Golden Challenge H, Dutch Owned International FEI Pony Stallion, Sold to Australia

Dressage

The Netherlands

Golden Challenge H, a Dutch owned licensed stallion that was competed at international FEI pony level, has been sold to Australia. Horses.nl reported the news.

Golden Challenge is a 16-year old German Riding Pony by FS Golden Moonlight out of Carlotta H (by FS Challenger). He is bred by Johann Hinnemann.

Licensed Stallion

The palomino was approved for breeding at the 2010 Westfalian Pony Stallion Licensing in Munster-Handorf.

He did his 30-day stallion performance test in November 2011 in Munster and scored a total of 8,22 points.

He stood up for stud from 2011 till 2015 at Hinnemann's Krusterhof and produced one licensed son, Great Dancer. He has 22 offspring registered for sport in Germany.

Sport in Germany

Golden Challenge H was first competed in Germany in 2011 by Marina Welbers at local shows in the riding pony classes.

In 2012 the pair qualified for the Bundeschampionate, but it was Beatrice Buchwald (now Hoffrogge) who rode him in Warendorf to a silver medal.

In 2013 Annika Rühl rode the stallion in the A-level tests and won the 2013 Westfalian young pony championships for 5-year olds in Munster. Rühl showed him through 2014, while Welbers was back on board in 2015.

Three Sisters

Golden Challenge H sold to Jos Felix in the Netherlands in December 2015. He became a true family pony. All three of his daughters showed him internationally.

Annelotte Felix made her international show debut on him in April 2016 in Nieuw en St. Joosland and competed at two more CDI's that year: Roosendaal and Le Mans. They were seventh at the 2016 Dutch Pony Championships.

In 2017 it was sister Else Felix' turn and she showed in Joosland, Roosendaal, Hagen, and Exloo.

Four years later Golden Challenge H returned to the international arena with Jolien Felix and they rode internationals for two years in 2021 and 2022 at Sint-Truiden, Exloo, Grote Brogel and Compiegne.

With Jolien Felix at the 2021 CDI Sint-Truiden

The pony did not get on the Dutch team for the European Pony Championships, but all three Felix girls had plenty of CDI and national level successes with the stallion. Annelotte Felix moved on to junior level. Her last CDI was in 2018 on Amos (by Flemmingh x Sandro Hit). Neither Else nor Jolien have continued the international path after their pony time, so far.

Australia

Horses.nl reported that Golden Challenge H has been sold as a breeding stallion to Brockhurst Stud in Australia.

Annelotte, who still competes regionally and nationally and just got engaged to Kevin ten Cate, took to Instagram: "he is a real barbie pony. It wasn't always easy, but as soon as we understood each other, we could read and write together. (...) I had a fantastic time with Goldi in which I learnt a lot on many levels. He was my true soulmate with whom I shared everything."