Sophie Reef's Charming Lady Retired from Sport

Dressage

The Netherlands

Sophie Reef has retired her number one U25 Grand Prix horse Charming Lady from sport.

Charming Lady is an 18-year old KWPN mare by Painted Black out of Tanja (by Krack C x Amulet). She is bred by J & B Naber and was originally named Chantal.

Renken and Nieuwenhuis

The bay mare was initially competed up to Intermediaire II level by Katja Renken-van der Lubbe. She rode her first Inter II test in March 2017 and by June was showing at national Grand Prix level.

Jeanine Nieuwenhuis received the ride on the mare in February 2018 with the plan to have her sold. She premiered her in the Inter II in April, scoring a winning 69,56%. In the autumn of 2018 she showed her in national Under 25 classes.

Sophie Reef

The Reef family acquired the mare for 700,000 euro as the price highlight of the 2019 Excellent Dressage Sales auction.

Reef was at the time based in Germany and riding for Germany but in 2021 declared for The Netherlands. She also studied at Radboud University in Nijmeghen at the time.

Reef debuted the mare internationally in the Under 25 division at the 2019 CDI Riesenbeck. Half a year later they showed at the 2020 CDI Lier after which a 3-year break from international showing followed.

They returned at the 2023 CDI-U25 Geestenen and in 2024 had their best season. After winning the short Grand Prix at the CDI Tolberg, she clinched a spot on the Dutch team for the 2024 European Under 25 Championships in St. Margarethen, Austria. There they won team bronze and placed 8th in the individual test and 12th in the Kur.

She trains with Joyce Heuitink, Monique Peutz and Sabine Egbers.

Retirement

Reef has announced that Charming Lady is now retired from competition sport.

"A few weeks ago Charming Lady sustained an injury in the paddock which prevents her from coming back in sport," Sophie told De Hoefslag. "It is very difficult for me not to be able to train her anymore. She was still top fit, but it is what it is. We decided to bring her home and put her in the field with my mom's older horse."

Reef will continue her sport career with newly purchased Gideon KH as well as with the 8-year old black Hanoverian mare Vita (by Vitalis x Sir Donnerhall) previously shown by Egbers. She also owns the 11-year old Straight Horse Don Zuan (by Zack x Don Schufro).

The 24-year old Sophie graduated from university and will limit her time riding just two horses as she professionally represents her father Roeland's concrete and aggregates company on an administrative level and is often on the road in Germany and the U.K.

"I'm busy working in our family business, so I unfortunately have no more time than for two horses." Reef told Eurodressage. "I'm putting my focus on Vita and Gideon."