Reunion with Va' Pensiero under new rider
Ex-Bundeschampion Va’ Pensiero wins ahead of Burg-Pokal finalist
from Dominique Wehrmann 
In the Corona year 2020, Va' Pensiero became Bundeschampion of three-year-old stallions with Hannah Laser. Photo: Archive sportfotos-lafrentz.de The Hanoverian stallion Va’ Pensiero FRH is now nine years old, a son of Vitalis out of a Fürstenball dam, born at Zuchthof Düvel, licensed and stationed at Klosterhof Medingen at the beginning of his career. His training there was initially in the hands of Hannah Laser.
She rode Va’ Pensiero to the title at the 2020 Bundeschampionat for three-year-old stallions. As a four-year-old, the focus was on breeding and the stallion only competed in one novice class dressage test for young horses. He won this, also under Laser. As a five-year-old, they were victorious three times in three starts in elementary level dressage tests and qualified for the Bundeschampionat with a score of 9.0, where they did not take part. Va’ Pensiero did not compete in 2023.
In 2024, Hannah Laser left the Klosterhof and Kim Brüning presented Va’ Pensiero in his first advanced (S) level tests. This also went very well. A victory in the medium** class was followed by two second places in the advanced (S) class.
In 2025, Va’ Pensiero were back under laser. They last finished fifth in the qualifier for the Nuremberg Burg Pokal in Görlitz in August, but were therefore not eligible to compete in Frankfurt. That was the stallion’s last public appearance for the time being.
Victorious under Esther Maruhn
This weekend Va’ Pensiero was back in competition for the first time since August. His (co-)owner Esther Maruhn presented him in the Prix St. Georges of Scharnebeck.
It was well attended with 16 pairs. Among them was the Westphalian Voller Emotionen NRW, a paternal half-brother, as he is also by Vitalis. The smart black stallion rode with Dorothee Schneider at the Nuremberg Burg Cup Final in December because his actual rider Stella-Charlott Roth was expecting her first child. The baby has long since been born healthy and Stella has once again taken her own seat in the saddle of her star, who rode a 71.992 percent round today.
That was good, but not good enough, as Va’ Pensiero received 73.008 percent and snatched victory from under his half-brother’s nose. Jacob Schenk came third on Fontane, a Hanoverian stallion by For Romance II, who, like the two placed ahead of him, was born in 2017. He scored 69.472 percent.
You can find more results from Scharnebeck here.
