The Elite Trakehner sire Helium has been gelded. Due the closure of stallion station Gut Staffelde, the owners decided to cut the black stallion.
Helium is an 11-year old Danish bred Trakehner by Millennium out of Hirse (by Induc x Arsenal). He is bred by Alan Nissen at Gadebjerg Stud in Denmark.
Reserve Champion
The black was proclaimed reserve champion at the 2015 Trakehner Licensing in Neumunster and sold at auction for 170,000 euro to Gut Staffelde near Berlin.
He did his 14-day stallion performance test in Schlieckau in the spring of 2016 and became the top scoring stallion with an overal total of 8.58 points.
He was first competed in 2016 by Lena Bammel (née Gunnel) and in 2018 Pia Anina Gerullis took over the ride. Both Bammel and Gerullis presented him at the Trakehner Young Horse Championships in Hanover. As of 2019 it was Michaela Kronenberger's turn and the stallion reached Prix St Georges level under Natalie Soujon in 2020. He did his last show in August 2022 in Görlitz.
Gelded
Gut Staffelde announced that Helium has been gelded.
"Helium will now have a horse-friendly life as a gelding," owner Bettina Lechtermann stated. "A stallion's life with breeding often means great hormonal stress, which increased for Helium with every encounter with other horses, especially since the removal of one eye."
Lechtermann added, "we are therefore happy that we can now reward Helium by only doing what he enjoys: a sport career with Natalie Soujon and at the same time living a life as a herd animal with his stable mates in the paddock," We understand that not everyone can understand this decision, but it was the right one for Helium and that is our top priority."
The Trakehner breeding society proclaimed Helium "Elite Sire" having produced five licensed sons, of which Ferrari Forever, Rheinglanz, and Kap Verde all became licensing champions. One hundred of his offspring are registered for sport in Germany.
Photos © Stefan Lafrentz - Stephan Bischoff
Related Links
Historic Trakehner Brood Farm Gut Staffelde Listed For Sale
Borsalino, Helium, Ballon d'Or Stand Out in 2016 Spring Stallion Performance Testings
Perpignan Noir, Champion of the 2015 Trakehner Stallion Licensing
2015 Trakehner Stallion Licensing Candidate in the Spotlight: Helium