At the 2020 CDI-W Wellington on 11 - 13 December a new, interesting duo made its international show debut in the Under 25 division: Kendall Cox on Tina Konyot's former Grand Prix ride, Diamantino II.
Diamantino II is an 11-year old Hanoverian gelding by Desperados out of Laura (by Lauries Crusador xx x Lemon Tree x Wendekreis).
He is bred in Germany by Rolf and Maria Dinklage. The chestnut is owned by Bruce Grivetti.
From Missouri to Verden
The 22-year old Kendall Cox is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and majored in English Equestrian Studies at the University of Findlay in Ohio. She began riding at the age of 5 and competed in Saddlebred shows for 12 years before switching to dressage.
In the winter of 2017, she attended the three-month Winter Intensive Training Program with Olympian Lendon Gray in Wellington, Florida. The experience made her decide to fully go for a career with horses.
"I trained with several people, including Catherine Haddad Staller, Lendon Gray, Lauren Chumley, Nicole Thüngen, " Cox told Eurodressage.
Cox rode the first time down the centerline at an international competition in September 2019 at Dressage at Devon. Aboard Lendon Gray's Hanoverian gelding Davidor (by Davignon I x Espri) she rode in the Young Riders classes.
In the winter of 2019-2020, Cox spent three months riding horses for the Hanoverian Breed Society in Verden, Germany.
"I would have loved to stay in Europe but I had to come back to the states to finish my college degree," said Cox. "Shortly after I had the awesome opportunity to work for Robert, so I am super happy to stay in the states!"
Assistant Trainer for Robert Dover
In April 2020 Cox was hired as an assistant rider for Olympian and former U.S. team trainer Robert Dover.
One of the perks of the job is that Kendall gets to ride high quality dressage horses, including Bruce Grivetti's Grand Prix horse Diamantino II and the 6-year old Oldenburg stallion Doutano (by Don Noblesse x Dolany). The New York based Grivetti acquired Doutano upon Tina's recommendation at the 2017 PSI Auction in Germany. He paid 220,000 euro at auction.
"Bruce asked Robert to help him find a Young Rider for his horses," Kendall explained. "I was lucky enough to have been selected as their new rider under Robert’s direction."
Tina Konyot and Diamantino II
The Roman number "II" behind his name is in fact a misreading from the number 11. The horse is registered with the German Equestrian Federation as "Diamantino 11, the 11th horse with that name in the FN database.
"At the end of 2013 Diamantino was scouted by U.S. Team rider Tina Konyot and acquired by her business partner, PSD Partners LLC, the company behind Patsy and Leet Denton. Konyot developed the gelding from novice level to Grand Prix.
Tina and Diamantino made their national show debut in January 2017 at small tour level at the CDN Wellington. At the time Konyot told Eurodressage that their show debut took a while as the horse was difficult to ride.
"He had some delay in his upbringing because of some terrible behavioral issues," she said in 2017. "He broke my knee the summer of 2015 and the summer of 2016 he has come into himself. Everyone told me to never ride him again but I'm my father's daughter and never give-up. So dreams do come true and Diamond and I are on a new adventure together."
Konyot and Diamantino rode into the CDI ring for the first time in January 2018. They actively competed at small tour level during the three months of the 2018 Global Dressage Festival in Wellington. They won two international classes and placed five more times in the top five.
Sold to Grivetti, Autumn in Europe
"I spent six years developing this horse, (it) was a very difficult road to travel but we developed a happy successful relationship," Konyot told Eurodressage. "At 80 years old Patsy Denton wanted to get out of the horse business and decided to sell Diamantino. With that knowledge I started to put a syndicate together and I raised $360,000 to pay for Diamantino, but Patsy decided to go another avenue and sell the horse to a friend of mine whom she had meet through me."
Diamantino sold to Grivetti in July 2019. Konyot and the chestnut travelled to Europe that autumn and made their international Grand Prix debut at the CDI Ornago in Italy in September 2019, where they scored 65.326% in the Grand Prix and 68.681% in the Special. They spent two months in total training with Jan Bemelmans in Germany.
"Bruce Grivetti owned the horse four months, then decided to pull the horse from me without reason," said a saddened Konyot. Diamantino as well as Doutano were moved to Robert Dover's base in Wellington. Cox received the ride in April 2020.
"Kendall is a lucky girl to benefit from a well trained horse and I’m happy that he is being loved by her," said Konyot, who added that she was "was damaged and heart broken" and" trying to put it all behind" her.
Kendall's Under 25 Debut
Their second national show was 12 - 15 November at the Global Dressage Fall Festival, where they earned 71.324% in the Inter II and 67.179% in the Short Grand Prix.
At their first international on 11 - 13 December, they were third in the Intermediaire II with 65.294% and third in the Short Grand Prix with 63.821%
It has been an incredible experience. I have learned so much from Robert and I am very blessed to have the ride on such an amazing horse!
"I had a great experience at our first CDI," said Kendall. "This horse gives his whole heart each and every day and I am so grateful to Bruce Grivetti for the ride on this wonderful horse."
Photo © Astrid Appels - private
Related Links
Tina Konyot Back in the Arena with Diamantino at 2017 CDN Wellington
Cox, Dean-Potter, Irons Sweep Young Riders Division at 2019 CDI-W Devon
Zum Gluck, Price Highlight of the 2017 PSI Auction