Stud stallion Birkhof’s Zalando sold to Belgian young rider Amber Hennes
Birkhof’s Zalando Sold to Belgian Up-and-Coming Rider Amber Hennes
from Jan Tönjes 
Nicole Casper and Birkhof's Zalando in the Intermédiaire II class, “Stars of Tomorrow,” at the 2020 Schafhof Dressage Festival. Photo: sportfotos-lafrentz.de Zalando, the 16-year-old Oldenburg by Zack-Sunny Boy, has moved from Gestüt Birkof in Baden-Württemberg to Belgium. His new rider is the reigning Belgian Young Riders Champion, Amber Hennes. For the soon-to-be 18-year-old, this is an early birthday present. Originally, they had been looking for a young horse for the Belgian rider. Then she saw Zalando, tried him out, and a few days later, the stallion was in Belgium.
Zalando – Careers
On a tip from Kathrin Burger, Thomas Casper of Gestüt Birkhof purchased Zalando at auction in Vechta as a foal. The dam of the bay colt, ERA Wunderschöne, is from Denmark. Her maternal Oldenburg line can be traced back to the early 20th century to the mare Waldfriede by Ehrenberg. ERA Wunderschöne was highly ranked in the Brillantring at the Oldenburg Mare Show in 2009. That same year, she placed second under Stefan Blanken at the National Championship for three-year-old mares and geldings.
As an unborn foal at the National Championship
At that time, the mare was in foal. The following year, she gave birth to a colt whose sire, Zack, would later compete in World Cup finals and the Olympic Games and become the 2022 team world champion in Herning.
Zalando came to Birkhof as a weanling. He was licensed in Munich in January 2013. Under Nicole Casper, he placed eighth at the Bundeschampionat as a five-year-old. In 2016, he placed again in Warendorf. In 2017, Zalando made his debut at the S level, and in 2018 he celebrated his first S-level victories. In 2019, the pair qualified for the final of the Nuremberg Burg-Pokal. They then moved up to the three-star level starting in 2020. Anna, the eldest daughter of Nicole and Thomas Casper, subsequently took over riding the stallion and went on to win ten S-level dressage competitions with him. The pair competed in the German Young Riders Championships. In 2023, the combination placed at the three-star level.
Starting in 2025, the stallion competed as a mentor alongside Theresa Rauscher, who earned a victory and placings in M-level dressage events with him.
Father of several Grand Prix winners
As a sire, Zalando made an impact right from the start. For several years, his offspring dominated the Birkhof Foal Championship, which is traditionally held on the first weekend in August. Under the saddle, too, his offspring impressed, securing their sire a spot among the top 1 percent of the best dressage stallions in Germany.
95 offspring are listed in the German Equestrian Federation (FN) database as having achieved success in 2025. Twenty of them—more than one-fifth—have achieved success up to Class S. Among the successful offspring is Birkhof’s Zieta, who has already achieved her first international victories under Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. Birkhof’s Zaza and Zenturion—who has won up to Intermédiaire A level under Franz Trischberger—are further examples.
Nicole Casper rides Zabalou, a son of Zalando, who is the half-brother on his dam’s side to Victoria Max-Theurer’s World Championship horse, Topas. Zabalou is ten years old and already has one Grand Prix victory and several wins at the three-star level to his credit.
Zum Glück, a son of Zalando, was one of the most promising horses in Sönke Rothenberger’s stable. The fourth-place finisher at the 2018 Bundeschampionat perished in the devastating fire at the Rothenberger stable in 2019.
Who is Amber Hennes?
Amber Hennes finished in the top 10 in each of her five appearances at the European Children’s Championships in 2020 and 2021. In Pilisjászfalu, Hungary, she won the bronze medal with the Belgian team in 2022.
In 2025, she competed in the junior division at the European Championships. Her partner then, as now: Allegro, officially known as NESA Stables Allegro v/h Trichelhof. NESA Stables is the stable for which the Belgian rider, born in 2008, competes. NESA is a stable-building company based in Maaseik, Belgium, north of Maastricht.
The KWPN gelding Allegro is a son of Apache, with whom Amber Hennes won the Belgian championship title right away in June 2026 during her first start in the Young Riders age group. The pair made their international U18 debut the week before, placing second with the team at the CDIO Lier and finishing fourth in the freestyle.
Amber Hennes is trained by Kristin Frans Vercammen of Belgium, who first earned her riding instructor certification in Germany in the 1980s and later went on to earn her master’s degree in equine management.
