Stella's breeder, Will Simpson, thought that Quick Star, a small stallion, was the perfect match for Windchimes, his large mare. And so he had Windchimes covered by Quick Star and the result was super. After all, Stella, the first offspring from Quick Star, was the horse that helped Meredith become the first woman to represent Germany in a Championship event. Stella and Meredith have one thing in common: they were both born in California. Perhaps that is why they hit it off from the start.

Stella was named in memory of Quick Star's mother. She was also called Stella and was successfully competed by Nelson Pessoa. When Stella first started jumping, Will Simpson telephoned Meredith. She flew to California to have a look at the mare - and immediately fell in love. "I liked the way she looked the first time I saw her in the stall. When I saw her jump, I was hooked," Meredith said. Meredith bought the mare and flew back to Germany with her.

The two Californian girls were a good pair, as their early successes showed. When Stella was just eight years old, she was fourth in the Grand Prix of Brussels. She was fourth in the World Cup in Aarhus. Shortly after Meredith became a German citizen, she was nominated with Stella for the European Championship team in Hickstead in 1999. Meredith and Stella were the only combination on the German team to have two clear rounds in the Nation’s Cup. That was instrumental to the team gold medal. That success was followed by further wins and placings in Grand Prixs and World Cups and many clear rounds in Nations Cups.

Stella was retired at age 17 and gave birth to her first foal in 2006. Meredith likes looking back at her good years with Stella. "Stella did a lot of special things for me and I am very grateful to her. She was a fighter in the course. She knew exactly when it came to the crunch. I knew I could always count on her!" 

Stella spent her last years happily at home in Thedinghausen, on the field with Le Mans and Constantin. 

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