Entering the yard of the Klosterhof Medingen, one is greeted by the lifesize statue of the great Trakehner stallion Caprimond. And it only gets better from there. The stud is situated in the center of the tiny village of Medingen, the "kloster" or nun's cloister gives it its name. We were greeted by Jessy, my contact for semen sales, who very kindly had groomed and prepared the stallions for our viewing. This was quite different from many studfarms where the stallion's stall door is opened and you get to see his head, neck and legs, which is all that's sticking out of the blanket. Or at some stations, you are lucky enough to catch the stallion after excercise and before re-blanketing. Unless one asks, this is often how stallions are shown, unfortunately.
But at the Klosterhof we waited in the yard while each stallion was led out for us, beginning with the venerable old Trakehner, Caprimond, with the perfect quarter moon on his forehead. Truly, this stallion is so noble and kind and lovely that he brought a tear to my eye. As he posed, and we fawned over him, Jessy told us the 29-year old stallion is a perfect babysitter with the Wahler grandchildren, and yet still might try to give a little buck with an experienced rider. His son the Trakehner Hohenstein followed, and again, we were awed by the beauty and nobility of this gorgeous, black stallion, number one purveyor of type in the Hanoverian breed. Like stallions accustomed to being stars on center stage, he too "struck a pose."
Then came the man of the hour, 2008's Hanoverian Stallion of the Year, De Niro, who had six horses qualified for the Olympics this year. Like Hohenstein, this stallion's influence on modern sport horse breeding is inestimable. The thing that struck me the most about the K-M stallion collection was the similarity between them, whether Trakehner, Hanoverian or Oldenburg. All were the same beautiful type with lovely expressions, correct limbs and often black color. In my opinion, this uniformity of type is the true mark of an exceptional horseman and breeder.
When I first got in the business, Trakehners were in a slump. It is nice to see that Burkhard Wahler has stuck with them and has preserved some very important bloodlines for the future of horse breeding. A former event rider, he has a couple of  super jumping Trakehners in Abendtanz and Come Close, a stallion with Russian blood top and bottom.
All of the horses we viewed, young and old, had the same outgoing but mannerly demeanor. Jessy said that since the area of the stud is small, the mares and foals must be taken to pasture. But no trailering for this farm! Several people each lead four or five mares and the foals follow them through the center of the village, in the midst of cars, bicycles and pedestrians. I can imagine that this lovely village, secluded in a forest swale, loves the sight of their famous studfarm's mares and foals passing through.