Five Star
WELLINGTON - After years of silence around the stallion Five Star, the KWPN-approved stallion, who won silver at the World Championships for young dressage horses as a six-year-old under Kirsten Brouwer, suddenly turned up in Florida last year. It turns out to have been the proverbial calm before the storm because the stallion is offered for stud this season and especially in recent months, dressage-loving America can no longer ignore the now eleven-year-old Five Star. Under Kevin Kohmann, the beautiful chestnut scores tens and wins almost everything in the Small Tour.
Five Star is a son from the first crop of the Flemmingh son Amazing Star. The Bijvelds family bred him from U-Padoeska PB, a star daughter of Jazz. Granddam Padoeska O is the daughter of Darwin. The stallion inspection committee wrote in its research report that Five Star has a very good attitude and a lot of talent as a dressage horse.
In Love
Amazon Kirsten Brouwer agrees with these findings. “I got Five Star in my stable when he was four and a half years old,” Brouwer recalls. “It has always been a horse that you fell in love with instantly. So beautifully built up, with a very expressive little head. It really was a picture. In the work, he came all the way to me. He had so much enthusiasm, a lot of forward drive, and a very nice mouth. As a young horse, he stood out among all other horses because he could walk very well. He also had a super uphill canter. ”
Brouwer rode Five Star for the first time as a five-year-old at the World Championships for young dressage horses in Verden, where she finished fifth. “The trot was always active with a lot of scope and it was very easy to carry. We always got a lot of compliments because everything looked so harmonious. It was really enjoyable when I drove it and I think we radiated that too. After the World Cup in Verden, Five Star continued to develop very well, which eventually brought us back to the World Cup a year later, this time in Ermelo. With a 9.8 for his trot, we finally took the silver medal. ”
Brouwer rode the stallion until he turned seven. “At that time he was already reasonably confirmed in the Small Tour work”, she says. "To me, he was one of the most special horses I have ever ridden and I still miss him."
Sponge
Five Star came into the ownership of Titan Wilaras of the Platinum Stables as a four-year-old. Andreas Helgstrand bought the stallion in 2019, who soon sold him to the owner group Equitas LLC from Wellington, Florida, which includes the Russian Olga Hartsock-Ozerova. After Hartsock briefly released the stallion herself, her Wellington-based German trainer Kevin Kohmann took over most of the training. “When I started riding him, I thought he was a little behind in training for his age,” 32-year-old Kohmann says. “But he soaked up everything I offered him like a sponge. He learned so quickly. I taught him the turnouts every four and he was like, Okay,
no problem, I know this now. So it was with the switches every three, every two, and also with the ones. It is really unusual how quickly and easily he learns and it is a great pleasure to work with such a horse. ”
Great Honest Character
The good character of the stallion also put Kohmann on the wrong foot. “In the beginning, I also thought he wouldn't have enough blood and power because he was such a good guy with Olga. He behaved exemplary and never took a step wrong. But when I went to ride him, I felt he did. He really amazed me. He's just so very calm and relaxed in everything he does. You are almost fooled, ”says Kohmann, who drove his third CDI with Five Star last weekend, laughing. The combination won all three Small Tour stages on the first two CDIs. Last weekend they won the first test and came second in the other two tests.
“I wanted to get him out with the nose a bit more, but that caused me to lose some control and the second day I had a very expensive mistake at the start of the zigzag. I am sure that has cost me the victory, ”said Kohmann.
Sprinklers
The great character of the stallion surprised him again. “The first day the sprinklers at the end of the ring went off accidentally while I galloped straight for it in the test. But Five Star did not fail or fail. All my other horses would have exploded, but he just kept going like nothing was wrong. To a horse with as much blood as he is, he's almost like a human. If you look him in the eye, you can see that he is very smart. You look some horses in the eye and you see that they can be a bit naughty. But Five Star is just a good guy. If I put him next to a mare and tell him not to look at her, he won't. I don't think I've ever had a stallion that behaves as exemplary as Five Star. ”
Kohmann has taught the stallion all Grand Prix exercises. “It still needs to be confirmed, but he can already do everything”, Kohmann says proudly. “However, I will only start Grand Prix when we can score well. Five Star doesn't deserve to get a low score. He is much too special for that. ”
Breeding Career in America
Kathy Hickerson is the one who will manage Five Star's breeding career. Through her company Majestic Gaits, she offers several stallions for stud, including several VDL stallions. “I love that Five Star is available for and in America. We have very few KWPN stallions of his caliber in this country, especially with his top pedigree with the best Dutch bloodlines. In the meantime, we have built up a very good mare stock in America and Five Star will only contribute to its further positive development. I am looking forward to my first Five Star foal! ”
Kohmann: "Five Star Soaked Up Everything I Offered Him Like a Sponge"
