British FEI dressage team pony LE Chiffre has moved on to his next rider, Charlotte McDowell. Under Lara Kuropatwa, the 9-year old FEI Dressage Pony (by Caesar x Donnerwetter) was member of the British Team at the 2016 European Pony Championships
in Vilhelmsborg and finished 8th individually in the Kur to Music finals. The McDowell family has leased LE Chiffre for the 2017 show season. Charlotte was reserve for the GB team this year with her own BKS Grand Design and will campaign LE Chiffre alongside.
Serge Lecomte has been re-elected president of the French Equestrian Federation at the General Assembly in Lamotte-Beuvron on 24 November 2016. Lecomte received 59,03% votes in favour of his re-election.
Marten Luiten, the reserve rider for the Dutch team at the 2016 European Pony Championships, has received the ride on the German Riding pony Schierensees Mithril (by Schierensees Marillion x Pilgrim's Red). The dark bay stallion was licensed with the Dutch NRPS society but he has been gelded. The Schelstraete family acquired the pony at the Ponyforum Open Sales in 2014. Luiten will compete the pony at international FEI pony level to give his ride more show experience and mileage.
Dutch FEI pony rider Annelotte Felix has acquired a junior rider's horse to gain experience on. The Felix family purchased Johan Rockx' home bred 11-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Amos de la Fazenda (by Flemmingh x Sandro Hit x Burggraaf), who was previously competed up to small tour level by Mara de Vries. Felix is trained by Nicolette van Leeuwen and Coby van Baalen.
German Grand Prix rider Nicole Gläser-Käppeler celebrated her 50th birthday on 2 December. The rider has put her international dressage career on the back burner though as she last competed at a CDI in May 2015.
Hoefslag reported Dutch young rider Zoe de Booij has been hired as an assistant trainer at Leunis van Lieren's Stable Hexagon in Schore, The Netherlands. Aboard the black Dutch warmblood gelding Wodan (by Osmium), the 18-year old De Booij began her show career with the FEI dressage pony Voltago in 2012 and became a junior on Wodan in 2014. De Booij is riding Hexagon horses, but has kept her own string at her yard at home. She is now working half time at Hexagon but that might turn into a fulltime job.