Job Carrousel: Marina Mattson, Tanja Rusovic, Catherine Mayer and Bart Desender on the Move

Dressage

Sweden

Many riders across Europe are changing barns and employers. This week four professional dressage riders have rotated into new positions.

A month ago Swedish Grand Prix rider Marina Mattsson announced her resignation as head rider at Hannell Dressage after 13 years on the job. Marina has now found a new base where she will build her on training and sales business. She will work out of the yard of Buskhe family near Falkenberg, Sweden. Mattsson knows the family from selling Hannell's Danish warmblood gelding Fireball Macohl (by Furstenball x Rosentanz) in 2018 to Hakan Bushke for his daughter Sophia to ride.

Blue Hors team rider Tanja Rusovic is not waiting for Blue Hors to close its doors in April 2024 when all staff will be let go. After having worked at Blue Hors for four years, the Lithuanian rider will move to equestrian centre Norslund on 1 December 2023. Rusovic competed internationally once at the 2019 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo on Dille Belamigo (by Belamour x Vystrel). At Blue Hors she helped produce the horses and she competed extensively in Denmark.

German professional Catherine Mayer has suddenly left her position as header rider at Silke Pelzer's breeding farm Rosencarree. Meyer did her internship with Wolfram Wittig for her Bereiter's degree and began working at Rosencarree in 2020. She made her international show debut directly at Grand Prix level aboard Anna Nolte's World Royal (by World of Dreams x Rubin Royal) at the 2022 CDI Zakrow. A month later she also rode Grand Petit de Carree at the CDI Mariakalnok in the 6-year old classes. These two horses were shown internationally through July 2023. She showed Mc Moneymaker vom Carree (by Morricone x Fürst Heinrich) and Grand Petit at the 2022 Bundeschampionate. Mayer has accepted a position at Gestut von Bellin.

This vacancy at Gestut von Bellin was created because their head rider, Belgian Bart Desender, has decided to go independent. Desender began riding the horses for Gestut von Bellin in 2019. Before that he was stationed at Gestut Bonhomme, where he worked from 2009 till 2013 and from 2017 till 2019. Desender has now decided he's ready to stand on his own two feet. He has built a career training and competing mainly young horses in Germany. Only once did he show internationally, in May 2023 at the CDI Wiesbaden where he competed the 6-year old Marian von Bellin (by Morricone x Fidertanz). He is trained by Udo Lange.

"I will continue to live in Germany, in the Werder/Havel area, even though I have received offers from bigger stables further away. I don't want to do that," Bart told Eurodressage. When asked if he would consider returning to Belgium he replied, "I have too few contacts and ideas where there would be interesting opportunities in Belgium to train and teach. I have left Belgium 17 years ago."