Russian Junior Taisia Rusakova Acquires WCYH Participant Saint Julian

Dressage

Russia

Russian junior rider Taisia Rusakova has acquired the 11-year old WCYH participant Saint Julian as her future young riders' horse.

Saint Julian is an 11-year old Hanoverian gelding by Sandro Hit x Donnerhall. He is bred by Helmut Heidmeyer.

Licensed Stallion

Owned Hof Kasselmann, Saint Julian was licensed at the 2013 Hanoverian Stallion Licensing, but never did his performance test nor stood up for stud.

He was gelded and sold to British based Russian Ulla Smirnova.

WCYH participant

Smirnova gave the ride on Saint Julian to Tom Goode, principal rider at British Olympia Emile Faurie's Heath Farm in the Cotswolds.

Goode and Saint Julian won the 6-year old classes and British team qualifier at Bolesworth Dressage and went on to represent Team GB at the 2017 World Championships for Young Dresssage Horses in Ermelo, The Netherlands, where they finished 8th in the consolation finals with 81 points.

Saint Julian was developed to schooling Grand Prix level and successfully competed up to national Intermediaire I level. He has won several Regional Champions' titles in the U.K. at Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I level.

St Petersburg

In January 2022 Saint Julian sold to the 18-year old Rusakova, who is based at her parents' yard in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is trained by her mother Marina Rusakova.

Rusakova is the 2020 Russian junior riders champion. At the start of her international career the Russian was based in Spain, training with Lauro Aguilo. She has represented her country at the 2016 and 2017 European Children Championships on pony Terrano (by Timberland x PS Picasso) and at the 2018 European Children Championships on Bandolero (by Briar Junior x Okido).

Between 2016 and 2021 she competed no less than 9 different horses at international shows. In 2021 she rode her brother Timofei Rusakov's Zidane (by Ravel x Jackson), x Boniro Platinum (by Bordeaux), Hocus Pocus (by Cachet L x United), and the Westfalian mare Rianna.

Taisia has made her national show debut on Saint Julian, but is not allowed to compete internationally as Russia is banned from international sport due to the war in Ukraine.