News on Blue Hors Hotline. The 2005 Hanoverian Licensing Champion injuredhimself to the hoof last week and immediately some disturbing rumours spread through the horse world. Esben Moeller, manager of Blue Hors Stud, told Eurodressage that Hotline is recuperating fast and that he is still able to breed daily (so breeders no need to worry, there is semen available!!). Blue Hors Hotline will be presented at the After Licensing (Nachkörung) for the Danish Warmblood society on April 5, 2006. Photo courtesy: Blue Hors
According to the Belgian equestrian website Galop, Belgian Dressage has a new Chef d'Equipe for the senior riders. Cory Verbocht, manager of the Duke of Newcastle dressage club, is this new chef d'Equipe. This is great news for Belgian Dressage as Verbocht is one of the few integer dressage people in our country. Verbocht has planned on establishing A and B-teams for the small tour riders. He will also be sending out questionnaires to all the riders asking them how they see the future of Belgian Dressage. At the end of the month, there will be a training seminar in Bilzen. Verbocht's main goal is getting Belgian riders to compete at the World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games. A Grand Prix team will be send to the CDIO Saumur next month.
And more Belgian Dressage News. The famous "Cup of Belgium" competition (Beker van België) which is annually held at De Mustang in Duffel, is moving location. Philip Vermeulen will be hosting the show this year at his stable Oosterhof in Herenthout. The Cup of Belgium has outgrown the facilities offered at De Mustang and therefore relocating to Herenthout. The show usually takes place the first weekend of August.
In Demark, Danish horse dealer and trainer Hasse Hoffmann has been convicted to two months emprisonment for aggressing his neighbour, Poul-Jørn Lindberg, who is a world famous designer of Titanium glasses (www.lindberg.com). " There are no winners in this case, only two losers," Lindberg stated.
A great loss for the Holsteiner and KWPN breeder. The 23-year old show jumper stallion Burggraaf passed away. Sired by Landgraf, Burggraaf produced numerous international show jumping stars, such as Burggravin, S'Blieft and Van Schijndel's Now or Never. In The States, two FEI dressage competed at CDI shows, Tina Konyot's Kroongraaf (renamed Kranak at PSI) and Lisette Milner's licensed stallion Eminence.
In December, the 6-year old Oldenburg stallion Denaro passed away at his home Gestut Birkhof. The dark bay stallion by De Niro x Volturno had a tumor on his spleen. Denaro qualified for the 2004 and 2005 Bundeschampionate. This year, he was the sire of Denario, the 2006 Licensing Champion of the Suddeutsches Pferdestammbuch. Denario is up for stud at Birkhof.
The KWPN licensed stallion Voice (by De Niro) will go in training at Tineke and Imke Bartels' Horse Academy in The Netherlands. The black stallion is bred by Wil and Isabel van Gisbergen-Sponselee who are related to Tineke Bartels. Voice is bred out of the same dam line as licensed stallion OO Seven, Fiona Bigwood's Celiton and Tineke Bartels' Barbria.
The name of the new owner of Nadine Capellmann's Rion has been announced. It is the Grecian Katarina Lo, who will compete the black Oldenburg stallion at the CDI Stadl Paura in Austria, mid April 2006.
The Danish Warmblood licensed stallion Viegaards Come Back II, who is trained and competed by Hubertus Schmidt, has injured himself in the stable and will be out of the running for more than seven months. Come Back II was trained to Grand Prix level by Birgitte Byrialsen. He has been partly sold to American Carol Cohen who has put the horse in training with Schmidt.
German sport horsr breeder Harli Seifert hired Hans Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen as the dressage trainer for her competition horses. Together with bereiter Hendrik Lochthowe, Meyer zu Strohen will be responsible for the training of the young dressage horses at Seifert's stable. Lochhowe also showed Rubin Royal at the Stallion Show in Vechta. The stallion used to be competed by Dieter Weichert. Seifert bred five licensed full brother stallions out of the same mare, isn't that a record?Rohdiamant paired to Harli Seifert's top mare Rumirell produced five licensed stallions so far: Rubin Royal, Blue Hors Romanow, Rumicello, Rubino Vincente and the fifth one, Rubin Action, which was licensed at the 2005 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing in Vechta.
Florestan I, foundation sire for the Westfalian breed, celebrated his 20th birthday in January. Florestan (by Fidelio x Rheingold) was champion of the 1988 Rhineland approval and won his performance test in Warendorf the following year. As a sire, Florestan I has been an instant success, and has already sired over 20 approved sons. At the moment he is still breeding, though his fertility has decreased considerably.