Romy Bemelmans' Hip Hop Sold to German Pony Rider

Dressage

Germany

Romy Bemelmans' international small tour ride Hip Hop has been sold to a German pony rider. The Dutch warmblood will continue his sport career with Laura Martin.

Hip Hop is an 11-year old KWPN gelding by Jazz out of Elektra van de Kwaplas (by Sandro Hit x Ferro x Rubinstein). He is bred by Joop Kappert and was originally named Ha Jazz.

Romy Bemelmans

The black was discovered as a youngster on an online sales ad by Francis van Bavel. However he first came into the picture under Romy Bemelmans when she won a 2018 Pavo Cup qualifier with him in Kronenberg. He was still named Ha Jazz then. A year later she entered him under the name Hip Hop for the Dutch team selection trials for the 2019 World Young Horse Championships. They moved to the next round but were not selected on the team.

The pair made its international show debut in July 2021 at the CDI Grote Brogel in Belgium at small tour level, winning the PSG with 72.030%.

After giving birth to a baby in February 2022, Romy returned to the arena with Hip Hop at the CDI Exloo in June 2022 and competed in Meerle, Deauville and Kronenberg. They did one CDI in 2023 in April in Sint-Truiden, where they were sixth in the Prix St Georges with 65.245% and fifth in the Inter I and Kur with 68.971% and 69.383%.

Veerle Creemers

In the FEI registry, Hip Hop was listed as owned by Bemelmans, but in the spring of 2023 former European pony champion Antoinette Claessens (née Te Riele) bought this horse.

She allocated the ride on Hip Hop to Dutch aspiring junior rider Veerle Creemers who began riding him in May 2023. Veerle made her junior riders' level debut only two weeks ago at a sub-top show in Holland, scoring 73,40%. Creemers trains with Te Riele, as well as got some coaching on Hip Hop from Coby van Baalen and Gonnelien Rothenberger. She's studying to become a professional rider and works five days a week for Leontien Raijmakers. The rest of her time she spends at Te Riele's in Weert.

Laura Martin

Hip Hop has now been sold to German pony rider Laura Martin, who trains with Semmieke Rothenberger, the cousin of Antoinette te Riele.

Laura Marie Martin has made her international show debut in July 2022 aboard the former German team pony, the now 17-year old De Long (by HB Daylight x Brilliant). The pair premiered in Neu-Anspach. In 2023 they competed in Exloo, Troisdorf, and Hagen.

"I'm so surreal and I'm absolutely thrilled," Martin said about welcoming Hip Hop to the barn.