Bad luck for Kyra Kyrklund. The Finnish rider qualified for the 2003 European Dressage Championships in Hickstead, England, but had to withdraw as the wonderful Andiamo Tyme was injured. Kyrklund did not present Andiamo Tyme, who is owned by Linda Fowler of Epona Farms (Ca, USA), at the vet inspection as the white Oldenburg had a foot abcess.
The Swiss equestrian magazine Pferdewoche announced that former double Olympic dressage champion Nicole Uphoff is pregnant. Uphoff, who is currently renting some stables at Gut Gluckauf in Hunxe, Germany, where she trains and teaches, is pregnant from her long-time boyfriend Travis Morgan. Morgan is a New Zealander show jumping rider who presents the jumper horses at the Vechta auctions.
By the way, two horses failed the inspection: the Hanoverian White Foot, ridden by the Japanese Yoshitaka Serimachi and Italy's Red Bastian, who was to be ridden by Stefano Blasi. Red Bastian was already off at the 2002 World Equestrian Games but still passed the vet check after a second inspection. In Hickstead, the judges signalled that Red Bastian needed some time to recouperate.
Lars Petersen's American dream has lost its brilliance. Denmark's top Grand Prix rider moved to the United States last year to start a new career. He moved into Irwin Le Pow's Suger Hill farm as chief trainer, but LePow has changed his mind. LePow sold his farm and Petersen has to relocate. Lars and his wife Mette will be moving to Florida for the winter show season and are searching for a new facility in Pennsylvania for the summer season.
The Oldenburg Grand Prix gelding Rainier has a new rider. Former young rider Katherine Bateson presented the dapple grey mount as guinie pig Grand Prix ride at the 2003 Festival of Champions in Gladstone, NJ. We're curious if the pair will actually be competing during the 2004 show season.
Courtney King, whose future fell to pieces when her ride, the Grand Prix stallion Idocus, was put into training with Marlies van Baalen in The Netherlands, has a new horse to realise her goals with. Courtney King rode Rondo Veneziano, an Oldenburg by Rohdiamant, to a 71.923% at Training level at the show of Windy Hollow Farm in Augusta, NJ.
Images copyrighted: Dirk Caremans / Arnd Bronkhorst