Wienkamp Makes Her Own International Grand Prix Debut a Winning One on Imposant MC

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2024 CDI Motesice

After a long time dreaming and planning, German professional dressage rider Ann-Christin Wienkamp made her international show debut at Grand Prix level and it turned out to be a winning one. At the 2024 CDI-W Motesice in Slovakia on 1 - 3 November 2024, she and SportWarmbloods' Imposant MC scored a double victory at their 3* premier.

Imposant MC is an 11-year old KWPN gelding by Bretton Woods out of Uvera (by Jetset-D x Zeoliet). He is bred by M. van de Spek in The Netherlands.

Crossing the Atlantic

The tall dark bay gelding was scouted as a young horse by Anna Polera's SportWarmbloods, a "Our Barn to Your Barn" company offering a turn-key horse sales service for finding high quality dressage and hunter horses.

As a 5-year old Polera sold Imposant MC to Nicole Levy in the United States, where he was trained up to Grand Prix level. The pair debuted at Fourth level in December 2019 and competed at small tour level and in the 7-year old classes in 2020. Nicole's most prolific season with Imposant MC was in 2021 when they made their international debut in the medium tour at Wellington, placing third twice. In 2022 she rode him in the developing Grand Prix horse classes at the Global Dressage Festival.

Levy and Imposant MC at the 2022 CDN Wellington

“He’s really special. He just kind of has that ‘It factor,’” added Levy. “He has the collection work; he has the piaffe, the passage," Nicole said after winning the national Lovsta Future Challenge qualifier in February 2022. They ended up placing fifth in the series' finals in March.

At the beginning of 2024 Levy reached out to Polera that she was ready to produce a new young horse to Grand Prix level.

"Imposant came back to Europe and into our ownership at the start of the year after Nicole purchased another young talent from us, a very promising 7-year old Dutch warmblood named Miracle Boy (by Furstenball x Negro). We have high hopes for him to also become a Grand Prix horse," said Polera.

Serial Winner in Germany

Polera initially allocated the ride on Imposant MC to Diederik van Silfhout, who won an Intermediaire II on him, but then the gelding was brought to Anna's friend and business associate, Ann-Christin Wienkamp, to have him closer to home.

The new pair made its national Grand Prix debut in June at the regional show in Vechta to get their first experiences together and from there they went to Oer-Erkenschwick, where they won the 2024 Westfalian Championships scoring 70,789% and 71,667% in the two rounds.

Wienkamp continued her winning streak in September in Spenge-Wallenbrück followed by Stubben-Brunshausen in October. Ann-Christin felt Imposant was ready for his CDI big tour debut and travelled to Motesice in Slovakia to compete in the 3* tour, where they won the Grand Prix with 69,783 % and the Special with 68,979%.

Milestone for Wienkamp on Imposant MC

For Wienkamp the victory weekend in Motesice was particularly meaningful as it was the first time she rode down the centerline in an international Grand Prix class.

With Wienkamp at the 2024 CDI-W Motesice

The 37-year old is a very experienced competition rider, having competed at multiple Young Horse World Championships, Bundeschampionate, and Burgpokal Finals. She has 66 international starts down her belt in her career, but an international Grand Prix was new to her. Imposant MC made it happen.

"I still can't find the words," said a thrilled Wienkamp after her double win. "As a rider you always have new goals and dreams and mine was to ride an international Grand Prix. I wished for it and it was my target this year. I had been dreaming of it a long time, but up until now it never happened. Most of my horses sold before that moment and that's part of my job, but this time I grabbed the opportunity on this talented horse. I couldn't have wished for a better partner than Imposant."

Ann-Christin, who is amicably known as "Antin" and who trains with Hartmut Lammers, continued, "he is a horse you can absolutely rely on and his incredible potential. I'm so happy and so grateful to Anna to SportWarmbloods this horse because he's something special."

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