The international Grand Prix horse Private Dancer has been sold to Active Equestrian as new mount for British Olympic team rider Nicola McGivern.
McGivern and business partner Fiona James purchased the 9-year old Private Dancer (Jazz x Formateur) from its Dutch owners Willem-Jan Schotte and Stable Goubergh. Through its network of close contacts, Active Equestrian discovered the 17.0 hh liver chestnut gelding in the stables of German Olympic team rider Hubertus Schmidt.
McGivern tried out Private Dancer for the first time on December 22, 2006 and stayed in Germany until Christmas Eve to get acquainted with the horse. “He’s such an amazing horse. He is really intelligent, listens to the different aids and has amazing gaits,” McGivern said. There was an immediate connection between rider and horse and Nicola realised that Private Dancer was the horse she had been looking for more than one year and a half.
Private Dancer was previously campaigned at Grand Prix level by Hubertus Schmidt. The combination showed at the international competitions in Verden , Bremen , and Stuttgart , achieving scores between 67.6% and 72.6% and consistently placing at the top.
McGivern and James added two more FEI stars to their collection of horses. At Lyn O’Connell’s farm in the United States , they discovered Active Weltino, a black 10-year old Oldenburg gelding by Welt Hit II. “Weltino arrived on Christmas Eve from Boston . He has the most extreme piaffe and passage I have ever seen,” McGivern rejoiced.
In Germany, they found the FEI prospect Active Maybach, a rising 6-year old Sandro Song offspring with phenomenal gaits. “He’s a mega horse; tall, long legs, elegant and comfortable. Everything is easy for him,” Nicola stated.
With three new boys on the block, Active Equestrian will take plenty of time to build up a solid relationship with their new horses. As number one Grand Prix horse Active Walero (by Wanderer) is in full work and ready for competition, McGivern has planned to compete her horses firstly at national shows in Great Britain before venturing abroad.
The three new additions mean no end to Nicola and Fiona’s search for more quality horses. “We are constantly looking for high potential dressage horses to buy and sell,” she said. Active Equestrian is a professional sales and training facility of top quality dressage horses in Buckinghamshire , Great Britain . “We are a very open stable. Anybody can call for an informal chat or enquire about our services. We like to welcome anyone with an interest in performance horses,” McGivern explained. Active Equestrian regularly offers for sale young horses and FEI horses of outstanding quality.
More info on Nicola McGivern and Active Equestrian at: www.activeequestrian.com or call +44 1494 866662
Photos copyrighted: Astrid Appels (top) - Stuttgart German Masters (bottom)
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