Oldenburg Inside: Oldenburg Ambassador
The family has operated a dressage show and education stable in America’s “Sunshine State” for 30 years. This includes father Patrick, a native Belgian and FEI Nations‘ Cup dressage rider, mother Marisol from Mexico, daughter Monica with her husband Manuel Lecuona, who is a successful show jumping rider in up to 1.60 m, and brothers Alejandro and Santiago. They all have one thing in common: a love for Oldenburg horses. “When we first came to Vechta, we were greatly impressed by the quality of the horses, the professional management and the teamwork,” recalls Marisol Burssens. “In Vechta they treat their customers in a very special way,” adds Patrick Burssens. “Philip Bölle, Daniel Pophanken, Thomas Rhinow and the entire auction team managed to make time to meet with us individually. The service is unique and the horses are always given optimum preparation. I‘m pretty sure it‘s not just us who feel that way, but everyone who travels to Vechta. For us, the Oldenburg team is like no other, and we look forward to every visit.” As Oldenburg ambassadors in North and South America, Marisol and Patrick Burssens are happy to help interested customers choose the right Oldenburger.
A surprise find. Over 60 horses have already made their way “across the pond” to the Burssens-Lecuona family stables, including the immediately Grand Prix successful Elfentanz by Fidertanz - De Niro. Monica Burssens remembers that day very well: “I didn‘t even know that we were going to bid on Elfentanz. We were sitting at the table and my father started to bid on her. We won, and then he said, ‘The horse is for you!’ I was totally overwhelmed, and it is still a blessing to have this mare in my life.” That was at the Spring Elite Auction in 2012. And Patrick‘s eye for this talented horse has proven him right. Elfentanz and Monica represented Mexico at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Colombia, where they won a team gold and individual silvers. During all this, Monica was seven months pregnant. “It makes me very proud when you achieve something like this with a mare that you have produced yourself from an early age. My goal now is to take part in a World Cup.” She is accompanied by her father Patrick, who was himself a highly successful championship rider for Belgium and later for his new home country, Mexico.
And the Burssens-Lecuona family has another newcomer currently making international headlines: the 1.60 m successful jumper mare Noche de Ronda by Quintender - Lovis Corinth, who Manuel discovered at the Fall Elite Auction in 2013. “When I tried out Ronda before the auction, I was thrilled from the very first second,” says Manuel. “She was really well-balanced for her age and brought that to every jump.” He kept the dark bay mare for six years until the beginning of 2019, when she found her way to McLain Ward, team gold medal winner at the Olympic Games in Athens and Beijing. “I always knew she was a good horse, as a five year old I already had this vision that she would be the perfect horse for McLain. Everything lined up perfectly when he tried her out, and she more than deserved the chance to prove herself in top international sport.” At the CHIO Aachen the pair turned heads with clear rounds in the Nations‘ Cup and victory in the 1.55 m show jumping competition.
In addition to the horses, around which the lives of the Burssens-Lecuona family clearly revolve, they also enjoy travelling, food, and spending time together with their grandchildren, Katia and Lorenza. Patrick is an enthusiastic golfer and poker player. And even though the family has been living in the USA for 30 years, their hearts still beat for Mexico. So it’s no surprise that their favourite dishes include tacos, enchiladas and churros.
Sale Service: As Oldenburg ambassadors for North and South America, the Burssens family will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the Elite Auction on 2 April, both by telephone and live on site in Vechta, right up to the selection of your Oldenburg dream horse and beyond. Please feel free to contact Marisol Burssens at +15613891035.
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