Fidermark: Westphalian, Chestnut, 167cm, 1992

Owned by the Westphalian State Stud

1996 Bundeschampion

100 day test winner

Grand Prix Dressage Stallion

Sire of the 2002 Bundeschampion sensation Furst Fabio

Fidermark's sire, Florestan was the champion of the 1988 Rhineland approvals and went on to win his 100 day test in Warendorf in 1989. Florestan has proven himself to be an ace of a sire. He is one of Germany's leading sires. His first few foal crops produced an amazing 20 licensed sons including the Bundeschampion Fidermark. His siring prowess is further enhanced by a number of State Premium Mares as well as several Bundeschampion winners and contestants including Farce (Vice Bundeschampion) Ferarra S Bundeschampion under Isabell Werth, Floriano etc... Successful dressage horses  include Filou/Christoph Krueer and Fuego with Heiner Schiegren. The approved Focus is successful event horse with Heinrich Wilhelm-Johannsmann. Florestan has taken a leading position on the FN breeding values (ranking number I in 1999) for a number of years. His exceedingly ride able progeny have created a stir with top prices at the NRW elite auctions. Fidermark's dam Watonga was mated with Power to produce the Palegro, a further approved son, who represented Westphalia at the Bundeschampionship for Showjumping. The dam sire Werther has proven himself to be a successful sire of both dressage and showjumping horses. He has over 30 approved sons to his name and over 50 State Premium Mares proving to be an excellent transmitter of type. He is regularly ranked high on the FN breeding values for both dressage and jumping.

Fidermark was the vice champion of the NRW approvals in 1994 and won the Warendorf state stallion performance test with a big margin in 1995. Further successes followed in 1996. He dominated the "Optimum of Westphalian Riding Horses" sovereignty in Munster. He also became the Buneschampion in his home town of Warendorf. He then went on to win the LVM stallion championship in Munster Handorf.  He has had many wins in the Prix St George and Intermediaire I under Marlies Van Baalen and he is trained by Johann Hinnemann. In 2003 he made his debut successfully at Grand Prix.

His first foal crops produced sensational foals. They dominated the Westphalian Foal shows and the NRW elite foal auctions. In 1998 his first approved son Fein Sinn won the 100 day test, the first of several including the impressive moving Furst Piccolo. He has over 15 licensed sons and many state premium mares to his credit already. He is a sire who will dominate German breeding for many years to come. He is ranked highly on the FN breeding values list.

Right from the start, the Florestan son, Fidermark was a star. He was the reserve champion of the 1994 Westphalian Stallion licensing, and then the following year, was the winner of the Performance Test with 141.74 points at Warendorf, and the year after that he won the four-year-old stallion class at the Bundeschampionate. He achieved all this with the Westphalian state stud rider, Michael Farwick.

When some of the Westphalian stallions went to train with German dressage trainer, Johan Hinnemann, the ride on Fidermark was given to the 23-year-old Dutch rider, Marlies Van Baalen, daughter of Coby van Baalen, a long time rider with Hinnemann. It was about this time that the joke went round, what do the letters, NRW (the correct abbreviation for the breeding area North Rhine-Westphalia) stand for? Netherlands Riding Westphalian, came the answer…

Fidermark’s dam, Watonga is by the Hanoverian ‘trot maker’ Werther. Mated with Power she produced Palegro, a licensed stallion who represented Westfalia at the German Showjumping championships.

With Marlies van Baalen in the saddle, Fidermark qualified for the 2000 Nürnberger Burgpokal Finals, and went on to compete at Grand Prix level. Fidermark died in August 2003 but in his way-too-short period of time at stud, produced an astonishing number of excellent progeny – stamping himself as the best son of Florestan.

Fidermark produced 39 licensed sons, including: Fürst Piccolo, the Westfalien licensing winner in 1999, and performance test winner the following year; Feinsinn, who topped the performance test in 1999 (and with Carolin van der Linde, was a member of the German Gold medal winning team at the 2006 European Young Riders Championship); the Hanoverian branded Falsterbo has started competing in Grand Prix dressage after successful appearances on the small tour. Despite attracting a relatively small number of mares, Falsterbo entered the Hanoverian dressage stallion top rankings in 2008, with a dressage index of 120. Falsterbo was sold to the United States where he died in 2012 ; Fiano won the 2002 performance test with one of the highest indices ever – and then there are the four Farewell brothers. Farewell I was licensed in 2000 and since then has produced four licensed sons; Farewell II, was the Premium stallion in 2001; Farewell III won the 2007 Six Year old dressage championship at the Bundeschampionate, after being 2nd in the 3 year old stallion class, 4th in the Four year olds, and a finalist in the 5 Year Old Dressage class. Farewell IV was licensed in 2003; Fidertanz won the 2004 Westfalien stallion licensing, and then the performance test, and was reserve champion at the Bundeschampionate.

Fidermark’s gelding son Fürst Fabio won the 3-year old championship at the Bundeschampionate before moving to the United States with his owner, Cesar Parra… but not before Hubertus Schmidt, who trained the horse, said he was the best he had ridden.

pedigree: