French Grand Prix Horses Badinda Altena and Actuelle de Massa Sold to Scandinavia

Dressage

Sweden

Former French dressage team horses Badinda Altena and Actuelle de Massa have been sold and will appear under saddle of two Scandinavian riders, one from Norway and one from Sweden.

Badinda Altena

Badinda Altena is a 17-year old KWPN mare by Tolando x Goodtimes. She is bred in Holland by J. Timmermans.

Under Frenchman Pierra Volla the mare made her international show debut as a young horse at the CDI Pompadour in 2012 and went on to represent France at the 2012 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where they were 13th in the consolation finals.

They returned three years later for their Grand Prix debut at the 2015 CDI Vidauban. They became a fixture on the French team competing at the 2015 and 2017 European Championships and 2016 Rio Olympics. They were the 2016 and 2017 French Grand Prix champions and they won bronze at the 2018 French Championships.

In the summer of 2018 Volla refused to ride on the team at the World Equestrian Games and sold his horse to Danish real estate mogul (Jeudan) Jens Erik Udsen, who gave her to Charlotte Heering to ride. She only once showed her internationally in 2020 in Aarhus. Two years later the mare made a surprise return on the scene with Helgstrand's team rider Jeanna Hogberg and won the CDI-W Zakrzow. In August and September of 2022, Trine Holm Søgaard got her on loan and competed her in three national Inter II classes.

Sold to Norway

At the start of March 2023 Badinda was sent to Cathrine Dufour who used her big social media network to promote the horse. Less than a week later she sold to Norwegian Celina Bådstangen, who is based at Aubenhausen.

Badstangen has been campaigning Lacoste (by Locksley II x Wolkenstein II) at Under 25 level. The pair made its international debut at the 2022 CDI Mariakalnok a year ago.

"She’s an incredible mare and I can’t wait to get to know her," Celina told Eurodressage. The Norwegian recently had to take it easy as she got injured in a car accident. "The streets were covered in ice and snow, which made me crash off the road," she explained. "I am riding again but need to take it slow while the sternum is healing."

Actuelle de Massa

Actuelle de Massa is a 13-year old Lusitano mare by Pastor GUB out of Ofelia de la Font (by Fuzilador OCO). She is bred Sylvain Massa.

Trained to Grand Prix level by Anne Sophie Serre, the mare first represented France internationally at the 2016 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo, where she finished 11th in the 6-year old consolation finals. A month later the duo earned bronze at the 2016 French Young Horse Championships.

Serre and Actuelle at the 2019 CDI-W Mechelen

In 2017 Serre rode the dark bay in the 7-year old tests and in 2018 moved her up to medium tour level. As of August 2019 they began competing at international Grand Prix level and the duo became instrumental in France clinching a team spot for the Tokyo Olympics Games. However, she did not compete at all in 2020 and returned to the scene in April 2021 but with her Grand Prix score stuck at 69% while in 2019 was more consistently over 70%. They were not selected for Tokyo.

Serre last competed Actuelle internationally at the CDI-W Lyon a year and a half ago in October 2021.

Sold to Sweden

The elegant bay mare has now been sold to the Swedish company Söderberg Select Stables behind rider Beata Soderberg, a student of Patrik Kittel.

Beata made her name on the international show scene as an Under 25 rider aboard Fiorano (by Rousseau x Rotspon). Since 2021 she competed on the senior circuit with schoolmaster Heuberger TSF and has two rising stars in Jimbrere B (by Bordeaux x Jazz) and Talento (by Totilas x Breitling W).