118th Elite-Auction, April 11/12, 2008

Jumper Levistan sold at Euro 310,000 to France

At the 118th Elite Auction in Verden on Saturday, April 12, the 84 offered horses were sold at an average auction sales price of Euro 34,536. The French stud farm Haras de Hus paid the highest price of Euro 310,000 for the four-year-old grey stallion Levistan by Levisto/Argentan (breeder: Werner Kaiser, Lüchow).

The Verden Spring Auction was considerably influenced by the fact that the new auction manager Dr. Günther Friemel assumed office from his predecessor Rainer Kiel. The last Elite auction under Kiel’s 24-years work finished with an extremely satisfactory result.

The new owners of the jumper Levistan, exhibited by the Meyer show stable in Verden, are planning to use him for breeding first, but later on also for competitions. The bidder’s duel with Tjark Nagel was very exciting – he made his bids for the Belgian stud farm Zangersheide.

The vice Federal Champion 2007 of three-year-old mares and geldings Stepdancer by Sandro Hit/De Niro (breeder: Friedhelm Vehlber, Rahden – exhibitor: Sonja Knoop, Meppen) was the most expensive dressage horse. A dresssage stable in Baden-Württemberg purchased the big-framed dark-brown gelding. Second most expensive dressage horse was Smart by Stedinger – Trajan (breeder and exhibitor: Dr. Thomas Müller, Hamburg). He was also purchased by the French stud farm Haras de Hus where the bay horse will be trained by Jessica Michel in co-operation with Hans Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen.

43 Hanoverian horses will stay in Germany, 41 will be exported, most of them to the United States (10 horses).

29 horses of the foal collection will stay in Germany. 21 foals were sold to foreign countries, most of them to Italy (4 foals). The colt Laurentano by Lauries Crusador xx – Brentano II (breeder and exhibitor: Hans-Werner Klindworth, Ahlerstedt) was the top-priced foal and sold at Euro 16,000. The average auction sales price was Euro 6,498.

The outgoing auction manager Rainer Kiel auctioned off the last horse of the auction himself. A parade of persons who were active for the Hanoverian Society under his direction, made this Elite auction become a special event, and they emphasized that Rainer Kiel did not only foster the work of his predecessor Hans Joachim Köhler, but that he also developped and improved the auction business.