Zera 23, the 10-year-old Holsteiner mare that Slovenia’s Pato Muente rose to fame with last month after winning the historic Hamburg Jumping Derby, has been sold to Markus Beerbaum and Meredith Michels-Beerbaum of Germany.
After delivering a near perfect performance to win the 88th Jumping Derby of Hamburg CSI4* this past spring, Muente and Zera 23 (Cero x Calato) etched their names into show jumping history. The pair proved to be unstoppable over the two-round format, beating out previous Hamburg Derby Champions, Nisse Luneburg and Gilbert Tillmann. Not only did Muente and Zera 23 win the prestigious Hamburg Derby, they also represented Slovenia on multiple Nations Cup teams.
Following the win in Hamburg, the long-term plan for Zera 23 was to breed her via embryo transfer due to her fantastic bloodlines. However, with the phone ringing off the hook containing offers and inquires to try her, Muente, along with co-owner Harm Thormallen, could not refuse an offer from Markus Beerbaum and Meredith Michels-Beerbaum.
“Meredith and Markus have a great yard with good management,” Muente said. “At the end of the day, Harm Thormallen, who owns most of the mare, has the final decision and business is business—we had to let her go.”
Zera 23 was bred by Ingala and Harm Thormallen in Holstein, Germany and began her show jumping career as a six-year-old under Germany’s Philipp Baumgart. Before establishing her jumping career, Zera 23 had three babies. When she turned seven years old, Muente took over the reins from Baumgart. Based in Germany, Muente rode Zera through the ranks and consistently competed throughout Europe on the CSI3* and CSI4* level.
“I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to ride her,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a sad situation because she’s sold, but I’m happy that I at least had the chance of going around Europe and winning the Hamburg Derby with her.”