Matthias Rath Sells Destacado to German Youth Rider

Dressage

Germany

Matthias Rath has sold his number one Grand Prix horse, Destacado, to a German youth rider.

Destacado is a 13-year old Hanoverian stallion by Despardos out of Librella (by Londonderry). He is bred by Heinrich Giesselmann.

Licensed Stallion

The breeder presented the chestnut stallion at the 2015 Hanoverian Stallion Licensing in Verden, where he was named premium stallion and sold for 100,000 euro at auction to Friederike Lohse.

He did his 14-day suitability test in April 2016 and scored 8,35 points in total with 8,68 for dressage and 7,90 for jumping.

The stallion was put in training with Pascal Kandziora and he piloted the horse to the gold medal in the 3-year old stallion class at the 2016 Bundeschampionate. Lohse was credited as sole owner at the time.

In February 2017 he did the sport test in Munster-Handorf and scored 9,14 points. In February 2018 he did the second sport test and scored 9,23 points.

Gestut Schafhof

Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff of Gestut Schafhof bought an ownership share in the stallion in 2017 and Destacado moved to Kronberg, where stepson Matthias Rath took over the ride.

The pair won silver at the 2018 World Young Horse Championships for 5-year olds. In 2019 they were fourth at the WCYH in Ermelo. In 2020 they won the Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals and in 2021 he qualified for the Louisdor Cup, but did not compete in the finals.

In 2022 the combination won five out of six international Grand Prix classes and in Stuttgart they scored a double victory in the Special tour. Destacado was named the Otto Lörke Prize winner of 2022. In 2023 they competed in Aachen, Compiegne and Crozet, but it was Thiago who stole Destacado's thunder and got named on the German team for the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck.

In 2024 Destacado made it to the World Cup Final in Riyadh and placed fourth in the freestyle with 77.80%, but the coveted Olympic team spot was out of reach. In 2025 they showed in Ornago, Compiegne, Aachen and flew to the CDI-W invitational in Mexico City, where they scores a double win.

German Youth Rider

Osing on Darjeeling at the 2024 European Children Championships

"There are decisions in a rider's life that are made with the head (and not with the heart) and there are decisions that are heavy on the heart. Destacado's farewell is definitely in the second category," Rath announced on 2 March. "With all my other obligations and activities, the decision has now been made to give it to new hands."

He added, "Destacado is staying in Germany. In the future he will continue his career under a talented young rider and get the stage he deserves.

Rath sold the stallion through Helgstrand agent Isabell Werth to Kristy Oatley's student Ava Osing.

Osing was member of the gold medal winning German team at the 2024 European Children Championships on Darjeeling and at the 2025 European Junior Riders Championships on Vitalos, which she bought from Helgstrand in March 2025. This year she has only competed once, so far, with Ferdades (by Frascino x Escolar).