Marcia Pepper's 19-year old Danish warmblood mare Mariett (by Come Back II x Sidney) has been scanned in foal to the KWPN licensed stallion Everdale (by Lord Leatherdale x Negro). Under Danish Lars Petersen, Mariett was member of the Danish team at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, France and at the 2015 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas.
Horses.nl reported that Dutch FEI rider Joyce Heuitink has sold her 12-year old Grand Prix mare Apart I Dancer (by Quattro B x Jazz) to an Asian junior rider. Joyce's mom Willy Heuitink acquired Apart as a foal at the 2005 Borculo Foal Auction. As a filly the mare finished third at the 2005 KWPN Foal Championship and as a 3-year old she was in the final ring of the 2008 KWPN Mare Championship. As a 10-year old the liver chestnut mare made a transition to national Grand Prix level.
Two young KWPN stallions have been gelded and sold to North America. Rob van Ruitenbeek sold his chestnut Galandro (by Bon Bravour x Donnerhall) to the U.S.A. The chestnut scored 78.5 points in his stallion performance test in 2014 but was never popular with the breeders. He has been gelded and sold. Canadian Pam Am team rider Chris von Martels acquired the 6-year old dark bay stallion Figuero (by Rhodium) and had him gelded as well. Figuero was trained by Jeroen Hamelink but not licensed for the KWPN society.
Sanneke Rothenberger's retired Grand Prix horse Wolke Sieben is in foal to Zonik. The 18-year old Hanoverian mare (by Wolkenstein II x Hitchcock) was bred earlier this spring to Danone and in foal to twins. Those embryos have been flushed and were transferred into surrogate mares but only one of those is still in foal. Wolke Sieben was then rebred to Zonik and will carry this foal herself. The chestnut mare was Sanneke Rothenberger's 2012 European Young Riders Championships horse with which she won team silver and individual bronze. The mare moved to Grand Prix level in 2014 and did her last show at the 2016 CDI Frankfurt in December.
The Russian Trakehner licensed stallion Abrek (by Ech-Ma x Singapur xx x Paks) passed away at the ripe old age of 33 at the beginning of May. Owned by the Beinwachs familuy in Austria, Abrek was born in 1984 at the Kirow stud in Russia. He came to Austria twenty years ago via Slovakia and competed up to S-level himself. His son, licensed Trakehner stallion Farao, was successful at S-dressage level in Austria under Susanne Haber and stands at stud in Croatia.
British Para-Dressage Coach Michel Assouline will be leaving the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) World Class Programme after this summer’s European Championships (22-27 August), to join the United States Equestrian Federation as their Head of Para-Equestrian Coach Development and High Performance Consultant.
Zuchterforum reported that the 2015 Oldenburg Licensing Champion Bonds (by Benecio x Sir Donnerhall) will not be standing at stud this 2017 breeding season. The liver chestnut stallion, who is owned by Belgian Anemone Samyn of HC Stables and trained by Beatrice Buchwald, injured a ligament in the pelvic area which needs rest to heal.
The investigation in the corruption scandal at the Warendorf State Stud has not yet come to an end. The investigation started in 2014 and has led to the firing of stud manager Susanne Schmitt-Rimkus, financial director Bernhard Gerdemann and head stable rider Peter Borgreve in 2017. The trio is under investigating for skimming over 200,000 euro (for commission fees on the sale of horses to Qatar as well as travel expenses for so called business trips to Qatar). According to Zuchterforum the Westfalian breed society was raided on 18 May 2017, not as part of the previous investigation but to find new evidence against other persons, in particular managing director Wilken Treu. Zuchterforum states the razzia is part of an investigation in money gone missing in cases where stallions were sold at auction and then leased back by the state stud. The auction prices were apparently not paid through the Westfalian society (as the auction stipulateds), but privately between buyer and seller. The Westfalian breed society has reacted to and explained their full co-operation with the investigation in an open letter (in German).
In March a federal judge in Atlanta dismissed the lawsuit in which Helga Glock accused Gaston Glock, the founder of the Glock pistol company and sponsor of several Dutch dressage and show jumping riders, of conspiring to steal millions from his ex-wife. Shortly after Gaston Glock married second wife Kathrin in July 2011, Glock’s ex-wife Helga reportedly sued the billionaire in Austria, alleging she was cheated out of her true stake in the company, which she claimed was more than the 1% she now owns. Helga won her alimony case but lost the lawsuit about her stake. In 2014 she took the battle to a U.S. federal court in Georgia and claimed Glock cheated her emotionally and financially. More than 350 pages long, the suit accused Gaston Glock, his associates and related companies of participating in a decades-long, worldwide racketeering scheme to take money from Helga Glock through improper royalty payments, laundering money through fraudulent billing companies, and sham lease and loan agreements. U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash ruled that Helga Glock, an Austrian citizen and resident, didn't suffer harm to her business or property in the U.S., meaning she can't bring a racketeering claim in the U.S.A. Helga Glock's lawyer stated that they intend to appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Read More
Ridsport reported that Emilie Brolin's streak of bad luck now continues with another blow. After several accidents which put the Swedish rider out of action, this time her Grand Prix horse Briman sustained an injury. At CDI Kristiansand in Norway the Briar offspring already had difficulties with performing the piaffe and he also felt uncomfortable on transport. The vet diagnosed a crack in the sacro-illiac/pelvic area and the horse has to be on box rest for the next three months.