Italian Grand Prix rider Silvia Rizzo is quite the sensation in Florida. Besides competing her new Grand Prix horse Sal in Wellington, Rizzo is also making a statement as fashion icon with a new polo shirt collection and she was invited to toss the coin to start the Joe Barry Cup Polo Final on Sunday 26 January at the International Polo Club (IPC) in Wellington.
According to PS Dressage, Rizzo caused quite a sensation at the polo match with her platinum blonde hair and dazzling smile. She was at home waving to the crowds from the back of a Maserati convertible. Her coin toss proved lucky for Team Valiente who not only won possession of the ball to start the match, but went on to defeat Tonkawa 13-8 in thrilling 20-goal polo.
Swedish Grand Prix rider Nina Hofmann and her husband Thorsten Kuppers became the proud parents of a baby girl, Laura Eivor Küppers, on 24 January 2014. Congrats
The 16-year old KWPN licensed stallion Riant (by Jazz x Julio Mariner xx x Ramiro Z) has been sold to Germany. The chestnut stallion was competed at the 2003 World Young Horse Championships and shown up to small tour level by riders such as Anke ter beek, Marlies van Baalen, and Annemiek Vincourt. He will now stand at stud at Delight Stables in South Germany. Riant has only two recorded offspring competing at small tour level and no licensed offspring.
Irish Grand Prix rider Yvette Truesdale has relocated to the Dressage Yard at Scarvagh House in Scarva close to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she has become head trainer and manager. Truesdale is the only Irish International Dressage rider resident in Northern Ireland who has competed at the World Equestrian Games and European Championships. With Accolade, Yvette represented Ireland at the 1998 and 2002 World Equestrian Games and 1999, 2001 and 2003 European Championships.
St. Georg reported that Anabel Balkenhol has received the ride on the Trakehner premium stallion Heuberger (by Imperio x Michelangelo). The 7-year old dark bay stallion is owned by Gestut Webelsgrund and he will move to the State Stud in Marbach, where Balkenhol is based since 1 February 2014.
German young horse trainer Anna Sophie Fiebelkorn will relocate her business to Trakehner stallion station Gestut Hörem as of April 2014. Fiebelkorn has worked together with the Poll family before, when she was allocated the ride on Trakehner stallion Imperio (by Connery), Schwarzgold and Livaldon. Now the 31-year old Fiebelkorn will move to Hörem where she will link her own business with that of the Poll family. "There is a EU station to which I can connect my training stable. It will be much easier for me to train the stallions," she said.
Italian Grand Prix rider Anna Paprocka-Campanella has acquired a new horse which she considers her hopeful for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Campanella travelled to Portugal and purchased the 6-year old grey Lusitano Dali (by Moscatel out of Odemira) from Ricardo Wellenstein.
Horses.nl reported that Dutch junior rider Laura Quint acquired the 11-year old KWPN gelding Winnetou (by Rhodium x Lancelot x Porter) from Dominique Fillion. The 16-year old junior has already been campaigning KWPN licensed stallion Velazquez (by Krack C). Laura and Velazquez recently competed at the 2013 CDI Roosendaal Indoor and 2014 CDI Drachten.
The NRPS licensed pony stallion Don Ducky C-Two, which was co-owned by Belgian Christophe Carmeliet and Dutch trainer Coby van Baalen, has been sold to 9-year old Donna van Eden, who is one of Coby's students. As van Eden is still too young, Don Ducky's current rider Anouk Strikker has been given the unique opportunity to continue to train and compete the stallion for the next two years before Donna will take over the reins.
The 17-year old Oldenburg licensed breeding stallion Dormello (by Dream of Heidelberg x Freiherr) has moved stables once again. Bred by Barbara Bettin Schulze-Schleppinghoff and owned by Simone Schutt, Dormello has been leased to a Swedish stallion station. Dormello was the 1999 Oldenburg Licensing champion and initially stood at Ludwig Kathmann's. He sold to French Jacques Albeck in 2006 and in 2012 he sold to Schutt and moved to the Landgestut in Marbach.