Thomas Bach Jensen
"Vitalis is such a great breeding stallion," commented Charlotte. "I feel he should be given the best opportunity to contribute to the next generation of sport horses, and I know he will have that with Paul and Lone. His life is going full circle, back to Europe where he was born!"
Charlotte, a Danish-born American citizen who competes internationally in dressage as an amateur, is also the founder of Kastel Denmark, the lifestyle activewear company that is expanding across Europe from its headquarters in Reno, Nevada.
Dutch-bred Vitalis, the first licensed son of Vivaldi, was reserve champion at the 2009 Westphalian Stallion Licensing, after which he stood at stud for two years at the Westphalian State Stud in Warendorf where he sired many champions. Vitalis competed in the 2012 FEI World Breeding Championships as a 5-year-old at Verden, before Charlotte brought him to the USA.
Vitalis garnered multiple achievements with Charlotte: Highest ever USA qualifying score of 9.192 average at the 2013 Markel/USEF Western Selection Trials for the FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Dressage, 6 Year Old Division; 13th at the 2013 FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Dressage, 6 Year Old Division in Verden; Champion of the 2013Markel/USEF National Developing Horse 6 Year Old Championship, where he earned a perfect 10 for his trot work, 9.8 on canter, 7.5 on walk, 9.0 for submission and 9.3 for general impression for an overall final score of 9.152; and 2014 USDF Adult Amateur Prix St. Georges Champion.
All was not quiet in the breeding shed during these competitions, and Vitalis continued to be a popular sire via frozen semen. His offspring commanded sales prices as high as €420,000 at European sport horse auctions, with buyers including Danish Olympic dressage team bronze medalist Andreas Helgstrand, Austrian Olympic dressage individual gold medalist Elisabeth "Sissy" Max-Theurer, and co-owners Hengststation Holkenbrink and Andreas Busacker, husband of German Olympic eventing team gold medalist Ingrid Klimke, among others.
Recognizing that her commitment to dressage sport is in the competition arena, Charlotte looked for the best breeding home in the world for Vitalis.
"With Paul Schockemöhle and Lone Bøegh Henriksen, Vitalis will have every opportunity to make his mark on future generations of sport horses," Charlotte says.
Paul Schockemöhle plays many roles in equestrian sport: owner of 4,000+ horses and two breeding farms, one in Muhlen and a larger farm Gestut Lewitz in the former East Germany; breeder including stallions such as Totilas and Sandro Hit; event organizer whose company features CSI-W Leipzig, Munich Indoors, and the Hamburg Derby; partner with Ullrich Kasselmann in the prestigious PSI Auction, and more.
Lone Bøegh Henriksen of HP Horses based at her family farm Tvedegaard, in Harløse, Denmark, partners with Paul Schockemöhle to own some of today's top dressage stallions. They have previously acquired Fürsten-Look, champion of the 2014 Oldenburg stallion licensing, who is by their co-owned stallion Fürstenball, as well as the premium Westfalian-licensed stallion Dragon Hill, among others.
"I look forward to watching the offspring of Vitalis in the future," Charlotte says, "and I know that Vitalis is in the right hands for a breeding career that will create the stars of the future."
