Danish Junior Rider Johanne Kofod Jensen Bids Dressage Adieu, Frida Gold Sold

Dressage

Denmark

Danish junior rider team member Johanne Kofod Jensen will be bidding horses and a competition career adieu as she will focus fully on her university studies. She has sold her horse Frida Gold.

From Germany to Luxembourg to Denmark

Frida Gold is a rising 16-year old Oldenburg mare by Fidertanz out of Daylight Dance (by De Niro). She is bred by Hans-Jurgen Heitmann.

Originally owned by Hof Kasselmann as a young horse, Frida Gold was first competed as a 5-year old in 2013 by Eva Möller and became first reserve for the German team for the 2013 World Young Horse Championships. The mare sold at the 2013 PSI Auction for 115,000 euro. A year later she returned to the show ring with the Luxembourg based Finnish rider Terhi Stegars, who showed her through 2016 for owner Kirsti Rinta Ortotaito Ky.

She then moved to Denmark and was first shown on Danish soil by Maja Borup Marcussen in 2017. Then the mare moved to Finland where she was successfully competed at national level by Eevamaria Porthan Broddell, before returning back to Denmark and showing nationally with Thilde Alsing in January and February of 2020.

Johanne Kofod Jensen: Busy Pony Time

Johanna and Aurora A at the 2020 Ecco Cup Final

Danish youth rider Johanne Kofod Jensen took over the ride and ownership of Frida Gold in the spring of 2020.

Jensen was a very active pony rider at national level in Denmark, being in the fortunate position of having received the ride on no less than 13 ponies for her pony time. She started her competition career in Denmark on ponies in 2014, first showing Unique and Blue Eye'd Girl. A year later pony Meraviglioso Stallone V and Aester Estupenda followed. In 2016 there were Spinelly, Honeymoon, and Aurora A. As of 2017 Bomgaarden Bonjovi and Constantin's Lady joined the ranks. In 2018 Cornelia and Poppelgardens Da Capo were her new rides but it was Aurora A who took her to team silver in the national pony cat 2 division for smaller ponies at the Nordic Baltic Championships (this level is not CDI), in 2019 it was Fronerthig Revolution, yet again Aurora gave her team gold and individual bronze at the 2019 Nordic Baltic Championships. In 2020 there was a new pony, Holsteins Missouri. Her first horse was Milton, but Frida Gold unlocked a new level in her career.

"I have ridden quite a few ponies and I have been so happy to have the opportunity to help others ride their ponies or borrow ponies," Johanne explained about having had so many ponies in childhood. "Of course, I have also had a number of ponies myself. Since riding is a fairly expensive sport, we have had to buy some cheaper horses, and then ride them up so we could sell them for a little more, and buy a pony that could do a little more."

With Frida Gold in the International Ring

Johanne began showing Frida Gold nationally in June 2020 and rode down the centerline of an international competition the first time at the Nordic Baltic Championships in Ypaja (FIN) in July 2021, placing second in the team test and kur and winning the individual.

Kofod Jensen began competing her in the spring of 2020, riding her first national show in June in Ringe (DEN). They were 12th at the 2020 Danish Junior Riders Championships. Their international show debut followed a year later in June 2021 in Ypaja. That year they showed at CDI's in Sint-Truiden, Aalborg and Hagen. They were fourth at the 2021 Danish Junior Riders Championships.

In 2022 she showed in Sint-Truiden, Aalborg and Hagen and clinched a Danish team selection for the 2022 European Junior Riders Championships in Hartpury. It was a big blow when Frida Gold came up unlevel right before departure to the U.K. and had to be withdrawn. They returned half a year later at the 2023 CDI Sint-Truiden and showed in the same string of competitions - Aalborg and Hagen - and were fifth at the 2023 Danish Junior/Young Riders Championships. They got re-selected for the team and representing Denmark at the 2023 European Junior Riders Championships in Kronberg, where they won team silver and finished 15th in the Kur to Music. They ended their career together at the CDI Aachen Indoor in December with a third place in the individual test (70.294%) and a 7th place in the Kur (71.542%). She was trained by Pernille Orum.

Bye Bye Dressage and Frida Gold

Instead of making the transition to young riders level, Johanne has decided to say goodbye to her equestrian career and focus fully on her university studies.

"I will quit riding as I have to focus on my studies. After my graduation I will go to the university and study law," Johanne told Eurodressage. She's considering studying in Aarhus or Odense but hasn't decided yet. "I’m very lucky that Lone Bang helped me find the perfect family for her, but I will surely miss her. She is my once in a lifetime horse."

Frida has been sold to Danish pony rider Ida Bøllingtoft Asmussen, who won gold and silver on category 2 pony She Nett Hoejgaard at the 2023 Nordic Baltic Championships. Frida Gold will be her junior rider schoolmaster.