Mary Phelps, American equestrian photographer and ceo of Dressagedaily.com, got the opportunity of a lifetime from Mike Poulin. Not having been in the saddle for 15 years, Phelps was allowed to ride a Grand Prix level trained Lippizaner stallion. Hey Mary, there still are a few spots open on the U.S. team for Kentucky! We love this photo.
Mary's husband, the wonderful JJ Hathaway, celebrated his 60th birthday on 11 April. Many happy returns of the day!
Dutch junior rider Anne Meulendijks acquired the Grand Prix stallion Broere Ohio as future ride. The 14-year old Dutch bred stallion by Indoctro x Akteur has been trained to GP level by Broere in-house rider Kirsten Beckers.
We sadly have to report the passing of Stéphane Moulart, owner of the beautiful equestrian facility Domaine Mon Souhait in Braine L'Alleud, Belgium. Moulart hosted the 2009 Belgian Dressage Championships and he also annually organized meetings for dressage judges and stewards. Moulart was laid to rest after a burial ceremony at the church of St Etienne à Ohain on 30 March 2010.
Patrick van der Meer's Grand Prix horse Ojing (by Juventus x Nepal) has been euthanized. The 14-year old Dutch warmblood, which van der Meer bought as a foal, suffered from rheumatoid arthritis in his neck and his condition became unbearable. They had to make the sad decision to put him down on 6 April.
In March the renowned German horse breeder Gunther Pape passed away. He was the founder of the Pape brood and stud farm and bred the legendary Pik Bube I and Pik Bube II. His son, Ingo Pape, currently manages the facility together with his British wife Susan Draper-Pape. They bred Davignon and now stand Scolari, San Remo and several other successful young stallions at stud.
Recently Adelinde Cornelissen lost the ride on Emmy de Jeu's Vivace de Jeu to Edward Gal. On 9 April Horses.nl reported the reason of the chestnut's move to Harskamp: the 8-year old KWPN branded Vivace (by Contango) has been sold to Gal's student Gregor Tacx.
And more bad luck sadly seems to be following Adelinde Cornelissen. On her show debut with Jerich Wunschtraum, Cornelissen had to withdraw the gelding from competition because he knocked himself and got unlevel in the test. The Dutch team rider showed Wunschtraum at a national team selection event in Uden and already at the start of their Grand Prix test (before the first trot extension) the Hanoverian knocked himself and was unsound on the diagonal. Adelinde retired and went to the warm up where he became level again. "With such a horse, you don't want to take any unnecessary risks," Cornelissen told Horses.nl
Liz Austin's American bred stallion Olivier (by Idocus x Porter) has been recognized by the KWPN society. The KWPN stallion selection committees regularly evaluate internationally renowned stallions which qualify for individual recognition. To receive KWPN recognition, a stallion must clearly demonstrate excellence at the highest level of international sport, either through his own performance or that of his offspring, or a combination of both. The stallion selection committee for Gelder horses deemed the stallion Olivier beneficial for Gelder horse breeding because of his pedigree and blood distribution. The committee considered the stallion's show record and lineage sufficiently compelling in their recommendation to the Board of Directors. Olivier was born in 1996. The bay stallion measures ± 1.70 m / 16.3 hands. He is by Idocus (Equador x Zonneglans), and his dam Rowillie keur preferent prestatie is by Porter. Rowillie's dam Kowillie keur preferent is by Graaf Oregon. Further back in Olivier's pedigree are daughters by Graaf van Wittenstein and Ewald. Currently, Olivier competes in Grand Prix dressage in the U.S. with Elisabeth Austin. The stallion is widely known for his good temperament, and he meets KWPN radiographic and respiratory requirements.
Stallion Station Ludwig Kathmann is urgently looking for a substitute rider who can step in immediately and help train the young stallions as one of Kathmann's in-house riders injured himself. If you are interested in this opportunity to ride high quality stallions and school young horses, contact Kathmann at info@hengsthaltung-kathmann.de
After long negotiation, it has been announced that the CDI Cannes will become again an official leg of the 2010 World Dressage Masters. Cannes on the French Riviera has been confirmed for the 2010 lineup of the World Dressage Masters with a €100,000 purse. The CDI Cannes is scheduled for June 10-13, 2010.