1992 – 2003 166 cm dark Chestnut

Breeder: W. Hage

Fidermark is one of the key players in the dissemination of the F line blood of the Selle Français import, Furioso II – and this F line is one of the most important in dressage today. Taking a look at the top 20 dressage stallions in the 2021 Hanoverian Stallion book, we find  seven descend from Furioso II, all of them via his grandson, Florestan (Fidelio / Rheingold), with two more sitting in 21st and 22nd. Fidermark is himself the sire of the 17th ranked For Complement, while one of the very hot competition and breeding stallions right now, Foundation, is by the Fidermark son, Fidertanz, and Fidertanz himself occupies 22nd place on the Hanoverian rankings.

Right from the start, the Florestan son, Fidermark was a star. He was the reserve champion of the 1994 Westfalien 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 Westfalien state stud rider, Michael Farwick.

When some of the Westfalien 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-Westfalia) stand for? Netherlands Riding Westfaliens, 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.

Falsterbo – competed Grand Prix before being exported to the United States… 

Fidermark produced 39 licensed sons, including Fürst Piccolo, the Westfalien licensing winner in 1999, and performance test winner the following year and 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 but he left behind in Germany, Dorothee Schneider’s up-and-coming Grand Prix competitor,

Dorothee and Faustus – the gelding was added to the German Olympic squad in 2019

Another son, 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 2^nd in the 3 year old stallion class, 4^th 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.

 Fürst Fabio 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.

 Farewell III – by Fidermark out of a Rosenkavalier mare, wins the 6 Year Old Dressage Title at the 2006 Bundeschampionate with Sandra Kötter