Danish born Luxembourg dressage rider Fie Skarsoe has given birth to her first child, a boy named Oskar, on 1 February 2016. Skarsoe and her husband, Luxembourg show jumping rider Ken Gruber, got married on 18 December 2015 eight weeks before giving birth.
Ridsport reported that Swedish Grand Prix rider Emelie Brolin keeps having bad luck. After she got kicked in the face in 2014 trying to catch a horse on the run (which led to an operation to her nose), she now got kicked against her arm when she wanted to help a student from up close. The horse turned and kicked her. She was trying to cover her face, but the horse hit her arm. Brolin is now in a cast and might need arm surgery. She hopes to be back in the show ring in March. Due to these injuries Brolin's show career has been stop-and-go. Last summer her Grand Prix horse Briman (by Briar) underwent laryngeal surgery.
2015 Norwegian Junior Rider's Champion horse Ravell's Herkules has been sold to junior rider Christine Falbach. Under Amalie Magnussen, the 15-year old Danish warmblood became the Norwegian Champion at junior riders level in 2014 and 2015. The bay gelding also won the team gold medal at the Nordic Baltic Championships in 2013 and 2014 and was member of the Norwegian team at the European Junior/Young Riders Championship in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Chiara Prijs-Vitale's young riders horse Michigan has been retired from competition sport. The 22-year old Dutch warmblood by Farrington x Apollonius xx took his first steps in the competition ring with Arjen Teeuwissen and Wendy van der Helm before being sold to Catherine Malone of Iron Spring Farm in the United States. The pair won the 2005 North American Young Riders Championships. In 2010 the horse returned to The Netherlands to the Prijs-Vitale family. Chiara and Michigan competed for Italy at the 2011 European Junior Riders Championships in Broholm. Last year junior Noa Prijs took over the ride on the schoolmaster.
Swedish Grand Prix rider Paulinda Friberg has been honoured with the "Lunda Cup", a special trophy awarded since the 1970s by the Cultural and Recreational Board of the City of Lund. Friberg received the Cup for her achievements in 2015, including qualifying for the 2015 World Cup Finals.
The dates for the 2016 Global Dressage Forum at Hof Kasselmann in Hagen, Germany, have been announced. The Forum, which will move to Germany for the first time, will take place 10 - 11 October 2016.
The Hungarian bred 20-year old Thoroughbred licensed breeding stallion Markus Deak xx has been approved for Trakehner breeding. The stallion was owned for a long-time by the Celle State Stud but is now listed as owned by Jurgen Knees. Markus Deak xx is by Guarde Royal xx x Sky xx x Jolly Jet xx. He sired the licensed son Carel Deak and is dam sire to the Hanoverian licensed stallion Don Darius.
Coby van Baalen's assistant trainer Lisanne der Nederlanden is leaving Stable Van Baalen after seven years of employment there. The young rider will go independent as of 1 March 2016 and is renting boxes at brood farm Sprengendal in Raalte, The Netherlands. Der Nederlanden competed numerous young horses for Van Baalen including Dion Johnson (now under Marlies van Baalen), Davina (now under Lisanne Zoutendijk) and Breezer (now under Sarah Daehnert).
Stephanie de Frel sold her 9-year old Dutch warmblood Castenwaard (by Don Schufro) to Korea. She bought the dark bay at the right after the KWPN stallion licensing in 2010 and competed him up to Intermediaire I level. Carstenwaard was the 2013 Dutch Young Horse reserve champion as a 6-year old.
Minna Telde's financial woes continue. After having filed for bankruptcy for her farm and business Hagahill Ridanlaggning och Service in July, she is now being sued by her own laywer Jonas Bergh for not paying his bills. The Swedish magazine Expressen reported that Telde did not pay 580,000 SEK in legal fees. Bergh confirmed that a part has now been covered, but 377,000 SEK is still missing.
Dutch pony team rider gone junior Joelle Peters has been hired as an assistant trainer at Joyce Lenaerts and Marcel Sterrenburg's dressage yard de Beukenvallei. With the New Forest pony Haasendonck's Sultan, Peters represented The Netherlands at the 2013 and 2014 European Pony Championships and won team silver and team bronze. Joelle began competing at international junior riders level in October 2015 with Dacar's Dream (by Johnson x Rousseau).