Weltmeyer

Born 14/02/84, 166 cm - breeder Hermann Meyer

Foaled in 1984, Weltmeyer was a sensation the day he was born, according to his breeder, Hermann Meyer (the ‘meyer’ in Weltmeyer) and he proved Mr Meyer right when he was champion of his licensing in Verden. At the Bundeschampionate, Weltmeyer continued his triumphal progress. According to deputy breeding director of the Hannoverian Verband, Dr Ludwig Christmann: "He moved through the arena unflustered. His trot was magnificent. It could not have been any better. The judging committee gave him the top score of 10. His canter stride was a leap forward flowing through the entire body of the horse. It earned a 9.5. The walk was ground-covering and earned an 8.0 (if there is a little worry about the Weltmeyer progeny it is in the area of the walk). In addition he received a 9.5 for conformation and for his overall impression."

Weltmeyer went on the win his performance test at Adelheidsdorf with a dressage score of 143.94 - more surprisingly he had a jumping score of 141.44, although it must be confessed that he has yet to produce jumping progeny. With the huge demand from mare owners for Weltmeyer, state stud director, Dr Bade took the unprecedented step of not sending Weltmeyer out to a stallion station, but keeping him at the breeding station in Celle where he was bred to 200 main studbook and State Premium mares from all over the Hannoverian breeding district. This was a ‘kick start’ the like of which no other first season stallion had received, and there are still those who question Weltmeyer’s success, claiming that it comes in no small part from the superior mares he covered.
Still there is no doubt that Weltmeyer is a sensation as a breeding stallion. In 1991, a colt from his first crop, Wittinger (out of a mare by Raphael) was champion of his licensing, and went on the following year to - like his dad - win the title at the Bundeschampionate, and his performance test.
At the 1992 licensing, Wolkenstein II (out of a mare by Wendekreis) was reserve
champion, and then won his performance test the following year, the year in
which Wolkentanz (mare by Ludendorff - no relation to the stallion that came to
Australia) won his licensing and he went on to win at the Bundeschampionate,
and stand reserve champion at his performance test.

Wolkenstein II

According to the rider who has been with him all his life, Hans-Peter Klaus, "Weltmeyer has fantastic basic gaits. And it is something very special to ride such an eye catching horse, especially while he is trotting. When he was a young horse his movements were extremely elastic and powerful. I am always very impressed by his willingness to learn and to do a good job. When Weltmeyer was young, he was a bit difficult to handle, but it was better when he matured. Weltmeyer passes this attitude and the spectacular trot to his offspring. All ‘Weltmeyers’ want to be ridden and they ask for work. People enjoy riding Weltmeyer’s sons and daughters, they are very suitable for ambitious riders."
In 1997 Weltmeyer’s first grandsons made their appearance with Welser (by Wolkenstein II, mare by Lanthan) reserve champion at the licensing, while the following year, Waterford (again by Wolkenstein II, mare by Matcho AA) won his licensing and Welser placed second in the performance test.

Hanoverian Horse of the Year -
Weltmeyer with Hans-Peter Klaus

Weltmeyer as of the 2007 Hanoverian Stallion book, had produced 85 licensed sons. Interestingly, unlike Donnerhall who found the perfect match with Pik Bube, Weltmeyer has clicked with mares by a number of sires, from the slightly more old fashioned mare lines of Dr Schulz-Stellenfleth (Wolkenstein I, II, III) to Welt Hit 1 to 6, out of a mare by the Thoroughbred, Hill Hawk (The first of the Welt Hit brothers won the 4 year old stallion class at the 1995 Bundeschampionate).
Weltmeyer is also proving a valuable sire of broodmares, and the cross Donnerhall/Weltmeyer has produced some very nice horses.
Weltmeyer is no freak, he comes from the most successful dressage family in the world, the ‘W’ family that begins with Woermann who was the sire of World Cup (1 to 4 - in Germany licensed full-brothers are given the same name with the numeral indicating the order in which they were born), World Cup is the sire of not only Weltmeyer but also Walt Disney, and Warkant. Woermann is also the sire of Wenzel I & II.
For mine, one of the most exciting things Weltmeyer does (in common with most of the good ‘W’ stallions) is stamp his offspring with a wonderful hock action, instantly cleanly forward and under the centre of gravity - none of that ‘out behind’ coach horse action of earlier times. His offspring also have very pleasant brains, despite an amazing rumour that swept Australia about the ‘superhot’ Weltmeyers.
The other great thing about Weltmeyer is the potency of his semen, evenwhen he was 19, the manager of his breeding station told methat they were getting between 10 and 15 serves from each collect, and his frozen semen is consistently the best on the market, so there are quite a few sons and daughters of Weltmeyer already in Australia. The Weltmeyer grandson, Rituel (by a Belgian son of Weltmeyer and out of a mare of Belgian breeding by a son of Wendekreis) was imported to Australia as a foal in 1995 by Australian Olympic representative, Mary Hanna. The young stallion won the Australian Young Horse Championship, and then went on to represent Australia at the World Young Dressage Horse Championships in Arnhem 2000 where he placed a creditable 12th.
The Weltmeyer son, Whisper, who was second at the Bundeschampionate, is now competing Grand Prix in Australia.

Weltmeyer has already produced an Olympic representative in the form of Rosemount Wallstreet (pictured above) which perhaps answers some of those who run the line that while the Weltmeyers are very fancy moving young horses ‘of course they will never collect’. In fact, Weltmeyer almost had two representatives in Sydney, the stallion Wie Weltmeyer was long listed for British selection, but the general feeling is that it was more the inexperience of his British rider, Emma Hindle that kept him out of the team than any lack of horse talent. Martin Schaudt and Weltall, made the German team - while the huge chestnut son of Weltmeyer, Warum Nicht, has been a Grand Prix sensation with Isabell Werth.

The 2007 Hannoverian Stallion Book records 967 (117 at S level) dressage competitors by Weltmeyer for 17316 placings and a total of 1,337,260 euros in winnings.His breeding ranking based on mare tests and auction selections reveals a dressage score of 156, with 172 for his trot. For type he rates 141 and for his limbs he has a rating of 147.His FN ranking is 150 (dressage) and 75 (jumping). He is the sire of 39 licensed sons.He is fifth in the top 40 Hanoverian Dressage stallions, with his son, Weltregent in 2nd, Wolkentanz in 7th, Wolkenstein II (13th), Wolkentanz II (14th), Wie Weltmeyer (19th), Weltruhm (21st) and Waikiki (39th).

Below - This colt was bred by Hermann Meyer (the breeder of Weltmeyer) and he is by Weltmeyer out of a Lauries Crusader xx mare out of Granda who is by Grande and out of Weltmeyer's dam, Anka.