Be My Guest, the silver medal winner of the 4-year old stallion class at the 2026 Bundeschampionate, was the champion in the hearts of the crowds in Warendorf. His Dutch owner, Yannick van Wijk of Van Bockxgrave Horses, is now proud to announce that Be My Guest will be standing at stud for the 2027 breeding season.
Be My Guest is a 2022 born Baden Wurttemberger DSP stallion by Bonds out of Imagine ZS (by Sezuan x Acodetto x Calido II). He is bred by Zoe Sierks.
Great Find in Germany
Owner Yannick van Wijk discovered Be My Guest as a 2.5 year old in north Germany.
"I was scouting for young stallions that were being presented at the Oldenburg stallion pre-selection and visited several training stables, Yannick told Eurodressage. "I saw him in the box and he immediately caught my eye: the deep dark liver chestnut colour and all that chrome on his face and legs. He was a stunner."
Yannick was also further drawn into this stallion's pedigree with modern dressage sires Bonds and Sezuan paired to a very strong Holsteiner dam line.
"That was very interesting to me, because this pedigree is not the typical dressage lines you see everywhere nowadays," Yannick explained. "Then I saw him on the lunge line and I knew straight away, I had to have him. He was a mega mover with a phenomenal canter. His canter and his looks sold me."
He was licensed for the Oldenburg breeding society in January 2025. Be My Guest moved to The Netherlands and was started under saddle by Dutch Dionne Korringa, who has carefully trained him according to his age. His character only added to the overall appeal of this horse.
"From day one he proved to be so willing to work, so cool in his head. He's hot to ride, but in the daily handling he is cool as a cucumber, like a show jumper, so level-headed, probably because of his Holsteiner roots. He has moved abnormally well from the first day he begun his training. I have never such a quality horse before."
Bundeschampion of Hearts
In Warendorf Be My Guest impressed the judges and crowds with his quality and rideability. After scoring 8,6 for his conformation, the stallion was unbeatable in the first qualifier with a total score of 0.70 points. He got 10 for canter and rideability, 9.8 for trot, 9.5 for walk, and 9.8 for general impression. As the hot favourite for the title in the Finals round, Be My Guest continued to impress with his gaits, receiving 8,7 for walk, 9,8 for trot, 10 for canter and 9.5 for general impression. Unfortunately a small spook from the crowds and a spin, forced the judges to reduce the submission score by 0.2 points, which led to an overall total of 8,90 (instead of a winning 9,10) for the silver medal.
The judges praised the stallion's canter for its "absolutely maximum ground cover and impulsion." Judge Katrin Burger commented, "the horse was absolutely convincing, always with the rider; it all looked so easy until he spooked for some reason after X."
"Even though he got silver, we're beaming with pride because Be My Guest showed to every one that his quality score was far the highest of all 4-year old stallions in the class," said owner Van Wijk. "We are absolutely thrilled with his performance and believe a great future awaits him. Everybody saw his rideability. He performed so well in Warendorf from day one, was so nice in the contact."
Talk of the Town, To Stand at Stud in 2027
"We are definitely considering it, but would need to turn our stallion station from a nationally certified one into an official EU-station", Van Wijk explained. "He's the apple of my eye and I would love to keep him in my barn, also for the rider who did a fantastic job with him."
Yannick is expecting several foals by Be My Guest in the spring of 2027 as the stallion covered around ten of Yannick's own, best mares and ten clients' mares. Now the demand has grown exponentially and Yannick is exploring new options.
"He's a stallion with a lot of size and frame because of Sezuan and Holsteiner blood, so I'm expecting large-framed foals with a lot of expression in front. He moves so well that I surely believe he will pass on his movements."
To ensure Be My Guest will be available to the European market for the 2027 breeding season he will most likely collaborate with a German stallion station partner for fresh semen distribution as the demand is particularly strong from Germany.
For more information visit, www.vanbockxgravehorses.com.
Photos © Equitaris - Bjorn Schroeder
Related Links
Scores: 2026 Bundeschampionate
Fifty-Two Colts Selected for the 2025 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing