French Grand Prix Horse Hot Chocolate van de Kwaplas Has New Rider

Dressage

France

French Grand Prix horse Hot Chocolate van de Kwaplas has found a new rider for the 2024 show season. Dressprod announced that Isabelle Pinto has handed over the ride to student Laure Peretti.

Hot Chocolate van de Kwaplas is a 17-year old Belgian warmblood by Sir Donnerhall out of Antraciet van de Kwaplas (by Ferro x Rubinstein). He is bred by Hugo Kerkhove and Trui Vlieghe in Belgium.

Isabelle Pinto

Owned by Haras de la Gesse in partnership with Carlos Pinto, Hot Chocolate has been trained and competed in France.

He made his show debut in 2014 first under Nuno Chaveiro before being handed to Isabelle Pinto, who first competed him successfully at national level.

Pinto and Hot Chocolate made their CDI debut in Saumur in April 2017 at small tour level and competed in the small tour through 2019 with further starts in Pompadour, Nice, Compiegne, Crozet, Le Mans, and Cascais.

Their international Grand Prix debut was in Salzburg in December 2019, but they retired in that test. Two months later in Le Mans they tried again but it was also a rocky start. However, from then on the pair found their stride in the big tour and solid upper sixty-low seventy scores appeared on the board. From 2021 till 2023 they showed in Le Mans, Ornago, Compiegne, Kronenberg. The pair was selected for France for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo but did not pass the horse inspection and a dream was dashed.

Their last CDI was in Wiesbaden in May 2023.

Schoolmaster

Laure Peretti and Remake de Pic
at the 2021 European Children Championships

The bay gelding will now continue as a schoolmaster for Laure Peretti.

The 16-year old has represented France at the 2021 and 2022 European Children Championships aboard Remake de Pic (by Rubin Royal x Weltmeyer). Her last CDI was in October 2022 in Ornago at junior level. Remake is now 19-years old.

Isabelle Pinto is currently sidelined with a sprained shoulder and broken rib. She aims to return to showing in 2025.