What's Happening: February 2023 - Part I

Former German team rider Fabienne Lutkemeier has given birth to her second child, a baby boy. Jonas was born at the start of February. Fabienne and her husband Ingo Müller are already parents to a son, Benn, who was born in November 2020. Fabienne celebrated her career highlight, so far, in 2014 when she was part of the German team on D'Agostino at the World Equestrian Games in Caen. At the moment she has two top Grand Prix horses: Valencia As and Valesco (both by Vitalis). The 16-year old Fabregez (by Florestano x Ragazzo), whom she last competed in May 2021, has been sent to Daniel Bachmann Andersen in Denmark. 

Dutch dressage rider Jessica Leijser will be sidelined for a while as she tore her cruciate ligaments "in a stupid way". "Mandatory rest and that's not my cup of tea," Leijser took to Instagram. The 34-year old Leijser has most recently been competing the 8-year old KWPN bred Lashmir (by Glamourdale x Vivaldi) at international small tour level. 

Swiss junior rider Chanel Moncecchi has declared for Italy and will compete for her new country as of 2023. Chanel made her international show debut in October 2022 at the CDI Ornago. She rode the 15-year old KWPn gelding Da Vinci (by Sir Donnerhall x Jazz) to a 9th and 6th place. 

International Grand Prix horse Wadest, a 15-year old Oldenburg by Welt Hit II x Sandro Hit, bred by Ariane studfarm, has been sold to the U.S.A. as a schoolmaster for Sue Newell, a client of Sarah Tubman. Previously owned by Thuysbaert, Wadest brought Moroccan dressage rider Naoufal Hassani into the international small tour arena from 2015 to 2016. In 2020 this rider got convicted in a Belgian court but the horse had already moved barns. In 2021 Justin Verboomen rode Wadest in his first international Grand prix at the CDI Waregem. Wadest then sold to a Korean rider, who was working with Belgian Tom Franckx, but now the horse has found a home in the U.S.A.

Dutch young rider Evi van Rooij had to say goodbye to her international dressage horse, Edea (by Johnson x Biotop). The 14-year old KWPN mare, bred and owned by Janske and Peter Traa, sustained an injury and has been retired from sport to become a broodmare. Van Rooij and Edea competed at the 2021 CDI Exloo and the 2022 CDI Grote Brogel, where they won the young riders' team test. In 2021 van Rooij rode on the Dutch junior team with Don Tango in 2021. In 2022 she was also briefly paired to former Dutch team horse, Avanti.

Dutch young rider Tom Verhoeven has added some more horse power to his barn. At VDL stud in The Netherlands his sponsor Next level Stables bought no less than six horses: four 3-year olds, the 12-year old Westfalian licensed stallion Tiesto VDL (by TOtilas x Sir Sinclair), who was previously shown up to national S** level by David Lessnig, and the 8-year old Gouvernant (by Governor x Krack C). 

Finnish Grand Prix team rider Stella Hagelstam has given birth to a baby boy on 4 February 2023. "There is so much magic in birth and the beginning of a new life that I’m still a little out of words," Stella wrote. "He is perfect in all aspects and we are all healthy and doing well.  Feeling so very blessed at the moment." Stella is already mom to daughter Valencia.

Manfred Kötter has passed away. He was 86 years old. "Manni" Kötter was an international show jumping rider and competed in the age against jumper legends such as Günter Winkler, Fritz Thiedemann, and Alwin Schockemöhle. He was often consulted as a trainer for flatwork with jumpers and was seen at Beerbaum's and Schockemöhle's stable. He leaves behind wife Gisela and two daughters, dressage rider Sandra Kötter and jumping rider Melanie Kötter.