2024 European Pony champion Chilly Morning has received a new rider for the 2026 show year. He has been allocated to Rosa Duong.
Chilly Morning is a 2012 born Weser-Ems gelding by Calido G out of Sara (by Sandro Ace). He is bred by Josef Wernke.
Reserve Bundeschampion
The bay was licensed at the 2014 Weser Ems Pony Stallion Licensing in Vechta, but has no FN registered offspring so far.
He was first competed as a 3-year old in 2015 by professional Andrea Müller-Kersten before Anna-Lisa Theile took on the ride in 2016. She rode him to a second place at the Weser Ems young pony championships and to the reserve champion's title in the year old class at the 2016 Bundeschampionate.
Chilly Morning did not compete in 2017 but returned to the ring in 2018 under Paulina Holzknecht and in the summer of that year under Ann-Cathrin Rieg. She reclaimed the reserve champion's title at the 2018 Bundeschampionate, this time in the 6-year old dressage pony class. Holzknecht rode him again in 2019 at a few shows.
Julie Schmitz-Heinen
Chilly Morning sold to the Schmitz-Heinen family as a gelding for daughter Julie to ride. She made her show debut in the summer of 2020.
The pair made its international show debut at FEI pony level in April 2022 at Le Mans and won two out of three tests. They rode the German team qualifier in Hagen, but Julie was re-selected on the team with her other pony Carleo Go after already having ridden him at the 2021 European Pony Championships. The pair won silver at the 2022 German Pony Championships.
In 2023 it was Chilly Morning's turn to represent Germany and at the European Pony Championships in Le Mans he won team gold and individual test silver. They were fifth in the Kur. Their last international was the 2023 CDI Aachen Indoor in December, where they won the individual test.
Madlin Tillmann
In the early spring of 2024 Chilly Morning moved in training with Madlin Tillmann.
The pair took a flying start, winning the 2024 Preis der Besten and German team selection trials at the CDIO-P Hagen to be nominated on the German team for the 2024 European Pony Championships in Opglabbeek, Belgium. There Germany won team gold and Tillmann claimed individual test gold as well. In the Kur she dropped to 15th place.
In 2025 the pair had a more difficult start at the Preis der Besten, finishing 7th overall, but they set the record straight at the CDIO-P Hagen and were back on the team for the 2025 Europeans in Le Mans, where there was team gold again. Individually they were 7th followed by 6th in the kur. It was the pair's last show
Rosa Duong
Duong began her show career in 2022 with pony Chloe (by Cyrill x Valido) and then stepped into the FEI pony ring with TI Daily Challenge (by Dressman x Kaiserwalzer). In 2025 pony Morgensterns Delicius (by Daddy Cool x The Braes My Mobility) and Divine G (by FS Don't worry x Casino Royale K) joined the ranks. Daily Challenge sold to Switzerland.
For 2026 she is going all in with a European Pony Champion. She and Chilly Morning debuted at the local show at Hofgut Laubenheimer Höhe, scoring 68.210% for the win in the L-level pony test.
Photos © Astrid Appels - Equitaris
Related Links
Tillmann, Gosmann, Pohl, Schmitz-Morkramer Win 2024 Preis der Besten
German Team Pony Chilly Morning Finds New Rider in Germany
FEI Pony TI Daily Challenge Finds New Rider in Germany