What's Happening: February 2023 - Part II

Sun, 02/26/2023 - 22:01
Bits 'n Pieces
Alexandra Andresen and Colin Thompson are engaged :: Photo © Andresen

Former medal winning international youth rider Alexandra Andresen got engaged to her partner, former American race car driver Colin Thompson. Originlly from Doylestown, PA, Thompson is is the son of 1989 American Racing Series driver John Thompson and winner of a series of GT Cups between 2014-2015. The couple runs a business together, Paramount Wood Co, custom handcrafting furniture of exquisite woods. She was proposed to on the beach on 28 January 2023 and said yes. Andresen last competed internationally in May 2018. She began struggling with back issues, which made her quit competitive dressage sport. She won silver and bronze at the 2013 European Junior Riders Championships in Compiegne and double silver at the 2014 European Junior Riders Championships in Arezzo on Belamour.

Swedish equestrian publication Hippson published an elaborate article of how four stable workers were psychologically terrorized at a big high performance stable in Sweden. The article features four detailed eye-witness accounts of the alleged mental abuse. You can read the story here

Akane Kuroki got married. Congratulations
Japanese Olympic dressage team rider Akane Kuroki got married on 19 February 2023 in Osaka, Japan. The long-time Japanese team rider got engaged in July 2021 to her partner, who runs a real estate company. Akane wore a stylish shirt dress in silk and huge colourful flower arrangements coloured the wedding venue. Music of the Phantom of the Opera and Lady Gaga was played and guests danced the night away.

Howald Pferdekaemper, co-founder of the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, has passed away at age 92. In 1983 Howald and his wife Gisela established the Palm Beach Derby together with Janne Rumbough at the Hanover Horse Farm and they were the trailblazers for dressage competition sport in Florida. Pferdekaemper created the White Fences dressage community in Loxahatchee. Howald was originally from Germany and emigrated to Florida in 1975. He leaves behind his wife and two sons Marcus and Till.

Ninnie Odenrick passed away peacefully at her home in Limerick just before Christmas. A native of Sweden, Ninnie was one of the leading dressage trainers in Ireland for many decades. She was a judge, a former member of the board of Dressage Ireland, a former chairperson of the Dressage Ireland international affairs committee, and chef d'equipe for first Irish dressage team to compete at the World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy (1998) and also at the European Championships (2001) in Verden, Germany.

Gambys Hanneken at the 2018 CDI Uggerhalne
The Danish internationally competed dressage pony Gambys Hanneken (by Don't Worry x Brilliant) has been sold to Danish pony rider Cecilia Vinther Agerup. The chestnut mare represented Denmark at the 2016 European Pony Championships and finished 13th individually with Victoria Bonefeld Dahl. In 2020 she was named first reserve for the European Pony Championships.

Another good match made through the Eurodressage Equimarket. Irish international FEI pony rider Sophia Doheny found her junior rider's horse in schoolmaster Batiqar, a 17-year old KWPN gelding by Obelisk x Juventus. Doheny has been competing ponies Angel and Newoak Gold Rush at CDI's in Keysoe, Wellington, Grote Brogel and Meerle last year.

The 20-year old KWPN stallion Westenwind (by Flemmingh x Contango) has got a new rider, again. The bay stallion has been competed by a string of riders, starting with Emmelie Scholtens, who ride him twice at the World Young Horse Championships in Verden. They won the Dutch Championships at Z1 level and in 2011 he became Dutch Champion at ZZ-Zwaar level. Then Belgian Tom Franckx rode him, followed by Kirsten Brouwer and her assistent Ellis Halbmeijer. In 2015 he sold as a sport horse and was competed by Ireen de Leeuw and in 2018 he sold again to Saudi Arabian para dressage rider  Ahmed Sharbatly, who last competed him at age 19 at the 2022 World Para Dressage Championships. Horses.nl now reported that Dutch Dewy Lems is his new rider.

Dutch professional dressage rider Robin van Lierop and his partner Seth Boschman have started a new project, Unity Dressage, after leaving their sponsors of 10 years, Saskia and Jacques Lemmens of RS2 Dressage in Groesbeek. The duo temporarily moved to Resim Dressage in Harskamp, but have now found a new base in Gendt at Ilona Goris' stable. Van Lierop has teamed up with Anniek Winters on sales and training while Boschman will do the coaching.