Details
Covering history: 1951-1961 Großenwörden from 1951 to 1961, Luhmühlen 1962 to 1968, Otterstedt 1972, Sottrum 1973, put down in 1973
The name says it all: Der Löwe xx (the lion) was a true fighter. He had also proven this on the racetrack, where he achieved great successes for the Röttgen stud. His first covering stint at the Hanoverian station of Großenwörden ran parallel to the decline of the horse in agriculture. Der Löwe xx who was just 159 cm of height frequently produced significant horses with great expression that oftentimes also had his chestnut colouring. The vitality that his progeny inherited from their sire was often what might be termed cheekiness or sauciness which resulted in the riders not seldom exercising a certain degree of restraint, so that the “ wild lions” were at times unsaleable articles. Only later was it discovered that it was often sensitivity to noise that created problems for these otherwise excellent horses. In any case, performance was ultimately the deciding factor even for the biggest of sceptics. For dressage Der Löwe xx presented such excellent horses as Liostro 2 /Karin Schlüter, Löwenherz 7 / Dr. Erika Schwarzkopf, Lanthan / Carola Lampe, Lady Lou 2 / Holger and Inge Schmezer, Leopardin 2 / Hans-Jürgen Armbrust, Lucky Boy 4 /Marjolyn Greeve (Netherlands) and Leopardi / John Whinnet. In jumping, Hartwig Steenken had numerous successes with Der Lord 2 and Loriot 17, whereas in three-day eventing, the Dane Nils Haagensen had great triumphs with Löwenstern. The aforelisted should not necessarily be regarded as a comprehensive record of his sporting successes. In terms of breeding, the chestnut Lugano I above all, became a strong disseminator of his sire’s genotype. Lugano I, who covered in Nesse and Altenbruch produced very rideable dressage horses and showjumpers for the highest international standards. These frequently however had faces that did not conform to standard ideals of beauty, a characteristic which his sire Der Löwe xx also often transmitted. This did not however prevent them from achieving peak performance. Of the large number of approved Lugano I sons, not one quite managed to take on the role of premium stallion to carry on the line. Great hope was invested in the chestnut Lukas, who however proved to be a performance decelerator, if one disregards his two sons Laibach (Celle state stallion, private stallion Baden-Württemberg) and Laudon (Dillenburg state stallion) who were both bays and were bred out of broodmares by the wiry Wicht. The approvals winner and DLG stallion Leibwächter I who was much praised at first, ultimately also turned out to be a disappointment. The rugged black Luckner transmitted enormous jumping ability, but the breeders did not like him. The genotype of Der Löwe xx is more or less disseminated by Lugano II today. In terms of performance as well as from breeding considerations, Lugano II was always overshadowed by his older brother Lugano I. Lugano II produced the variegated black horse Lombard, a capital performance multiplier whose stallion sons Lanthan and Leubus, the latter of whom was unappreciated at first, enjoy great esteem today. The Löwe xx full-sister Leibwache xx later produced the Orator xx son Lions xx for the Celle state stud. Despite numerous opportunities and a great amount of sympathy by the then Verden head auctioneer Hans Joachim Köhler, Lions xx was not able to assert himself and apart from the stallion Libanon, who had a strong character but was disliked by the breeders, Lions xx did not leave any progeny worth mentioning. Der Löwe xx was put down at the age of 29. His skeleton can still be seen at the Verden horse museum, to remind generations of breeders of the significance of this small but yet so great thoroughbred.
