Some horses walk into a ring, and instantly everything goes quiet. Look away? Impossible. Totilas was one such horse. And Gut Neuenhof’s Moon River, the new National Champion among three-year-old fillies and geldings, is every bit as impressive as her famous great-grandfather.
It was already clear during Wednesday’s mandatory training session for three-year-olds that Gut Neuenhof’s Moon River is in a league of her own among the 2023 crop. While most of the young horses were sweating with excitement, unable to take a single step, and visibly uncomfortable in the Warendorf riding arena, Westphalia’s state champion entered the scene, looked around, took it all in, and then began to dance. Danica Duen, in the saddle, was able to relax. The beautiful daughter of Maxim (a son of Toto Jr.) out of Europa by Escolar (who, in turn, is a half-sister to the Gut Neuenhof stallion Goldberg) didn’t let the general hysteria get to her. She tapped her way lightly through the arena, moved at a calm walk, and seemed to know exactly: No one can beat her anyway. And that’s exactly how it turned out.
With her unwavering rhythm in all three basic gaits, her active hind leg, and her impulsion, she stood out at this National Championship. Not to mention her beauty. The judges were also impressed. Wolfgang Egbers explained the scores to the jury. In the trot: “Swinging confidently through the body, supple with plenty of drive from the hindquarters, engaged yet maintaining back action and suppleness—9.0 for the trot.” The canter: “Natural aptitude: very valuable, 8.5.” The walk: “Confident, clear, covering ground, expansive, supple. The score: 10.” Rideability: “Relaxed, age-appropriate contact and balance—9.5.” Overall impression as a riding horse: “Body conformation 8.5. Harmony of presentation and functionality: 9.0, combined 8.75.” This resulted in an overall score of 9.15, earning not only the title for mares and geldings but also the best result among all riding horses, including four-year-olds and stallions. What an exceptional horse!
Maximum Yield
The new National Champion is not the only daughter of Maxim from the Gestüt Gut Neuenhof stud farm to have caused a sensation in Warendorf this year. The other was Gut Neuenhof’s Maxima NRW. The bronze medalist at the 2024 National Riding Horse Championship—also ridden by Danica Duen—secured sixth place in the final for five-year-old dressage horses with a score of 8.74, despite strong competition.
Aside from their sire, Maxim—who is now proving his rideability in advanced-level competition with up-and-coming talent Sophie Luisa Duen—Maxima and Moon River have even more in common. Moon River’s maternal grandsire is Escolar, the top sire at the Gut Neuenhof stud farm. Maxima’s dam is a full sister to Escolar, who himself won the Bundeschampionat twice with top marks before maturing into one of the world’s best dressage horses with Hubertus Schmidt in the saddle. Both mares thus carry stallions from the Gut Neuenhof stud on both sides of their pedigrees—clearly a recipe for success.