Gestüt Birkhof's Vangelis Passed Away

Breeding

DSP

On 2 February 2026 Gestüt Birkhof announced the passing of its dressage breeding stallion Vangelis.

Vangelis was a 2018 born Saxonian bred stallion by Vitalis out of Pokerface GE (by Sandro hit x Royal Dance). He was bred at Gestut Elstertal.

Triple Bundeschampionate Participant

He was first licensed with the Baden Wurttemberger society in February 2021 after which he got approved for Hanover and Oldenburg. He did his 50-day performance test in the autumn of 2021 and scored 7.71 points. So far he has 15 offspring but no licensed sons registered with the German equestrian federation.

The stallion started his show career as a 4-year old in 2022 under Nicole Haug. After competing in two Bundeschampionate qualifiers in 2023 they made it to Warendorf, where they were 47th in the 5-year old preliminary test with 7.40 points.

In 2024 Nicole Casper took over the ride and also rode two qualifiers for Warendorf before heading to the Bundeschampionate where they were 14th in the 6-year old consolation finals. In 2025 Vangelis picked up more shows and competed in 11 tests as S-level. They tried for the German team for the World Young Horse Championships but were not selected. At the 2025 Bundeschampionate they were 7th in the 7-year old consolation finals. The pair's last show was in October 2025 in Darmstadt.

Untimely Passing

Birkhof announced the untimely passing of the bay stallion at the start of February.

"We are devastated to say goodbye to our exceptional stallion Vangelis DSP, who suffered such severe injuries in his stall yesterday that, despite all efforts, he could not be saved," the south German stud farm reported. "His far too early death leaves us speechless and a huge void – in terms of sport, breeding, and especially emotionally."