What's Happening in the Dressage World?

March 2008 - Part II

At the 2008 World Cup Finals, the Dutch Rabobank Talent Team of 2008 was announced. Riders not older than 25 with the potential to become a Dutch senior riders A-team member soon are selected on the Talent Team. This year, eight riders were selected for the team: four of them are dressage riders, two show jumpers and two eventers. These riders will receive extra money to boost their career and get professional help from sport psychologists, media managers and fitness trainers. The selected dressage riders are Dominique Filion, Tommie Visser, Diederik van Silfhout and Lotje Schoots.

Lauren Sammis, U.S. Pan American Games team gold medallist dressage rider, is pregnant with twins and has been sporting her baby bump at Dressage in Florida. Sammis competes Al Guden's Dutch bred Welt Hit II gelding Sagacious HF and lives together with her partner Melanie Summers. The twins will be a boy and a girl.

The German magazine "Pferdesport International" reported that the holsteiner stallions Come On (by Cantus x Landgraf I x Fokus II) and Acord II (by Ahorn Z x Calypso I x Lancaster) have died.

The Westfalian licensed stallion VDL San Antonio (by Sandro Hit x Worldman x Absinth) has been gelded. The 8-year old stallion is ridden by Emmelie Scholtens and trained at dressage stable Laarakkers. The stallion was too hormonal and for the sake of his sport career owner VDL Stud agreed to have him gelded.

At the CDI Wellington, Susan Dutta officially retired her Grand Prix horse Gumshoes DC. Before the Grand Prix Kur to Music class started, Dutta rode parts of her Elvis freestyle one last time for the public. Afterwards, the horse's tack was taken off and Gumshoes received a blanket of red roses and a cooler. Susan acquired the Dutcg warmblood gelding Gumshoes (Joost x Nimmerdor) as a six-year old and has competed him at Grand Prix level for six years. "Gumshoes DC will always be special to me. This horse is part of my family. He brought me to the top shows and for this, I am so thankful," Dutta once said about the dark bay gelding.

The licensed New Forest Pony stallion Kantje's Ronaldo (by Watersof Pretendent) has been humanely put down. He was 21 years old. As a 3-year old Kantje's Ronaldo won the stallion performance test scoring 9s for jumping, rideability and character. He competed at Z2 level in show jumping. His career was restricted to breeding since he was an 8 year old and he stood at stud at the French State Stud. Ronaldo produced 11 licensed sond and was proclaimed Best New Foret Pony Stallion of the past 50 years in The Netherlands. Ronaldo was gelded in 2007 due to an infection.

on a dryer note...

A document was approved at the Horse Sport Ireland Board Meeting spelling out the relationship between Horse Sport Ireland and the Irish Horse Board co-op. All state
funding for the Sport Horse Sector will now be channelled through Horse Sport Ireland, and the staff of the Irish Horse Board have now transferred to Horse Sport Ireland. The Board of Directors of the Irish Horse Board Co-op has become the Breeding Advisory Sub Board within Horse Sport Ireland and the Horse Board co-op will remain in place as an affiliate to Horse Sport Ireland.

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