Der Löwe (1944–1973) was a successful

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

who had a great impact on the breeding of

Warmbloods Warmbloods are a group of middle-weight horse types and breeds primarily originating in Europe and registered with organizations that are characterized by open studbook policy, studbook selection, and the aim of breeding for equestrian spor ...

and is thought by some to be one of the most important post-war stallions to stand at stud.Der Loewe xx
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Early life

Der Löwe, also spelled Der Loewe, was foaled at Röttgen Stud in 1944. He was sired by Wahnfried, and out of Lehnsherrin. He stood at 158 cm tall, and was a

dark brown Dark Brown may refer to: * Dark brown * Dark Brown (1957 film), an Australian television film * Dark Brown (1963 film), another version of the above {{dab ...

Performance and breeding career

Der Löwe was used as a

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

for the first years of his life, and was a successful stakes winner, most notably winning the

Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), taking plac ...

in 1948. He was then sent to the

Hanoverian The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe: * British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 * things relating to; ** Electorate of Hanover ** Kingdom of Hanover ** Province of ...

stud at Grossenworden at the age of 7, to begin his breeding career. Der Löwe stood at Grossenworden from 1951 to 1961, before standing at Luhmühlen from 1962 to 1968, Otterstedt from 1969 to 1971, Sottrum in 1972, and Bargstedt in 1973. His breeding career spanned 20 years, during which time he produced 6 state stallions, 158 registered mares, as well as 314 competition horses who earned winning of DM750,000. In his career, Der Löwe produced many international-caliber sport horses, known for their expressive movement (although they were usually quite sensitive to sound). Show jumpers included Der Lord and Loriot, both ridden by Hartwig Steenken. In eventing, Löwenstern was very successful with Nils Haagensen. He also sired

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

horses such as Karin Schlüter's Liostro, Erika Scharzkopf's Löwenherz, Carola Lampe's Lanthan, Holger& Inge Schmezers' Lady Lou, Hans-Jürgen Armbrust's Leopardin, Marjolyn Greeve's Lucky Boy, John Winnett's and Leopardi. Perhaps most known were Lugano I and Lugano II, full-brothers sired by Der Lowe. Lugano I sired good

horses, as well as superb show jumpers. Lugano II produced the stallion Lombard, making him grand-sire to Lanthan and Leubus. Although 10 of his grandsons or great-grandsons stood at the Celle Stud in the 1980s, his influence has been slowly decreasing. He has had a more lasting impact on the breeding of Belgian jumpers, through his grandson Lugano van la Roche. Additionally, he is one of only a handful of Hanoverian stallions licensed by the Holstein Verband for breeding. Der Löwe died at the age of 29. His skeleton is displayed at the Verden horse museum.

Breeding

Der Löwe includes in his pedigree Dark Ronald, son of

Bay Ronald Bay Ronald (foaled 3 May 1893) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that had a huge impact on the breeding of sport horses, mainly through his son Dark Ronald and grandson Teddy, and also carried on his lines in the Thoroughbred racing world, through h ...

, both of whom are well known for their profound influence on the breeding of warmbloods. Dark Ronald was successful on the track and in the breeding shed in Britain, before being shipped to the German state stud of Graditz. In Germany, Dark Ronald went on to become one of the most prolific stallions ever imported, producing sons such as

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively Drupe, stonefruit). The genus has a cosm ...

, Herold, and Wallenstein. Der Löwe's sire, Wahnfried, was the winner of the German St. Leger. Wahnfried's pedigree includes 1903 English Triple Crown winner

Rock Sand Rock Sand (1900–1914) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a career which lasted from the spring of 1902 until October 1904 he ran twenty times and won sixteen races. He was a leading British two-year-old of his generation an ...

, who was also grand-sire to

Man o' War Man o' War was a thoroughbred racehorse considered an all-time great. Man o' War (or capitalization variations thereof) may also refer to: Animals * Portuguese man o' war, a floating marine animal found in the Atlantic that resembles a jellyfish ...

. Great-grandsire

Tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...

won the St. Leger and sired many excellent racehorses in Britain.

Pedigree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Der Lowe Sport horse sires 1944 animal births 1973 animal deaths Hanoverian horses Individual warmbloods Thoroughbred racehorses