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 First Class 1983-2007
First Class was born in Garrel, Germany in 1983. He was bred by Paul Wendeln who selected Furioso II for his excellent mare Chinchilla. She had already been awarded Champion Mare for Oldenburg for three years. In 1983, the year she produced First Class, she was Champion Mare for all of Germany. There were high expectations for the colt she had just produced. Furioso II was the hottest stallion in Europe at the time and was producing approved sons. When the big chestnut colt arrived, everyone believed he would be wonderful.
First Class lived up to his name. He was the Reserve Champion of the stallion inspection as a two year old. At age three he completed the 100 Day Stallion Testing with a score of 118.3 points and received his lifetime breeding license. His maturity improved significantly during his fourth year and he was crowned Bundeschampion, the Champion Riding Horse Under Saddle for all of Germany. Few Bundeschampions ever made it to the United States, but the beautiful stallion eventually came to the USA.
He was a complete success. In 1994 Gary and Jan Lawrence purchased First Class and brought him to Utah where he lived a regal and pampered life to the end of his days. During his partnership with Gary, FIrst Class achieved Five Star status in the ISR/Oldenburg Registry. This achievement requires the stallion to be outstanding in every aspect of his life, his conformation, his stallion testing, his performance in the show ring, and the quality and performance of his offspring.
His daughters have proven to be his true legacy. In the Oldenburg breed, the mares are prized and the daughters of First Class are well worthy of that praise. They produce the highest quality foals and bring out the best in any stallion.
Please enjoy these pictures of First Class and his offspring. We continue to love and think of him every day.
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