Furst Rock DW Rhein (Furst Romancier/Rockstar) born in 2014.
Words by David Woolley – his breeder.
Many of you may have heard that Vanessa Way tragically lost Furst Rock DW Rock was a very important horse for me as he was one of the first horses I bred as a solo breeder and was also the first foal I registered with the New Zealand Hanoverian Society. While I’m heartbroken he’s gone and for the loss Vanessa has suffered, I’m grateful he was here at all and that I got to share and witness his life and performances. He was indeed a freak of nature, a rare creature of fiery brilliance and beauty.
By Furst Romancier, he was the first foal of a little mare I still have Rock Chiq who is by an imported Westfalian sire called Royston Rockstar (Real Diamond/Florestan)from another little (thoroughbred) mare called Miss Phillips (by Kilimanjaro). Miss Phillips had two foals for me the first was a touchy little colt by Johnson called Windermere Johanson W who was produced by Melissa Galloway to Grand Prix and won the NZ U25 GP Championship in 2019. Rock’s mother Roxy was the second.
Rock started out a normal enough foal but it soon became obvious he was anything but “normal”. He moved with a light-footedness and swing which is rare in NZ and an incredible activity and engine that reflected the influence of his thoroughbred ancestry. He was long legged and naturally uphill and for these reasons despite his eventual massive size (18.1) he was elegant. The most challenging dressage movements often appeared effortless for him.
He was from the beginning very sensitive and as a foal was wary of people. I know he was a special character for his entire life and possessed a sensitivity that required specialist care to train, ride and to manage in the stable. Vanessa used her huge expertise and sought out additional expert advice throughout her years with Rock so she could train him and harness his ability without dulling the sensitivity that made him so special.
Rock was the first horse of mine that Vanessa had and he largely created the great relationship that I have with her. Vanessa has gone on to have a number of other DW horses and I hope will continue to in the future. I’m so glad he spent his life with her and benefitted from her dedication and care for all her horses. He had the best life possible and certainly was well on his way to reaching his full potential.
One of the first big titles Rock won was the 6 year old National young Horse Championship in 2020. He went on to win National Small Tour Champion in 2024, National Medium Tour Champion in 2025 and the Horse of the Year Titles in both those years as well. In through out his life he was rarely unplaced wining the Super 5 finals at the nationals 4 times and numerous Premier League Championships at every level he competed at. He was a champion horse of the highest quality.
In 2026 he launched his GP career with a number of wins including the GP Championship at the Wellington Premier League show. Unfortunately his illness has cut his GP career very short and we won’t get to see what an incredible international GP horse he would have been but I feel very lucky to have followed his career so closely and to have been there to witness his performances so often. Thank you and farewell Rock, and thank you Vanessa.
