Dutch professional dressage rider Lotje Schoots and her partner, Patrick Berends, got married. Berends, who is chair of the KNHS Dressage Forum and owner of Equestrian Center Groenraven, is also a national Grand Prix judge. The couple got married on 3 June and celebrated their wedding at their own farm. The 35-year old Schoots was one of Holland's most successful youth riders almost two decades ago. In most recent years she mainly showed internationally at young horse and small tour level.
Beatriz Ferrer-Salat has received the Order of Merit for her achievements in sport from the Spanish Olympic Committee. COE president Alejandro Blanco handed Ferrer-Salat the medal in a special ceremony. "I'm always so excited to go to the COE and listen to the speeches, and see the great effort of all the athletes to get to the Games," said Bea.
Canadian dressage rider and foal buyer Vicky Lavoie of Nexolia Dressage struck again and purchased an embryo by Toto jr out of Zoriana (by Jazz), the dam of Kjento at a Dutch embryo auction. She paid 19,000 euro for it. A Dutch buyer purchased an embryo by Dante Weltino out of Fasinette (by Fürst Romancier) for 19,000 euro. A frozen embryo by Sezuan out of La Palma (by Diamant Hit) sold for 14,000 euro to France.
Ridehesten reported that Birgitte Byrialsen's 9-year old Dansk warmblood mare Møllegårdens Sans-Souci (by Sir Donnerhall x Sam Sam), bred by Lone Christiansen, has been sold to American junior rider Virginia Woodcock. The 15-year old lives in Atlanta, GA,. Byrialsen competed the chestnut up to MB level in Denmark.
FEI President and IOC Member Ingmar De Vos (BEL) has been re-elected on the Council of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The election took place on 31 May at the 47th ASOIF General Assembly held in Lausanne (SUI), and was opened with a speech by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach who congratulated ASOIF on their achievements and the indispensable role of International Federations delivering and modernising the Olympic Games. This is De Vos’ second term as ASOIF Council member. Since 2016, he has been a member of the ASOIF Governance Taskforce, and was first elected to the ASOIF Council in 2019 for a four-year term. The ASOIF Council is composed of eight individual members – all leaders of Summer Olympic International Federations (IFs), and the ASOIF Executive Director (ex officio without voting rights).
More managerial changes in Danish warmblood. Now the board of the national headquarters in Vilhelmsborg saw two new members join. Newcomers on the board are Danish warmblood representative and jumper judge Lis Juul (new chairman) as well as Jørn Jensen, a DWB main board member as well as DWB region 5 board member. They join Vivi Grav Hansen (deputy chair), Anne-Mette Binder, Sanne Nielsen and Jørn Jensen on the board. They replace departing members are Hans Marius Jørgensen and chair Lasse Langfeldt, who also chairs the board of TV2 Østjylland. These last new changes are in the wake of a complete board crisis within Danish warmblood which were prompted by to the firing of Karina Christiansen and the mass resignation of three long dressage licensing committee members. DWB then put fresh faces in charge, more in line with their way of thinking.