Verband Premium Shierra Madre- 4 y.o. 16.2 h Premium German Oldenburg (GOV) mare by Sir Wanabi (Santorini/Lortzing) out of Elite Mare Acapella (Arrian/Pablo). Shierra has been nothing but an absolutely wonderful horse to ride and to handle. She did the GOV Mare Performance Test in 2013 as a green broke 3 y.o., achieving high scores. At her mare inspection, she received a 9 for her head, 8's for breed and sex type, walk and neck. In the Mare Performance Test she received 7.5 for free trot, walk under saddle and rideability with 7's on everything else. These very good scores led the judges to award her the title of Verband Premium. She was also named Premium at her foal inspection. In 2014, we took her to some Dressage Breed shows. At the Maplewood Warmbloods Dressage Breed Show I & II, she was a star. At show I on July 31, 2014, Dina Babcock judge, she won the 4 y.o. and older Maiden and Yeld Mares class with an 80.450%. Then she was named RESERVE CHAMPION MARE and RESERVE CHAMPION MATURE HORSE. She also placed 2nd in the Mare Materiale with a 78.5%. At show II on August 1, 2014, judged by Anne Gribbons, she was 2nd in the 4 y.o. and older Maiden and Yeld Mares class with a 76.150%, then was named CHAMPION MARE and RESERVE CHAMPION MATURE HORSE.
Shierra shows a free shoulder, very good activity behind, and has a beautiful, feminine appearance. She has been off property for clinics and shows, where she was perfectly behaved, even in the busy Dixon Oval at Dressage at Devon in 2014 where she placed 13th in the Four Year Old and Older Maiden Mares (the largest class of the show with 24 entries) and 4th (78%) in the Materiale Class Four and Five year old Mares. She is a good jumper, with correct hunter form, and she is a good enough hunter mover to get a piece of the hack. Shierra's sire Sir Wanabi has had successes as a hunter, including wins at the Canadian Royal Winter Fair. He was also Stallion Champion at Dressage at Devon in 2008 and 2012. Shierra's dam, Elite Mare Acapella, is the dam of Shakespeare RSF, who was the clear Champion of his 70 Day Stallion Performance Test held in 2009 in Oklahoma. He achieved Class I status with a score of 130.53 points overall (this score reflects a five percent deduction for being over four years old). He also placed fifth for jumping with a final score of 105.31. In 2014, Shakespeare competed successfully at the Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I levels, with scores up to 73.9% and he was chosen to represent Germany at the Nations Cup in Wellington, FL.
In 2014, Shakespeare is 5th for USDF Horse of the Year for Intermediate I with a median score of 71.623%. It was his first year at that level.
In addition, EM Acapella's offspring include three Verband Premium/Elite mares, and a DAD Born in the USA Champion. It's not surprising though as her dam, EM Papagena won Young Horse Champion of DAD and has also produced some amazing performance offspring. This dam line has produced 5 approved stallions and EM Acapella's granddam is a full sister to Sherlock Holmes, a stallion that stood in Germany at Celle.