German rider Vera Nass, who won bronze at the 2015 World Young Horse Championships in Verden aboard Quantensprung, has resigned from her position as assistant trainer at Klosterhof Medingen and moved to Jonny Hilberath's yard.
As of 15 November the 29-year old Nass began working for Jonny in Abbendorf, Germany, but will also continue to ride some horses for her own clients. Nass has trained with Jurgen Koschel, Klaus Balkenhol and been to Australia, before she became a steady rider at Burkhard Wahler's Klosterhof.
Renowned Dutch horse breeder Willy van Beek has passed away on 6 December 2016. Van Beek has bred several highly successful Dutch warmblood horses, including licensed stallion Bon Bravour (who finished 6th at the World Young Horse Championships), small tour horse Don Bravour, Brabant Regional Mare Champion Gossiemijne B (by Metall) and Giuliano (by Bon Bravour), who became the reserve champion at the the 2016 U.S. young Horse Championships under Karin Persson this year. Van Beek also had the 2.5 year old colt Jimbrere (by Bordeaux x Jazz) accepted for the 2017 KWPN Stallion Licensing.
Dr. Kerstin Klieber has put her Westfalian licensed stallion Sensation (by Sir Heinrich x Casparino x Cordial Medoc) up for stud for the 2017 at the Dressage Performance Centre Lodbergen. The bay stallion will be trained by Lukas Fischer, who also trained and competed Klieber's Daytone Platinum which sold to Fiona Bigwood after the 2016 Bundeschampionate.
Marcus Hermes' Sweetheart FH (by Scolari x Hohenstein), who won the Werder qualifier for the Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals in Frankfurt but dropped out last week for unknown reasons, is currently in the equine clinic of Telgte recovering from colic surgery. The bay mare was successfully operated on her small intense which got trapped in a belly fold, is not coping very well with the operation and battling for her life. We wish her a speedy recovery!
Joyce Lenaerts and Marcel Sterrenburg have sold a share in the ownership of their young KWPN licensed stallion Iconic B (by Bon Bravour x Jazz) to stallion owner Kees van den Oetelaar. The chestnut Iconic B became the KWPN Autumn stallion performance test winner with 86 points.
Dutch youth rider Demy Kurstjens, who was member of the pony team that competed at the 2014 European Pony Championships, has been unable to make a smooth transition into the international junior riders division. Kurstjens ended up competing at national level and despite having quite some horse stock, she did not make it into the Dutch junior squad. This might change now. De Hoefslag reported that Kurstjens has received the ride on two new horses owned by Thai Kanok Boonyoiyad. The 13-year old gelding Daytona VDL (by Don Primero) can be her stepping stone into the Young Riders division. She will also be riding the 3-year old It's Iceman (by Everdale) for the Thai client. Trained by Tineke Bartels, Kurstjens also rides her own small tour horses Zandro DK and Chaplin DJ and youngster Houdini DK.
The Furstenball x Sandro Hit offspring that was proclaimed champion of the 2016 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing has been named: Fürst Fabrice. The Swiss Adrian Gasser acquired the stallion for 300,000 euro at the auction and will be standing him at stud at Gerd Sosath's station in Lemwerder, Germany.
Johannes Flemming will be resigning from his position as stud manager at Stallion Station Böckmann in Lastrup, Germany. Flemming will be replaced by Christoph Rowold as of 1 January 2017. Rowold is a veterinarian, breeder and S-level show jumping rider.
Newlyweds Maik Kohlschmidt and Malene Ebbesen are celebrating their honeymoon in the Philippines. The couple got married on 23 July 2016 in Denmark. British Olympic short listed rider Gareth Hughes and his wife Rebecca are spending Christmas in Phuket, Thailand.
The Dutch Welsh pony studbook announced that licensed stallion Vigaro (by Heidehof's Don Diego x Bodo) has been sold to the U.K. The 4-year old chestnut stallion was proclaimed "Pony with the Best Trot" at the 2015 Dutch Welsh Pony Stallion Licensing. He completed his stallion performance testing with an 8 for walk and trot, 7.5 for canter, 8 for dressage potential, 6.5 for show jumping and 9 for character. For suitability as a sport pony he got 7.5. He will continue his career in Great Britain as a dressage pony. Brits also acquired the gelded Heidehof's Dylano (by Kooihuster Samme) and Leuns Veld's Xantos (by Heitrak's Marvin).
Brazilian Paralympian Rodolpho Riskalla, who won the 2016 FEI Against All Odds award, has received the ride on the 6-year old Oldenburg mare Lucky One (by Lord Sinclair x Rimini x Parcours). Hof Kasselmann and the Italian "World Soul" association generously offered the ride on the 2015 PSI Auction horse to Riskalla, who is based in at Frederic Ducay's Quixote stables in France. Riskalla's FEI dressage career ended last year when he contracted bacterial meningitis in 2015. He had both the lower part of his legs, his right hand and part of the fingers of the left hand amputated. Riskalla is now a Grade III Paralympian and competed in Rio.
Zuchterforum reported that the Trakehner licensed stallion Sedar (by Zauberklang x Lagnus x Pelion x Absprung) passed away on 8 October 2016 at age 27. The chestnut stallion was bred by Manfred Bethke and competed up to L level under Norbert Wallochny. He stood up for stud in the south of Germany. From 2003 till 2011 at Andreas Bohn's stallion and as of 2012 at Ursula Driemel's Gestut Schöntalmühle. He has 35 offspring registered for sport and 35 daughters registered for breeding of which six are state premium mares.