Dutch Grand Prix rider Tommie Visser and his Dutch born Belgian boyfriend Rob van Puijenbroek got engaged on Tuesday 8 March 2016. Van Puijenbroek, who runs dressage and breeding stable De Begijnhoeve in Retie, Belgium, surprised Visser with his proposal at a photo shoot with Govert de Roos. The couple has been together for almost two years.
Ludovic Martin, assistant trainer of Bernadette Brune's Domaine Equestre des Grands Pins in Vidauban, France, has received the ride on Brune's third Grand Prix horse, the KWPN licensed stallio Valeron (by Sandro Hit). As Brune will be focusing on competing Spirit of the Age and Lights of Londonderry, Martin will get the opportunity to campaign Valeron this 2016 show season.
Manuela Stuber has been appointed the new manager of administration of the EU Stallion Station at the Dressage Performance Centre Lodbergen. She will also be in charge of the event organisation at the centre. The Bavarian born Stuber has her own training station and was stud manager at Haras de Hus in France before returning back to Germany. She was head manager at Sissy Max-Theurer's Gestut Vorwerk before moving to Lodbergen.
Gestut Birkhof's 7-year old Westfalian licensed stallion Genesis (by Gribaldi x Sir Donnerhall I) has been castrated in the equine clinic after the black was diagonised with inguinal hernia. Genesis is trained at S-level dressage and will continue his career as a sport horse.
Breeding stallions Solar and Dschehim have passed away in February. The 28-year old Redefin state stud Trakehner stallion Solar was by Altan II x Trafaret x Sturmwind and bred by Gestut Ganschow. He did his stallion performance testin Redefin in 1991 and became reserve champion. He has 51 offspring registered with the German equestrian federation of which the majority performed in the show ring. The 20-year old Marbach state stud bred and owned grey Anglo Arabian Dschehim ox (by Pamir ox x Nasrodin ox x Habdan Enzahi ox) was licensed for Arabian breeding in 1999 and he did his stallion performance test in Marbach in 2000 scorring 104.13 points to finish 10th out of 25 participating stallions. He was approved for Trakehner breeding in 2007. He has mainly been bred to other Arabian mares though.
British FEI pony rider Holly Kerslake (12) has acquired the 7-year old Danish bred Welsh cob stallion Valhallas Zorro. Under Danish Anne Mette Lyager, Zorro became the 2014 Danish Young Pony Champion as a 5-year old and they made their interntional FEI pony level debut at the 2015 CDIO Saumur. They also competed at the inaugural 2015 World Young Pony Championships in Verden and won the 2015 Danish Young Pony Championships in the 6-year old division.
Top Iberian reported that Spanish young rider Kevin Roegele has retired his number one horse Wieske from competition sport. The 13-year old Dutch warmblood mare by Obelisk out of Lady Two (by Wolfgang x Apple King xx) sustained a career ending injury. The pair made its international Junior Riders debut at the CDI Toledo in 2013. They represented Spain at the 2013 and 2014 European Junior Riders Championships in Compiegne and Arezzo and were Spanish National Junior Riders Champions those same two years. In 2015 they made the transition to Young Riders level but in the spring of 2015 the horse became unfit and will not recover back to show fitness.
Horses.nl reported that Dutch Grand Prix rider Dominique Filion is emigrating to Russia. She will move to Moscow, Russia, on 1 April 2016 where she will become an assistant trainer at Maxima Stables. "I have nothing to lose. My family travelled much, everyone can visit me there and I don't have children nor a boyfriend. I had a dream to compete at the big shows since I was small. I did a lot as a youth rider, but now I'll get every opportunity to develop further. I'm 31 years old and if I don't do it now, I'll never do it. I'll never know if I don't try."
Danish Grand Prix rider Nanna Skodborg Merrald has finally made her show come back on her number one Grand Prix horse Millibar (by Milan) who injured himself at the 2014 World Cup Finals in Lyon and took two years to recover fully. At the national show in Holte, Denmark, on Saturday 12 March 2016. Millibar won the small Grand Prix class with 72.8% and the rider has made it clear that she is aiming for Danish Olympic team selection.
Oklarette, the retired international Grand Prix mare of Dutch Grand Prix rider Wilma Wernsen, has given birth to her first foal on 9 March 2016. The 20-year old black Dutch warmblood mare (by Ferro x Candyboy x Roemer) was retired from competition sport in 2014 and was bred to Bordeaux, but the pregnancy did not work out. She was rebred to Glamourdale and on 9 March 2016 she delivered a healthy, black filly.
DJ Tiesto, the triple gold medal winning junior riders' horse at the 2012 European JR Championships, has been officially retired from sport. Under Dana van Lierop, the Dutch warmblood gelding (by Rohdiamant x Nocturn) conquered team, individual test and Kur gold at the Europeans in Berne, Switzerland. Shortly afterwards he sustained a severe injury. Even though Van Lierop's mother and coach, Nicolette van Leeuwen, always told Eurodressage the horse would make a come back, he never did. Today his official retirement was announced on Facebook. DJ Tiesto is 16 years old and will spend his retirement in the field.
The embryo by Zonik out of Dutch Grand Prix mare Reine B (by Rubinstein) sold via the online embryo auction for 26,000 euro to a dressage enthusiast in Germany.
Florian Zimmermann has been appointed new Head of the Spanish Riding School’s Heldenberg Training Centre. He will be responsible for all the activities at the Heldenberg Training Centre in Lower Austria including the on-site horses’ well-being, the best possible staff organization and local conditions for stallions and Riders and finally, the coordination of seminars for the national and international riding world.