Alexander Yde Helgstrand's Belantis Sold to Sweden

Dressage

Denmark

Belantis, Alexander Helgstrand's European Young Riders championship medal winning horse, has been sold to Sweden. He will continue in sport under Sofia Ek.

Belantis is a 2009 born DSP registered gelding by Benetton Dream out of Philharmonie (by Expo'se x Sandro Hit).

Licensed Stallion

He is bred by the Brandenburg state stud Neustadt/Dosse. Werth's sponsor Madeleine Winter-Schulze purchased the stallion from the state stud as a youngster.

As a 2.5-year old he was the champion of the 2011 DSP Stallion Licensing in Neustadt/Dosse, did his 30-day performance test there as well in 2012, scoring 9.38 for dressage and 7.95 for show jumping.

Belantis was gelded in 2018 after suffering from a testicular torsion in the inguinal canal.

Beatrice Buchwald

Lena Feistkorn introduced the grey to the competition ring. In 2013 Anna Sophie Fiebelkorn rode him at the 2013 Bundeschampionate.

In 2014 he moved to Isabell Werth's yard in Rheinberg, Germany, where Beatrice Buchwald got the ride. She took him to the 2014 World Young Horse Champonships and finished fourth. They won the 2014 Bundeschampionate. At the 2015 World Young Horse Championships, Buchwald and Belantis earned the silver medal.

Isabell Werth

In 2016 Isabell Werth took over the ride and first competed him internationally at small tour level at the CDI Fritzens, followed by the CDIO Aachen. In 2017 he did only one small local show in Ankum.

Belantis' Grand Prix career never really took off under Werth. The gelding did his first GP level test in 2018 at the Louisdor qualifier at the CDI Hagen. They scored 71.00% for fourth place in the Inter II, but withdrew from the short Grand Prix. They tried again in Wiesbaden a month later, but then the horse disappeared from the scene for 1.5 years. They returned at the CDN Gut Ising in September 2019. One year later she rode the grey in his first classic Grand Prix test at the local show in Reutlingen in October 2020. They won with 75,467 %.

William Matthew

At the start of 2021 Werth's assistant rider, Australian William Matthew, received the ride on Belantis.

In May 2021 the pair made its show debut in Troisdorf and won the Short Grand Prix with 71.434%. He went on to compete the horse and gain experience on the schoolmaster at local shows in Monchengladbach, and Hamminkeln before getting the exclusive opportunity through his trainer to compete at the CDIO Aachen in the 4* tour. He scored 68.174% in the Grand Prix and 65.085% in the Special.

Matthew and Belantis did one more show in Rhede before the horse was sent to Denmark.

Alexander Yde Helgstrand

On a second shopping trip at Helgstrand Dressage in the winter of 2021-2022, Werth and her sponsor Madeleine Winter-Schulze bought Majestic Taonga and swapped Belantis.

Alexander debuted Belantis in the Prix St Georges at a show in Hjallerup on 28 January 2022 and scored 73.158% for second place. Their international debut followed in March at the CDI Herning in the small tour. They then competed at Young Riders level in Aalborg and Hagen to secure a spot on the Danish team for the 2022 European Young Riders Championships in Hartpury, where they won team silver and finished 8th in the Kur to Music finals.

Alexander and Belantis in Wellington, FL

In the winter of 2023 Helgstrand moved to his father's American yard in Wellington, Florida, and took Belantis with him. He competed in 8 CDI classes, won five and placed second or third in the other three test. He returned to Europe in the spring and showed at the CDI's in Aalborg and Aachen to get re-selected on the Danish team for the 2023 European Young Riders Championships in Pilisjaszfalu, where this time he won team gold and kur silver. Helgstrand did not compete at the 2022 nor 2023 Danish Young Riders Championships.

Sold to Sweden

The grey gelding has now been sold to Sweden and will continue his sport career under Sofia Ek (née Levander), wife of Daniel Ek, the founder of Spotify.

Belantis moved to Sweden last Sunday.

"It has been an incredible journey," Alexander stated. "You (Belantis) have been an incredible school master and taught me so much I will forever be grateful for our special partnership. Not only have you been my dance partner at competitions but also my best friend in the stable and around the canter track. You have helped me achieve my goals winning the team gold medal at the European championship as well as an individual silver medal in the freestyle. It has been a difficult decision but Belantis will now move to Sweden and teach his new owner all the things that he has taught me."

Sofia Ek is an senior small tour rider who also owns Emma Kanerva's former Grand Prix horse Eye Catcher (by Vivaldi x Partout). She has been competing him at Prix St Georges level in Sweden this summer, alongside the 12-year old Swedish warmblood stallion Citaro (by Chirlon x Nocturne). The latter was previously owned by Alinda Maria Dalla-Santa and competed by Martin Ågevall.