Don Frederico Passed Away

Tue, 11/01/2022 - 14:29
Hanoverian
Ole Kohler and Don Frederico competing at 2005 World Young Horse Championships in Verden in a national class :: Photo © Astrid Appels

The legendary Hanoverian breeding stallion Don Frederico has passed away on 31 October 2022. He was 25 years old.

Don Frederico was a 1997 born stallion by Donnerhall out of Cleopatra (by Consul x Gardeulan x Wendekreis). He was bred by Angelika Westerhoff.

Licensing Champion

Don Frederico was licensed at the 1999 Hanoverian Stallion Licensing in Verden, where he was also named champion stallion.

He sold to the Celle State Stud and did his stallion performance testing in Adelheidsdorf. He finished second in a field of 45 with a dressage index of 151.67 points.

Under Ole Kohler, he finished fourth at the 2002 Bundeschampionate as a 5-year old and sixth at the 2003 Bundeschampionate as a 6-year old. 

He was the first state stud owned stallion to compete in the Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals in 2006 in Frankfurt, where he finished sixth.

Don Frederico was trained up to S-level and his last competition was in 2010 at a local show in Alvern.

Decorated Stallion

Don Frederico became a foundation stallion in his own right, receiving the Grande Prize in 2009 and the title of Hanoverian Stallion of the Year in 2012

As a breeding stallion Don Frederico had a huge impact on modern dressage sport horse breeding. In Germany he sired no less than 41 licensed sons of which 23 are submitted to Studbook I. He sired 806 daughters registered as broodmare with the German equestrian federation and no less than 167 of them are state premium mares. 

Amongst his licensed sons are Don Darius, Don Frederic, Don Henrico, Don Corazon, Dramatic and Don Ricoss. 

Don Frederico
His offspring was not always know to be the easiest to ride, but the black stallion sired a huge number of progeny that was highly successful in sport. The two stand-out horses are Isabell Werth's German team horse Don Johnson and Dorothee Schneider's 2012 German Olympic team ride Diva Royal. His offspring collected prize money of more than 1.8 million euro in sport. The German equestrian federation has 1660 (!) of his offspring registered for sport. 

From his first crop came Bundeschampion Dantonisius and reserve champion Dark Carlotta.  He further sired Bundeschampionate bronze medallist Don Darius (later a Grand Prix horse with Nina Neuer), the 2008 World Young Horse Champion Dramatic (Jana Freund), and the Russian Grand Prix team horse Diavolessa (Tatiana Kosterina), Grand Prix horses Davinia la Douce (Anna Buffini), Don Diego (Juan Matute Guimon), Doktor Schiwago (Florine Kienbaum), and Don Weltino K (Laurienne Ditmann), Brazilian Paralympic medal winner Don Henrico (Rodolpho Riskalla). Donna Romma represented Sweden at the 2012 European Young Riders Championship under Elin Aspnas and Decoeur (Celia Giorgetti) won silver at the 2016 European Children Championships.

Passing

The Celle state stud announced Don Frederico's passing today/ 

"Yesterday we had to make the heavy decision to put our long-time breeding stallion Don Frederico to sleep. His general condition had deteriotated badly in a short period of time, that made us decide to put the 25-year old stallion to sleep."

Photo © Astrid Appels

Related Links
Five Celle Dressage Sires Positive for WFFS, Including Don Frederico and Londonderry
Don Frederico, Hanoverian Stallion of the Year 2012
Scores: 2006 CDI-W Frankfurt
Scores: 2003 Bundeschampionate
Isabell Werth Announces Don Johnson's Retirement
Juan Matute Guimon Retires Don Diego from Sport
Rodolpho Riskalla's Don Henrico - FEI Horse of the Month
Don Frederic, Champion of the 2011 Mecklenburger Stallion Licensing
Don Rouge Royal, Champion of the 2015 Austrian Warmblood Stallion Licensing