Very Special – the “typical chestnut mare” who picks her own friends on Road2LA

Everyone has that one “once-in-a-lifetime” horse. For Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau—as young as he may be at 26—it’s Very Special. The eventing rider from the German national development squad is certain of that. He has experienced several “firsts” with this mare.

It all starts with the name. When the Hanoverian mare—who was born in 2015 at Ulrike Edel-Heidhues’s Klostergut Bündheim in Bad Harzburg—moved to the Schäfer-Gehrau family at the age of four, Brandon had to name a horse for the first time. Schäfer-Gehrau still remembers that moment vividly: “I was just 19 years old at the time and thought that a name needs a story. She already had a name, but it didn’t fit, and because she was so special—both toward people and other horses—and at the same time had tremendous self-confidence, I thought the name Very Special was fitting.”

A special horse, a special name – Very Special

Actually, he had initially chosen a different name, but he doesn’t want to reveal it. All he’ll say is this: the fox mare’s nickname, Vanilla, has something to do with that original name idea.

An interesting mix of emotions and descriptions comes to light when talking to Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau about his mare: on the one hand, enthusiasm—almost reverence—for a horse that, to him, is “undoubtedly an exceptional horse.” On the other hand, however, there’s the fact that special personalities also have their quirks. And that’s putting it mildly…

The Thing About Fox Mares

The 26-year-old sums it up this way: “She fits every real-life stereotype there is about red mares.” A quick lesson for anyone who isn’t familiar with the term: Chestnut mares have a reputation for being bitchy, stubborn, and moody—or, as those who want to put it more positively might say, “extremely sensitive.” Enough of the chestnut mare bashing.

Of course, a horse’s character does not depend on its coat color. And in fact, at the Trakehner State Stud—which used to sort its mare herds by color in East Prussia—the chestnut herd was considered particularly high-performing. From this herd came stallions such as Abglanz, who sired the legendary Hanoverian Absatz (the sire line is still present today through Argentinus, sire of, among others, John Whitaker’s Argento and Nick Skelton’s Arko III, as well as the stallion Thunder van de Zuuthoeve). The same goes for Semper idem, who can be traced back to Stakkato in his pedigree. But that’s just a side note.

Famous Chestnut Mares in Eventing

In addition, at least two chestnut mares have become legends on the international eventing scene: for example, the Holsteiner Feine Dame, who won the silver medal in the individual competition at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona under Herbert Blöcker. A horse that, as a three-year-old, waited at a rental stable on the island of Föhr to be ridden on the beach by tourists of varying skill levels. She was traded through a brokerage, and with time and dedication, the mare went on to become a world-class horse. Or Headley Britannia, the mare who became a legend in Great Britain. She won three CCI5*-L competitions—Burghley in 2006, Badminton in 2007, and Kentucky in 2009—under the Australian rider Lucinda Fredericks. And she did all this at a height of barely more than 1.60 meters.

The name says it all

Very Special is exactly what her name suggests—very special. And that doesn’t just apply to riding. It starts with the mundane details of daily life. Of course she wants to go out to pasture—but please, not with other horses! She knows how to make it clear—with all the charm of a woman, a chestnut mare—that she doesn’t like the others. So, out to pasture alone… What’s that? Alone? No way! The solution: a Shetland pony. She accepts that—and even takes it to her heart.

“She chooses her own friends”

Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau says that Very Special chooses her own friends, “and you can count them on two hands.” The reason for this somewhat unpleasant behavior may indeed lie in her youth. Very Special’s dam, Nova EH—a daughter of Nobre xx and Fabriano, known in competition as Noble Beauty, who was herself successful up to CCI3*-S level—is said to have treated her foals rather poorly, even rejecting them. In this respect, one might attribute an early childhood trauma to the mare: that may explain her behavioral patterns. And speaking of foals, there is another full brother to Very Special, namely Viscount Viktor. He, too, is active on the international cross-country circuit. He used to be ridden by Tim Price (NZL) and finished, among other events, the CCI5*-L competitions at Luhmühlen, Badminton, and Pau. Now Harry Meade (GBR) rides him.

Every beginning is …

As is often the case with exceptional horses, her career path hasn’t always been entirely straightforward. At age five, Very Special failed to qualify for the Bundeschampionat. She lacked the necessary results from show jumping competitions. “Cross-country was never a problem,” says the rider. However, he also admits that at that stage of her development, the mare “hadn’t quite got her body in sync yet.”

At the age of six, she qualified for the National Championships, competed in the preliminary test, and made it to the final. “It wasn’t about riding a Bundeschampion, but about getting to know the audience and the big stage.” Training wasn’t always easy either. For example, it took a while for Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau to find the right bridle for the mare.

The Right Dentures? The “Homemade” Brand

Very Special feels most comfortable without a bit in his mouth. The hackamore is the preferred choice. “It takes a little while to figure out what works best for the horse,” says the rider, who quickly became a bit designer: A hackamore-water snaffle combination turned out to be the ideal bridle for the sensitive mare. “At first, I rode with two reins—or rather, four—and then I built myself a bridge.” Tailoring the aids to the individual horse is the goal of every horse training program. For special horses, this is even more crucial. And “Vanilla” is, after all, Very Special.

The rider has long since formed his own opinion of her personality. “You always have to see where you can take a detour that’s actually the right path for her.” The fact that he has often enough taken the right path is proven by the mare’s inclusion in the group of potential Olympic horses supported by the Road 2LA initiative. The financial support comes at just the right time. The mare, whose sire Viscount traces back to Furioso II, is eleven years old and now needs to gain international experience. The monthly support helps make projects possible that might otherwise have remained just a dream.

What makes Very Special stand out?

On the course, she’s the embodiment of self-confidence—and that’s crucial for the sport. “She’s been composed from a young age. She just did everything. She never doubted herself, and once you showed her something, it became second nature to her. She has absolutely no fear of heights. And fighting—that’s just her nature!” The sensitive mare and the then-19-year-old rider clicked from the very first moment. Today, with a German U25 Championship title under his belt (even though the round in Wiesbaden—not least because he rode half of it with only one stirrup—was certainly not the pair’s best), Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau is looking ahead:

I’ve never ridden a five-star horse before, but I’m sure this is my first five-star horse.

Milestone

Most of the time, things go well at competitions, but not always. In 2022, the pair competed at the World Championships for Young Eventing Horses, finishing in 21st place. Two knockdowns in the jumping course prevented a possible podium finish. They reached their first milestone in October 2025 in Strzegom, Poland: their first placement in a CCI4*-L event—sixth place in a highly competitive field—provided the “qualifying result.” In other words, as far as minimum performance requirements are concerned, nothing stood in the way of the pair’s nomination for the championship.

At the end of May 2026, the pair fell during a CCI4*-S event in Chaumont de Vexin, France. It was their first fall together—“clearly a rider error,” says Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau. It was a fall with consequences, as the mare was actually supposed to compete in Luhmühlen in 2026. The plan didn’t work out this year.

He’s a man who does it all himself

Speaking of tournaments—there, too, Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau isn’t just the rider, but also the groom. How does that work? “The mare chooses her own friends,” and he enjoys the privilege of being one of them. But it’s not just the mare’s personality that makes Schäfer-Gehrau a “self-sufficient” rider, as he admits. “I’m the kind of person who prefers to do everything on my own. I need to be sure that things will work out, and I prefer to rely on myself to make that happen.”

The Rider from “Very Special”: Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau

Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau developed a passion for eventing at the age of 13. Two years later, he placed eighth at the European Pony Championships with Pretty in Bleck. Riding Fräulein Frida, he won individual and team bronze medals at the 2018 European Junior Championships. After six years in Warendorf, he left the national training center and spent a year training with Madeleine Bruckmann in the Netherlands. After that stint ended, he joined Tim Lips’ stable in Breda. Lips, himself a three-time Olympic rider for the Netherlands, comes from a family of eventing riders. His father, who competed in the 1992 Olympics, had previously served as the national coach of the Dutch team.

Brandon Schäfer-Gehrau is a member of the development squad. He has been supported by the German Equestrian Foundation since 2016. His mentor is Graciela Bruch.