Sterntaler Retired from Competition

Dressage

German Dressage News

Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff has retired her 16-year old Oldenburg gelding Sterntaler from competition. The dark bay gelding (by Sion x Manstein) was last competed by her stepson Matthias Rath who claimed his first German Grand Prix Champion's title with this horse.

Linsenhoff bought Sterntaler as a 7-year old and made a quick rise to Grand Prix level. In 2003 they were the reserve champions at the Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals and in 2005 they won team gold at the European Dressage Championships in Hagen.

Ann Kathrin retired from an active competition career due to lyme disease and gave the ride to her stepson Matthias. The pair made their show debut at the 2008 CDI Hagen and two months later were crowned German Male Grand Prix champions in Balve.

Rath and Sterntaler were the alternates for the German Olympic team of 2008 and were German team members at the 2009 European Championships and 2010 World Equestrian Games where they twice won team bronze. He finished sixth in the Special and freestyle at the 2009 Europeans and placed 13th in the Grand Prix Special at WEG. At the 2009 German Championships Rath won Special silver and Kur gold. At the 2010 German Championships Rath won silver and bronze.

Rath always struggled on Sterntaler with the piaffe at X on the final centerline and never truly solved the problem in the show ring even though in 2009 and 2010 he was one of the strongest German riders at the time besides Isabell Werth. Sterntaler also had many pure highlights like the tempi changes, trot extension and walk.

After the acquisition of Totilas in November 2010 Sterntaler entirely disappeared from the scene and not a word was mentioned about the horse still being in show training or coming back to competition after the 2010 World Equestrian Games. A recent update to Rath's website reveals that the horse has been retired from competition.

"We have decided to give the 16-year old Sterni his well earned retirement," Rath posted on his website. "Our little sister Marie will be riding him more and more now. The first encounters between those two have set our hearts aflutter. Thanks Sterni."