What's Happening in the Dressage World

April 2007

The KWPN stallion Osmium (Ferro x Calypso) has been leased to Eeva Liisa Penttila of the KS-Talli Studfarm in Hauho, Finland. As a youngster, the black stallion won the presitigious Pavo Cup and then went into training with Anky van Grunsven. Right before hitting FEI level, Osmium sustained a severe neck injury and could no longer be used for sport.

Eurodressage says "hear, hear" to Scott Hassler's latest column in the Chronicle of the Horse, titled "If you Have a Horse, You Should Thank the Breeder." During the spring months, a large part of the horse people are totally focused on breeding: picking new stallions and raising new born foals. It's an elaborate, time consuming and very pricey project for breeders to raise foals. Scott Hassler, who is the American National Young Horse Coach, said: It’s so very obvious that without horse breeders we wouldn’t have any horses at all, and that’s why I believe that this is the time of year when we should take a moment and think back on all of the horses we have had, and the memories and successes they’ve given us, and thank those breeders. For those of us who have horses with registration papers, we can look on the papers to find out who the breeder is. And that makes it pretty easy to contact the breeder by phone, e-mail or good old “snail mail” and tell them how much your horse means to you and the accomplishments you’ve enjoyed with the horse." Hear, Hear! (source: Chronicle of the Horse)

The first ever Irish Dressage Team to compete in Asia left Dublin Airport on [Tuesday 3rd April 2007 en route to New Delhi, India. Dressage Ireland vice-chairman James Rooney is doubling up as a team member and chef. James is joined by the young rider brother and sister pairing of Anthony and Maria Byrne from County Wexford. They will all compete on borrowed horses at the New Delhi invitational CDI event on 4th to 8th April 2007.

Horses of the Dutch reported that Dutch former Young Rider Angela van den Berg has sold her former Junior Rider's horse Picco Bello to the 15-year old Dutch junior Bente Schuyt. Picco Bello is a 172 cm standing Belgian warmblood gelding by Latano x Carnaval. Bente competed at FEI pony level with the Welsh pony Flame van de Beurhoeck and competed in the Rabobank Talent trophy finals last year.

Swiss Grand Prix rider Eva Senn sold her KWPN gelding Le Montrachet (by Winckenburg) to Greek rider Katerina Zos. The grey gelding was initially competed by Dutch Marie Jose Hulsman who sold her horse to Eva Senn. She then showed the horse a few years but returned it to Hulsman to be sold again. Zos is based at Stable Meggle in Germany with her trainer Dieter Laugks.

Jeanine Fiechter is no longer part of the Exquis Dressage Team. She has resigned from the team this week, because she could no longer combine her job in her own growing sales stable with top competition sport. Also, Fiechter no longer has a top horse at her disposal, which made her decide to quit the Exquis team. Hans Peter Minderhoud and Anna van Olst remain in the Exquis team and ride horses sponsored by Rene and Linda Kies of Exquis.

The Oldenburg stallion Clint Eastwood (Clintino x Cordial Medoc) has been sold to Australia. Dutch owner Annemarie Smits purchased the stallion one year ago and Ferenc Damen trained him to Prix St Georges level. The new Australian owner aims to train and compete the bay stallion at Grand Prix level.

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