Belgian Junior Rider Liezel Everars Finds New Equine Partner in Venere

Dressage

Belgium

Belgian junior rider Liezel Everars has found a new equine partner to continue her competitive career with after the tragic loss of her horse Vigo Gold NA in June.

Venere is an 8-year old Westfalian mare by Vitalis out of the late Piet Crum's keur mare Cigranta C (by Jazz x Vincent). Eugene Reesink is registered as breeder.

Riccardo Sanavio

Breeder Eugene Reesink sold her to Italian company Scuderaia 1918, which sponsors the Dutch based Italian rider Riccardo Sanavio.

Riccardo rode the horse from 2020 till 2022. On paper she was briefly listed as owned by Sanavio's life-partner, Dutch Nicole Stütz, to simplify the mare's entry in the KWPN studbook to ride the Pavo Cup show.

In 2021 the pair made its international show debut in the 5-year old tests at the CDI Achleiten, where he won the preliminary test (75.00 pts) and was second in the Finals test (79.40). The pair was selected to represent Italy at the World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where they placed 11th in the consolation finals with 79.80 points.

In 2022 they qualified for the Pavo Cup Semi-Finals by winning the Exloo qualifier for 6-year olds with 85 points. They finished 12th in the semi finals. Only the top 10 moved on to the final round.

Sanavio continued to produce the mare up the levels.

From Denmark to Belgium

After losing her junior horse in June, Liezel Everars went in search of a new sports partner and found Venere at Helgstrand's in Denmark.

Everars and Viggo Gold NA at the 2024 CDIO Compiegne

"When she first came in I immediately liked her and when I first rode her, there was immediately a connection between us," said Liezel. "We went back home and I kept talking about her. A few days later my dad woke me up in the middle of the night and the story that he told me really gave me the chills. He told me that she is the full sister of Vigo."

Liezel's late Viggo Gold NA (by Vitalis out of Cigranta C) was born a year earlier than Venere, in 2015, and was Oldenburg registered.

"A few weeks later we went back to try her again. The feeling and the bond kept growing," said Everars, who purchased the horse. "She is really a special one."