"Retired" Premium Stallion Viva La Vida in Westfalian Auction as Va Va Voom

Breeding

Westfalian

This weekend an upheaval arose on social media over the entry of a horse named Va Va Voom in the 2025 Westfalian Spring Auction.

Va Va Voom is none other than the premium licensed stallion Viva La Vida who pulled from stud duty and sport after rearing in the sport test.

Viva La Vida

Gestut Gut Neuenhof acquired Viva La Vida (by Viva Gold x Rosengold) for 84,000 euro at auction at the 2022 Westfalian Stallion Licensing in Munster. He successfully completed the shortened suitability test in April 2023 with a score of 8,07 and stood at stud that year.

However, in February 2024 he was entered for the sport test, but there was no score as the owner "terminated the test". The test was ended as the chestnut showed resistance and reared. The horse was sent to the Lüsche equine clinic for examination.

In April 2024 the owners decided to pull the stallion from study and retire him from sport. It was announced in a press release, which is quoted on Reiter Revue. "The stallion must have broken six to seven ribs during rearing. He will have suffered for several months. The ribs and muscles are so stuck together that he feels pain when he bends his ribs," said owner Sandra Schürner.

Schürner told Reiter Revue, "One thing is certain: we won't sell the horse. He will be able to enjoy the rest of his life. He's doing very well at the moment. Time will tell whether he'll become a gelding one day. He can definitely enjoy his life."

Va Va Voom

Great was the surprise to see the stallion for sale in the 2025 Westfalian Spring Auction under a different name, Va Va Voom. This was made public by Zuchterforum in its article "Va Va Voom, Miraculous Healing" posted Friday morning 7 March 2025.

Zuchterforum asked for reaction but did not receive any. On Friday afternoon both the owners and the Westfalian society issued statements on social media.

Neuenhof said, "for several weeks he was left alone, only moved lightly on the lunge, and he was mostly turned out in the field or paddock. Thomas Münch, the breeding manager of the Westphalian Studbook, (..) offered to have the stallion brought to the Westphalian Horse Center to see how he presented himself there. After all, he had been thoroughly examined in the run-up to the licensing and found to be healthy. At the Westphalian Horse Center, Viva la Vida was first lunged and then a rider got into the saddle. The stallion showed no signs of pain. He was carefully trained. Even under saddle, Viva la Vida was completely sound and showed no signs of pain. That was in August 2024."

Schürner continued, "Since then, Viva la Vida has made great progress in terms of training and performed so well that Thomas Münch offered to put him up for the spring auction. As the stallion station Gut Neuenhof already had a representative of the Dodona line in Bundeschampion Bentheim, Münch was given the go-ahead - but not without a further veterinary examination by a third colleague. As this vet also had no reservations and found him to be healthy, Viva la Vida is now for sale under the name Va Va Voom."

"Complete Transparency"

The Westfalian society stated, "as already made public, the stallion Viva la Vida, who was licensed at the Westphalian main licensing 2022 was diagnosed as no longer rideable at the age of four."

Westfalian breeding director Thomas Münch said, “we didn't want to be satisfied with the horse's diagnosis and prognosis at the time and sought additional veterinary assessments. In consultation with our vets, Viva la Vida came to the Westphalian Equine Center last year. Here we trained him up again in a careful and controlled manner.”

"As with all auction horses, his current x-rays and veterinary examination report will be published on March 24 to ensure complete transparency for potential buyers," the studbook added.