Gestut Letter Berg's Günter Voss Passed Away

Breeding

Germany

Günter Voss, owner of Gestut Letter Berg, has passed away on 21 October 2024. He was 82 years old.

Voss was best known as the founder of the Westfalian dressage stable and breeding farm Gestüt Letter Berg in Coesfeld-Lette.

Born 28 Mai 1942, Voss grew up on a farm and has been surrounded by horses his entire life. At his parents farm logging horses worked in the forest of Sauerland. Professionally Voss ran a building materials store which he developed into trading companies, hardware stores and construction and real estate companies.

Four decades ago he began his breeding programme, first relying on stallions from the Warendorf State Stud before using his home-bred licensed stallions, such as Excalibur (by Avalon) and Isterberg V (by Instertanz).

Florentinus V at the 2011 WCYH in Verden

He also bought high quality Westfalian and Hanoverian mares to boost his programme. His filly Fürstin Laomi (by Fürst Piccolo) won the 2006 German Foal Championship in Lienen, his mares Debby and Donna (by Don Index) both competed in the Herwart von der Decken Hanoverian Elite Mare show.

Voss also had a keen interest in Trakehner blood and stood stallions such as Olymp, Onyx, and the Anglo-Arabian Nabucco at his station.

Voss' stallions made a name in sport during the time that American Jennifer Hoffmann was head rider at his barn from 2010 till 2012 and from 2013 till 2017. She competed Florentinus, Ratzinger, Instertanz and Hofmarschall V at the World Young Horse Championships and the Bundeschampionate.

Two years ago Günter handed over the management of the stud to his son Marcus and his wife, Swiss Stefanie Leuenberger-Voss, who came to work at Letter Berg in 2016 as a rider and stayed.

Carina Scholz on Isterberg V at the 2024 CDI Sint-Truiden

Gestut Letter Berg posted an obituary on its website stating, "the stud farm owner on the "Letter Berg" leaves behind a horse paradise, which he has built up over 40 years through a lot of foresight, consistency, skill, know-how and, above all, faith in his horses."

They added, "Günter's credo for the breeding business was forward-looking: sires must not only have good credentials, but also have outstanding athleticism and willingness to perform. This maxim always determined his breeding work.

Voss was a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.