Sonderburg, Sweetest Mare with a Stallion
Attitude
April 24, 2004
Third most expensive horse at the auction was the
pitch black mare Sonderburg. Sired by Sandro Hit out
of a Feiner Stern x Volkorn xx dam, Sonderburg was
an exceptional horse. Powerful gaits, great fighter
mentality, this was a horse that would sell for a million
at the P.S.I auction, but for 130,000 euro here in
Vechta.
P.S.I. (Performance Sales International - Ullrich
Kasselmann) tried buying this black, but wouldn't go
all the way for her. They stopped bidding somewhere
after 50,000 euro while a French group took up the
duel with American Elizabeth Page-Lewis.
While Page
had to check with her husband if she was allowed
to go higher, the French people were very determined
in
getting
this
black mare. It was quickly obvious that they would
be the winners of the bidding process and for 130,000
euro they got the horse.
What was less obvious was that the new owner of this
star was a 17-year old junior rider from Bretagne,
France. His father Ferdinand Marie paid for the horse,
but the 17-year old Xavier will be Sonderburg's newest
partner.
After the auction breeder and 'previous' owners Hubert
Ratermann and his wife were patting the horse and serving
champagne to everyone who passed their stall. Frau
Ratermann was kissing Sonderburg and saying how much
she loved her baby.
Ratermann operates a breeding farm
with 20 broodmares and 80 horses in total in Alfhausen,
Germany, and has sold many horses before to Stefan
van Ingelgem in Belgium, including the Grand Prix
horse Remy Martin who will compete at young riders
level
tomorrow at a national show in Belgium. You meet
the most interesting people in the weirdest places!
Images copyrighted: Astrid Appels/Eurodressage.com
- no reproduction allowed.
Image of Frau Ratermann and
Sonderburg taken by Ines Westendarp
Third most expensive horse at the auction was the
pitch black mare Sonderburg. Sired by Sandro Hit out
of a Feiner Stern x Volkorn xx dam, Sonderburg was
an exceptional horse. Powerful gaits, great fighter
mentality, this was a horse that would sell for a million
at the P.S.I auction, but for 130,000 euro here in
Vechta. 
While Page
had to check with her husband if she was allowed
to go higher, the French people were very determined
in
getting
this
black mare. It was quickly obvious that they would
be the winners of the bidding process and for 130,000
euro they got the horse.
After the auction breeder and 'previous' owners Hubert
Ratermann and his wife were patting the horse and serving
champagne to everyone who passed their stall. Frau
Ratermann was kissing Sonderburg and saying how much
she loved her baby. 
