European Pony Champion Nasdaq Returns Home for Lilly Kasselmann to Ride

Dressage

Germany

Nasdaq, the 2020 and 2025 European Pony Champion, has returned home to his owners at Hof Kasselmann for Lilly Kasselmann to ride.

Nasdaq is a 14-year old German Riding pony by Nemax out of Vanilla Sky (by FS Don't Worry). He is bred by Gabriele Heemsoth.

Young Pony Success

Originally named PAV Nasdaq, he was licensed as a breeding stallion at the 2013 Hanoverian Pony Stallion Licensing and achieved his stallion performance test score through sport in 2016

He was first competed by Greta Heemsoth and placed 7th at the 2014 Bundeschampionate with a score of 8.3. Heemsoth and Nasdaq returned to the 2015 Bundeschampionate, but were only 15th in the qualifier round with 7.3.

Shortly after Warendorf, the bay sold to the Baumgurtel family. He was gelded to be focused on sport, having sired in 2015 one licensed offspring, PAV Nikkei.

In 2016 Helena Eickhoff competed the pony and took him to the Bundeschampionate, where he finished 8th in the preliminary round but was retired from the 5-year old dressage pony finals. At the 2017 Bundeschampionate Eickhoff returned on a mission, won the preliminary round and ended up 6th in the Finals with a 7.8 score.

In 2018 it was Anna Magdalena Muster's turn to ride and compete the pony and she rode him at local shows in the Westfalian area through the summer of 2019.

The Baumgurtel Sisters

In the autumn of 2019 Lucie-Anouk partnered with the pony and they did their first show in Ankum in November 2019, winning it all.

Lucie-Anouk, who already was European Pony Champion on Massimiliano in 2016 and 2017, decided on junior level and horses in 2019, but in 2020 it would be her last year on ponies and she chose Nasdaq.

The corona pandemic meddled with the international show schedule but the pair went to the CDI Mariakalnok in June, where they were second twice and first in the freestyle. They were selected on the German team and at the 2020 European Pony Championships, they won triple gold with an individual test World Record of 82.351%.

Nasdaq moved on with younger sister Lana-Pinou Baumgurtel. They debuted in October 2020 at the CDN Ankum and rode their first international CDI in Le Mans in October 2020. In 2021 Lana and Nasdaq campaigned in Compiegne and Hagen, but were not selected on the German team.

Veronica Pawluk

In the summer of 2021 Nasdaq sold to the German based Polish Pawluk family for daughter Veronica to ride alongside pony D'Artagnan.

The new pair debuted at the CDI Aachen Indoor in November 2021 and campaigned in 2022 in Zakrzow, Mariakalnok, Lipica, Brno, and Kronberg but Veronica selected D'Artagnan as her 2022 European Pony Championship ride and won kur silver. In 2023 they did two CDI's: Geesteren, where she won both rounds, and Jardy.

Maya Wächter

At the start of 2024 Nasdaq sold to Hof Kasselmann as a future ride for Lilly Kasselmann, who was 10 at the time and just starting her competition career.

While Lily rode schoolmaster Charly Brown and competed in the children division on Vodka Soda, claiming team gold and individual bronze at the 2025 European Children Championships, Nasdaq was leased for two seasons to Bavarian based Maya Wächter.

Wächter and Nasdaq debuted internationally in September 2024 at the CDI Ornago where they won the indvidual test. In 2025 they were second in the Preis der Besten and campaigned at the CDI's in St. Margarethen and Hagen and were nominated on the German team for the 2025 European Pony Championships in Le Mans, where they won team and individual gold as well as Kur bronze. They were sixth at the 2025 German Pony Championships. At their last show, the CDI Ornago, at the end of September they scored a triple victory.

Lilly Kasselmann

Nasdaq has now returned home to Hof Kasselmann, where 12-year old Lilly Kasselmann has taken over the ride.

"With a heavy heart and many tears, we took Nashi to his stable today," Maya stated. "He brought us so much happiness during the past 1.5 years. I’m incredibly grateful for everything Nashi and I experienced and learned together. Even if not every test went smoothly because you allowed yourself to have fun, but you always fought for me. You weren’t the easiest pony in my stable, but I knew we could learn a lot from each other. Now, our time has come to an end, and this goodbye will be one of the hardest I’ll ever have. You’ll always have a big place in our hearts, Nashi."

Lilly will join Team Kasselmann to Wellington, Florida, for the winter season, where she can get acquainted with the pony and gain mileage on him.