The Wellington, FL based Mexican dressage rider Santiago Burssens Alonso got married on 29 April 2023 to 27-year old Canadian Felixe Cote. The couple celebrated a lavish wedding in Mexico City after getting engaged in Paris on 27 September 2021. Santiago Burssens is the son of the Belgian born Mexican dressage rider Patrick Burssens and the brother to international Grand Prix rider Monica Burssens. Both Santiago and Felixe are yet to make their CDI debut and have competed nationally in Florida.
Iron Spring Farm’s Friesian dressage stallion Ulbert 390 passed away due to old age. The 25-year-old approved Friesian stallion was a beloved member of the ISF family and a wonderful representative of the Friesian breed. He was a successful FEI competitor, with many wins at Prix St. Georges. Ulbert also sired offspring who excelled at dressage, breed shows and keurings. Owner Mary Alice Malone and Ulbert were Reserve Champions at Third Level in the CBLM Championships in 2007. From 2008-2014 they won numerous national Prix St. Georges classes and high score awards against all breeds. Ulbert showcased the Friesian’s ability to excel in FEI-level dressage and was a crowd favorite at shows.
Canadian dressage rider Vanessa Creech-Terauds and her partner, Nate Goud, got engaged. After almost five years together, Goud popped the question and Vanessa said yes. "Now you're stuck with me forever," she took to Facebook. Creech-Terauds is the daughter of Canadian professional dressage rider Diane Creech. The 23-year old Vanessa began her international show career as a junior rider in 2014 aboard Finja, and has competed a string of horses since then, the majority owned by Louise Leatherdale, including Rob Roy, Denzel BC, Fleur de Lis, Devon L, Harley L, Hallmark, Daniel L, and Duchess L. She rode in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 North American Junior/Young Riders Championships and since 2017 has been showing at Under 25 level as well in the senior tour.
Gestut Birkhof announced that they have pulled their young breeding stallion Viva Diamond from stud duty. The Oldenburg stallion by Viva Gold x Don Diamond x Don Frederico was the champion of the 2023 DSP Stallion Licensing. "We find that the pregnancy rate does not meet our requirements," Birkhof stated. "After further examinations in a specialized laboratory, it was found that the sperm maturation is not yet fully completed and that it still needs development time."
Russian Children's team rider Stefania Mechetina has retired her horse, San Calida, from sport. Mechantina and the now 15-year old Oldenburg mare by San Amour x Calido competed at international Children's level from 2019 through the spring of 2020. They represented Russia in Europe at CID's in Nieuw en St. joosland and Hagen, before heading to the 2019 European Children Championships in San Giovanni in Marignano, where they won team bronze and finished 14th in the individual test. Mechantina continued to compete nationally with other horses, as well as in show jumping.