On Saturday, October 18, the field performance test for draft horses took place in Warendorf. Under glorious sunshine, a large and high-quality group of 20 draft horses attracted numerous spectators to the parade ground of the North Rhine-Westphalian State Stud. Eight Rhenish-German and Black Forest draft stallions, as well as twelve Rhenish-German draft mares, completed a driving task with a guest driver test, light log pulling, and heavy load pulling over a prescribed distance.
The stallion performance test began early in the morning, marking the start of a successful testing day. The three-year-old Moses by Markant/Nathan (breeder: Andreas Wintgens, Übach-Palenberg; owner: Klaus Peter-Schauerte, Eslohe) emerged as the winner. The licensed stallion achieved an outstanding final score of 9.16. The judging team, led by Jens Kappelhoff and Karla Ebert, awarded him the top score of 10.0 three times – for his composure and backing behavior in light log pulling, and for his pulling technique in the heavy load test.
Close behind, with a final score of 8.83, was the four-year-old Hugo by Hook/Hadrian (breeder: Franz-Josef Koenen, Tönisvorst; owner: Friedhelm Tillmann, Grevenbroich). He also received two top marks of 10.0 – for his handling during harnessing and for his backing technique. Third place went to Atlas by Adoro II/Herbert (breeder: Biegel Family, Harsewinkel; owner: State Stud NRW, Warendorf). The state stallion, who had been named reserve champion the previous year, achieved a total score of 8.61.
In the group of Black Forest draft stallions, the three-year-old Dancer by Don Olewo/Ravel (breeder: Ralf Bartels, Uetze; owner: Schwarzwälderhof Bartels, Uetze) stood out. The dark chestnut stallion led the field of Black Forest stallions with a score of 8.54.
In the afternoon, ten Rhenish-German draft mares competed for the top honors. The four-year-old mare Uschi by Urmel/Heidjer II (breeder: Handt GbR; owner: Ronja Wulff, Billerbeck) secured victory with the day’s highest score of 9.18. The weighted final score of 8.80 meant a shared second place for two mares: Hella by Humphrey/Hartmut (breeder: Albert Aryceus, Erndtebrück; owner: ZG Schmidt, Bad Laasphe) – especially noted for her perfect 10.0 in backing during light log pulling – and Nippa by Newton/Marc (breeder: Heinrich Heitmann, Emsdetten; owner: Joachim Müller, Hüttenberg), who also delivered a well-rounded performance.
Judges Karla Ebert and Jens Kappelhoff expressed their satisfaction with the results. Guest driver Ulrich Müller from Celle provided detailed and insightful commentary, taking the opportunity to explain the various parts of the test to the interested audience throughout the day.
