What's Happening: November 2024

Danish Olympic team silver medal winner Cathrine Dufour and her wife Rasmine Laudrup are expecting their first child together. They announced the news on Instagram: "A mini Laudrup-Dufour is cooking in Rasmine's belly and we are all SOOOO excited"

According to Swedish publication Expressen, a company behind the Swedish Grand Prix team riders Antonia and Juliette Ramel owe the Swedish state 30 million SKK (2.6 million euro) in taxes as the Swedish Tax Agency has decided that their investment company La Pomme is a hobby and not a trading business with the objective to run a profit.  According to the business description, the company should engage in the breeding and sale of horses but the Tax Agency's investigation shows that sales did not take place.  "The Tax Agency's assessment of how a business at this level is conducted contains a number of inaccuracies that show that the Tax Agency has no experience of how a horse business is conducted," writes La Pomme in its response to the agency. The sisters are appealing the decision.

Equestrian Sports New Zealand has appointed Glenn Foster new Board member as the organisation continues to develop its governance leadership.  Forster brings a wealth of senior executive experience, covering the strategic, commercial, and operational facets of businesses across a diverse range of industries, from small enterprises to large organisations. As the Chief Executive of award-winning law firm McCaw Lewis based in Waikato, Glenn was shortlisted for Law Firm Leader of the Year (<100 lawyers) at the 2023 New Zealand Law Awards. For the past 17 years Glenn has had a continued involvement with horses through his two daughters, with oldest daughter Olivia still competing at showjumping up to Grand Prix level.

Martin Eugene Haist, a beloved figure in the U.S. dressage community, passed away on 13 October 2024, at the age of 72. Marty, as he was affectionately known, was born on April 4, 1952, in Amityville, New York, and spent his life inspiring those around him with his talent, warmth, and unwavering calmness. Marty's journey took him from the shores of Long Beach, New York, where he married the love of his life, Beth Blakely, in October 1978, to Oklahoma, where he and Beth built a life filled with passion for horses and the arts. In addition to his devotion to his family, Marty was a talented saddle master, trained by esteemed masters in the field, including Martin Gulliver and Trevor, and he honed his skills further in Germany at Sommer Saddlery. His expertise led to the development of the Sommer Flextra saddle, a testament to his dedication to the sport of dressage.

Due to the CDI-W cancellation at Terra Nova Dressage II caused by Hurricane Milton, Global Dressage Festival 3 in Wellington, Fla. (January 22-26, 2025) has been added as a World Cup Qualifier.

Anne-Mette Strandby has found new employment as a rider after having left Helgstrand Dressage. The 29-year old Strandby rode for Helgstrand for seven years and recently decided it was time for something new. She will seamlessly move out of her existing contract at the end of the year, into a new one at Stutteri EVO on 1 January 2025.

On 13 November 2024 the FEI announced that the National Federations of Azerbaijan and Nicaragua have been suspended due to nonpayment of the Annual Membership Subscription Fee. The suspension will be lifted immediately once the subscription has been paid.