, and Inter II-placed, formerly Fürst Bayram under Frederic Wandres and now ridden by Yara Reichert.
His more than 330 premium mares also include the Oldenburg Champion Mare, Bundeschampionat silver and bronze medalist, and two-time State Champion Fiesta Danza OLD, the Hanoverian Champion Mare Fine Lady, and the Oldenburg Champion Mare and State Champion Fünf Sterne.
Fürstenball was bred by Georg Sieverding from his famous champion dam line and was by Fürst Heinrich out of the State Premium/Elite Mare Maradonna by Donnerhall x Classiker. The Danish breeder Lone Boegh Henriksen discovered him as a foal in Vechta in 2006, where he went down in the annals of the Oldenburg auction grounds with the sensational price of €110,000.
The next milestones were the title of Champion Stallion, the record-breaking winner of his stallion performance test (a total of 154.98 points, 10 for rideability), and the main premium winner. Fürstenball also racked up victory after victory in sport under his trainer, Ines Westendarp. After gold at the Oldenburg State Championship for five-year-olds, he went on to win gold at the Bundeschampionat (German National Championships). In Warendorf, he received a perfect 10 for his “rock-solid” walk and 9.5s each for his “wonderfully light-footed” trot and overall impression. Fürstenball OLD demonstrated remarkable composure, as a heavy thunderstorm broke out during his performance. Further final placings at the World Dressage Championships for Young Horses, the Bundeschampionat for six-year-olds, and the State Championships followed. In 2013, at the age of seven, Fürstenball OLD achieved top placings up to Prix St. Georges – but from then on, his breeding career took precedence.
Fürstenball was always based at Paul Schockemöhle’s stud farm in Mühlen, where he was dearly loved and exceptionally well cared for by his grooms. Lone Boegh Henriksen and Paul Schockemöhle: “Together with our teams, we will greatly miss this truly noble stallion, who immediately captivated every observer with his uncanny presence.”
