The final countdown for the 2017 Horses and Dreams - CDI/CSI Hagen - has begun. We get going in exactly 14 days! Horses & Dreams meets Austria starts with the first event of the green season in Germany. Isabell Werth, world number 1 will bring an entire lorry full of horses to Hagen.
“Hagen offers a great challenge and a rare chance to bring multiple horses in the different tours; and all that, under the best conditions, as well as a great program.” Upon answering the question, which new super talent from her stables we will see in Hagen she said, “I am in favor of letting a horse perform first, before speaking of a super talent” At the same moment, she couldn’t help but say how much she is looking forward to her first start with Quintus. “The nine year old gelding doesn’t have much show experience, but I believe in him completely in Prand Prix sport – in Hagen he will be in the qualification for the “Louisdor-Preis”. And Emilio should also be there for the big tour… and then another for the “Nürnberger Burg-Pokal”. “One needs to be well represented in Hagen, but also to check out the competition, and see how the others have made it through the winter.”
Show organizer Francois Kasselmann is excited about the coveted nature of the classic horseshow Horses & Dreams: “Lots of people want to come to Hagen, I get calls every day. Surely because of the sports competition highlights, like the four-star-tour in the Almased-Dressage Arena, and the opening of the DKB-Riders Tour for the jumping riders, but also for the many opportunities for young horses – in the youngster tour, in the “Nürnberger Burg-Pokal” and on the “Louisdor-Preis”. Without young horses there would be no top sport, we offer that platform.”
Philipp Weishaupt, who secured the top prize in the final last year on Chico, also utilizes this platform. He has been competing in Hagen for a good 20 years, and always feels at home. “I always awaited the event with such anticipation, because Hagen, at that time was incomparable, and always much better than all other shows in the field. It’s still cool for me to come here, also because the development never stops.” The Bavarian born rider will dive into the competition action with Convall, the horse with whom he won the grand prix in Aachen in 2016. “This is the first start with Convall after a half year break following an injury, and I am very curious how he will feel.” As everything in Hagen from the stables to the course designers are done correctly, Weishaupt is not worried about the comfort of his beautiful grey.
Ulli Kasselmann, event organizer and owner of Hof Kasselmann in Hagen at the Teutoburger Forest, looks fondly over the past 20 years of horseshows at his stable. “We started just with pony sports, then the young rider European Championships, and in 2006 we had the first guest country at Horses & Dreams – we have developed our selves constantly, and I will never forget what once was, I am however looking forward to the next 20 years.” explained Kasselmann. Just now, in a survey of horse enthusiast, Horses & Dreams was voted the 4th most interesting horse show in Germany, behind Aachen, Hamburg, and Leipzig.
Once again in 2017 Horses & Dreams will be in the service of the charity “Riding Against Hunger” with the special help from the German A and B dressage teams, along with the dressage committee chairman Klaus Roeser. “The dressage riders will dedicate themselves to ‘Riding Against Hunger’ according to Roeser. Isabell Werth and the charity’s organizer Gurdrun Bauer took a trip to Ethiopia recently, following which Werth spoke, and showed pictures, which resulted in concrete offers to help. Werth explained, “When you have been there yourself, it makes everything especially impressive and frightening, and brings you back down to earth. We have the best basis and possibility to help here in Hagen, with the Kasselmann family. Doing good and talking about it – that’s what we will do.”
Tickets+++Tickets+++Tickets+++
Tickets for Horses & Dreams meets Austria are available in the ticket shop under www.horses-and-dreams.de or at ADticket online under www.adticket.de, or on the Tickethotline: Tel. 0180 – 60 50 400 (0,20 € per call inc. vat tax from a land line, max. 0,60 € per call on a mobile device) and at all ADticket locations.
For VIP hospitality and tickets, read VIP Hospitality at Horses & Dreams meets Austria 2017
Related Links
Horses & Dreams Meets Austria 2017: "Mei, is des schee!"
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2017 CDI Hagen