German Medal Winning Team Pony Der Kleine Sunnyboy Gets New Rider

Dressage

Germany

In the autumn many international FEI dressage ponies change hands as the riders have reached the age limit and are moving on to horses. German serial team pony Der Kleine Sunnyboy has found a new home with the Kohoutek family.

Der Kleine Sunnyboy is a 13-year old Weser Ems bred gelding by Der Feine Lord out of Diva (by Valentino x Condor x Askan). He is bred by Inge Hinrichs.

Licensed Stallion

The liver chestnut started his career as a stallion getting licensed for breeder at the Weser Erms society in 2012. However, he was mainly focused on sport and gelded later on. He was first competed as a 4-year old by Petra Hinrichs.

However in 2015 Tobias Schulz-Isenbeck took over ownership and allocated the ride to Julia Rohmann. That year the new pair participated in the inaugural and one-time "International Dressage Cup for Young Ponies", an unofficial world young pony championship held in Verden, although the entries were very limited an all-German. The pair finished 11th in the Finals there.

In 2016 Der Kleine Sunnyboy was ridden at L-level by Paul Schulz-Isenbeck and they competed at the 2016 Bundeschampionate for 6-year old dressage ponies and finished 9th in the Finals.

Shona Benner

In 2017 Shona Benner became the new rider of the pony and she ended up acquiring an ownership share from Paul and Tobias Schulz-Isenbeck.

Benner began competing the pony in July 2017 and made her international show debut in 2018 at the CDI Nieuw en St. Joosland. They rode the German team selection trials for the European Championships but were not picked. At the 2018 German Pony Championships in September they were sixth overall.

Their career highlight came in 2019. They competed at CDI's in Sopot, Lier, Saumur, Hagen and Leudelange, winning 9 international trophies. They were selected for the German team at the 2019 European Pony Championships in Strzegom, Poland, they won team, individual and kur bronze as highest scoring German pair on the team. However, three weeks later at the 2019 German Pony Championships they were beaten by Rose Oatley and got silver.

They began the year 2020 being ranked Number One on the FEI World Pony Riders Ranking. In her last year on ponies, Benner gave it her all to improve her feat from 2019 but at the 2020 European Pony Championships in Pilisjaszfalu (HUN) they got team gold but were fifth individually and as the fourth rider on the German team did not make the Kur. Shona Benner and Der Kleine Sunnyboy chose not to ride the 2020 German Pony Championships.

Paulina Von Wulffen Family

The liver chestnut sold to the Von Wulffen family for daughter Paulina to ride. The gelding joined an already stunning collection of ponies in the barn, including the 2018 European Pony Champion Top Queen H and the former German team pony Dujardin B.

The new pair made its debut in January 2021 at the CDN Vechta. They finished 8th at the 2021 Preis der Besten and rode one international, the CDIO-P Hagen, where they were fourth and sixth. It was the pair's last show and Paulina has quit competition sport since then.

Maria-Teresa Pohl

With Pohl at the 2023 CDI Aachen Festival 4
Dressage

Der Kleine Sunnyboy move to Semmieke Rothenberger's Gestut Erlenhof in Bad Homburg, where he became the ride for Maria-Teresa Pohl.

Pohl premiered this pony at the CDN Kreuth in January 2022 and rode her first international in May at the CDI Mariakalnok. From there they went to Neu-Anspach and Kronenberg. They were 11th at the 2022 German Pony Championships.

In her last year on ponies, Pohl gave it her all and ride at the CDI Aachen Festival 4 Dressage, finished fourth at the Preis der Besten, and rode herself in the picture of the selectors at the CDIO-P Hagen. They were nominated as first reserve for the German team for the 2023 European Pony Championships. Just a day before departure, they were called up as Hubertus Stallmeister's Adriano B was not fit and Pohl got to compete at the Euros. They won team gold and Kur bronze. They were fourth at the 2023 German Pony Championships.

Kohoutek Family

As Pohl has reached the age limit and has moved on to junior level with Lennox U.S., Der Kleine Sunnyboy found a new family to make happy.

Based in Kalsruhe, the Kohoutek family has two pony riding daughters. Laura Kohoutek has been competing at national FEI pony level in Germany with Der Clou B (by Golden Dancer x Dornik B) and Schelenburgs Mr Sandman (by FS Mr Right x Dornik B), while Clara Kohoutek rode pony Nobel Noir (by No Limit x Colorado) to a 25th place at the 2023 German Pony Championships and horse Dark Dancer (by Danone x Fürst Romancier) to a fifth place at the 2023 German Children Championship.

Der Kleine Sunnyboy is intended for Laura.