It's wedding time !!
Casper Cassøe Jakobsen, managing director of the Danish warmblood society, married his long-time girlfriend Carina Reslow Kruth on 19 May 2013.
Frederik Vekens, former Westfalian press officer and now dressage horse sales agent for Klaus Plonzke, has married his long-time girlfriend, German Grand Prix rider Jill Jessica Mieleszko on 24 May 2013. Congratulations!
The 20-year old KWPN keur mare Litchy (by Ferro x Officier) passed away unexpectedly on 22 May 2013. The bay mare produced licensed stallion Painted Black (by Gribaldi), his full brother Painted Black II (also known as Genesis or Willow) and the licensed stallion Zizi Top (by Tango). Litchy has a five week old foal on the ground by Hotline. A foster mare has been found for it in Belgium. The mare was competed up to M-level by Jacqueline van Aholt and later on by Camilla Sygall. In 2005 the bay mare sold via the Expo Talent Sale auction to Jan de Vries.
Anky van Grunsven's former Grand Prix horse Gere (by Beaujolais) has been euthanized mid May. The bay gelding was trained and competed at Grand Prix level by Anky van Grunsven and later on sold to Japanese Toshihiko Kiso. Gere was retired at Anky's yard and suffered from Cushing's disease. He was 25 years old.
British young rider Alexandria Barr has leased the 15-year old Dutch Grand Prix horse Romanoff (by Jazz x Contango x Ulft). The bay gelding was trained from advanced to Grand Prix level by Vai Bruntink. Barr hopes to make her Under 25 debut on Romanoff. She is coached by Emile Faurie and has already competed a string of horses and ponies, including Janeiro, Don Perry, Pablo S, Moosbends Ricardo, Davingell, and De Vito.
German young horse trainer Jana Freund and her husband Mathias Voss became the proud parents of a baby boy on 22 April 2013, one day after Jana's birthday. Henry weighed 3.620 kg at birth and was 55 cm tall. "We are very happy with our little sunshine," Freund told Eurodressage. Jana is already back in the saddle and competing. On the weekend of 24-26 May 2013 she was spotted in the competition ring at the regional show in Sevelen.
Horses.nl reported that Dutch dressage rider Jessica Buying has to stop riding for a while because she fractured her wrist in a lunging accident. A horse kicked at her and as she covered her face with her arms, her wrist got hit and was broken. Buying can't ride for at least three months.
After the announcement of the Danish teams for the 2013 CDIO Rotterdam and Aachen, multiple Danish team Olympian Anne van Olst released a statement she will be focusing on preparing her young Grand Prix horses for the 2014 World Equestrian Games. Her top horse Taikoen, with whom she qualified for the 2012 Olympic but which she had to withdraw due to fitness issues, has been operated on his splint bone. The 15-year old Clearwater will be sold and Anne is now putting mileage on youngsters Netto and Zidhane. "For the young top talents Netto and Zidhane the European Championship is coming to soon," she stated.
There can be only one and that is Dirk Caremans !! Today the CHIO Aachen announced the finalists for the 2013 Silver Camera Award for best equestrian sport photo of the year. The jury of the “Silver Camera”, comprising Ludwiga von Korff (last year’s winner), Andreas Müller (Managing Director of the Zeitungsverlag Aachen), Erich Timmermanns (Director Advertising & PR, Sparkasse Aachen) and Frank Kemperman (Chairman, ALRV) picked seven photos which can become the winner of the award but a quick glance at the pictures makes only one thing clear. Dirk Caremans' fabulous photo of Helen Langehanenberg kissing Damon Hill should win !!!