FEI PRESS RELEASE - Will Weihegold win title number six for Werth?

In the history of equestrian sport there are names that resonate, because the best of the best in each discipline make their mark. Isabell Werth’s name is one of those, having carved out a long and hugely successful career during which she has collected a mountain of medals along with the elegant FEI Dressage World Cup™ trophy on no less than five occasions.

Already the most decorated equestrian athlete of all time, the German superstar returns this week to the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2022 to defend the title she first claimed with Fabienne in Gothenburg (SWE) back in 1992. And it will be a poignant event for the 52-year-old rider because her great mare, Weihegold OLD, will be retired after next Saturday’s Freestyle.

The pair are defending three-time champions having proven unbeatable in Omaha (USA) in 2017, in Paris (FRA) in 2018 and at the last Final staged in Gothenburg (SWE) in 2019 before the pandemic took its toll. We will never know if their strike-rate would have continued had the 2020 and 2021 Finals been staged, but they will still make more history if they could pull off one more win this week on home ground in Leipzig (GER).

Most victories

The Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven holds the record for the most victories in the series that this year celebrates its 35th season. The Dutch rider racked up a colossal nine wins with two great horses, Bonfire and Salinero, between 1995 and 2008 but she never managed four-in-a-row.

If Werth and Weihegold come out on top

they will be the first to do just that,

bringing their partnership to the perfect conclusion.

But the 17-year-old mare owes nothing to anyone

when she steps into the arena this week.

At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games she clinched team gold and individual silver before going on to take all gold at the FEI European Championships in 2017 and team gold and Grand Prix Special silver at the 2021 edition. 

She has made the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final all her own in recent years and at the Western European League qualifier in Lyon (FRA) last October posted her fifth consecutive win at the French fixture. However the biggest threat to her supremacy probably comes from another super mare, the 14-year-old TSF Dalera BB who has swept all before her in the recent past with Werth’s compatriot, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl in the saddle.

This pair, who top the World Dressage Rankings, go into battle this week with a full set of Olympic and European medals in their hip pocket, all collected in the last seven months, and firing on all cylinders following victories at the last two legs of the Western European League 2021/2022 in Neumünster (GER) in February and ’s-Hertogenbosch (NED) just three weeks ago. They will be by far the biggest threat to the entire field of 18 horse-and-rider combinations from 13 countries when the action begins with the Short Grand Prix on Thursday evening, April 7.

Really strong

The host nation looks really strong, with 2013 series champion Helen Langehanenberg also flying the home flag with Annabelle 110, but Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour is likely to pose a threat with the 10-year-old Vamos Amigos who showed huge promise when finishing second to von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera in Neumünster. The strength of the Danish contingent was quite apparent that day when Nanna Skodberg Merrald lined up in third with Atterupgaards Orthilia and Carina Cassøe Krüth finished fourth with Heiline’s Danciera, and all three Danes have made the cut to this weeks’ Final.

That supreme showman, Patrik Kittel, will be the sole Swedish contender partnering his relatively new ride Blue Hors Zepter while Charlotte Fry is the single British athlete with Dark Legend. Spain will be represented by Juan Matute Guimon (Quantico), France by Morgan Barbançon (Sir Donnerhall ll OLD), The Netherlands by Thamar Zweistra (Hexagon’s Ich Weiss) while Ashley Holzer (Havanna 145) and Anna Buffini (FRH Davinia La Douce) will fly the American flag.

Moldova’s Alisa Glinka (Aachen), Poland’s Katarzyna Milczarek (Guapo), Morocco’s Yessin Rahmouni (All at Once), Portugal’s Rodrigo Torres (Fogoso Horsecampline) and Dominican Republic’s Yvonne Losos de Muñiz (Aquamarijn) round up the startlist, and the order-of-go will be decided by a draw for the Short Grand Prix on Wednesday afternoon. 

Ground Jury

Germany’s Henning Lehrmann is President of the Ground Jury at this year’s Final and the remaining members are Michael Osinski (USA), Kurt Christensen (DEN), Isabelle Judet (FRA), Clive Halsall (GBR), Annette Fransen Iacobaeus (SWE) and Eddy de Wolff van Westerrode (NED). 

It was an all-German podium when Werth first won the FEI Dressage World Cup™ title 30 years ago, while The Netherlands Imke Schellekens-Bartels finished second ahead of America’s Steffen Peters when she did it again in Las Vegas (USA) in 2007. America’s Laura Graves was her closest rival at the last three editions but it is compatriot von Bredow-Werndl who is likely to apply the maximum pressure this time around.

However anyone who has watched Werth throughout her career knows her will to win, and her dedication to her horses, is second to none. There will be a lot of emotion in the air when Weihegold does her last dance in next Sunday’s Freestyle.

So don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Full details here 

6 & 7 April with OLD short stallion performance test in Vechta - LIVE STREAM via Clipmyhorse

Pilot project with 2-days stallion performance

Wednesday and Thursday with the premier of 2-days stallion performance test in Vechta.

Among the young stallions are some very interesting new licensed stallions like Opoque, Incredible, Fifty-Fifty from Helgstrand Dressage, Secret Lover from Van Olst Horses, Skyline to B from Lodbergen, Escanto PS from Schockemöhle, Finestar from Blue Hors, Obsession Taonga and One-Two-Three from Stal 104.

  • Wednesday 14.00 - 17.00 presentation with own rider

  • Thursday 9.00 - 12.00 test rider

The entire performance test will be available via live stream at Clipmyhorse.

Here you find the entire catalog with stallions for OLD short performance test.

Van Olst Horses online stallion presentation

Impressive list of stallions in the big sport

Friday evening at 7.30 with another great presentation of the stallions from Van Olst Horses.

Last year the theme was the Story of Van Olst Horses while this year was about the huge successes in 2021 of course including Van Olst Horses international top rider British Lottie Fry fully backed and supported by Anne and Gertjan Van Olst and their entire team.

Olympic team bronze medal, silver medal with the team at Europeans, both times with Everdale and World Champion for 6 year old young horses with Kjento, the major sport results in 2021 for Van Olst Horses.

The breeding philosophy is clear “From sport comes sport” says Gertjan van Olst.

Click here to watch the stallion presentation

Van Olst Horses online stallion show on the 1st of April

Mark your calendar 1 April at 7.30 pm

The annual stallion show at Van Olst Horses will be broadcasted online on the 1st of April. You’ll be able to follow the show via Clipmyhorse, KWPN.TV and the website of Van Olst Horses.

“Strive for the highest achievable quality in everything”
Van Olst Horses is a professional equestrian business whose main activities are stallions at stud, dressage, training, youngstock & the purchase and sale of horses.

Daniel Bachmann Andersen with 3 victories today at Vilhelmsborg

Zippo M.I. by Blue Hors Zack / Blue Hors Don Schufro and Daniel Bachmann Andersen

Final day at Danish national event with three victories for Daniel Bachmann Andersen

The young and pretty inexperienced horses Daniel Bachmann showed this weekend looked as if they gained some real nice experience.

Talented youngsters

The 7 year old stallion Zac Efron MT OLD by Blue Hors Zack / Don Larino was shown at small tour (MA1) Saturday where Zac was showing some tensions during the test, especially at entering halt and more times during the test but well managed by Daniel and without major technical issues. Today a much more relaxed test, and no doubt there is a lot of power and qualities for the future, just need some more competition mileage.

The beautiful 9 year old grey Holsteiner stallion Caracciola MT by Chin Champ / Calido I, was last year in the Nürnberger Burg-Pokal final also together with Daniel. This weekend at start twice in Intermediaire II and today with victory. Still some green moments but also lovely expression and qualties.

Last win today was Grand Prix Special with 10 year old Danish Warmblood gelding Zippo M.I. by Blue Hors Zack / Blue Hors Don Schufro, which recently moved to Daniel. Yesterday they came 3rd in the Grand Prix, showing some body tensions especially at the beginning of the test. Today he started out much more relaxed and does show clear highlights for the canter tour, with super nice series and very good pirouettes. The trot tour was more supple today, showing good expression for the passage, but not yet the clear piaffe beat and balance, the walk is clear but lacking bit more suppleness. Today scoring 70,883% and with clear potential for a 75% test.


VIDEO - Helgstrand makes impressive national Grand Prix debut with two just 8 year old horses

Andreas Helgstrand is back at Grand Prix level with two young horses

8 year old KWPN stallion Jovian and 8 year old Danish Warmblood mare Queenparks Wendy both made their national Grand Prix debut today at Vilhelmsborg with impressive 83,700% and 77,233%.

Both horses produced from youngsters to now as just 8 year old at Grand Prix level by Andreas Helgstrand.

Jovian & Andreas Helgstrand - Super halt, power expressive diagonal balance push uphill, good balance and bending for both half passes, super balance left, good halt with rein back, WOW extension, super into passage, very expressive passage, bit unbalance into piaffe, good steps but forward, good into walk, clear extended walk lack bit more over track, good collected walk, nice into passage, 10-11 piaffe steps forward, good passage, bit tense hind piaffe, good into canter, good 2 times, super extended canter, bit unbalanced tension hind zigzag, LOST signal, until final piaffe, much forward, super passage, nice halt.

From H2R point of view judge at B, Christine Prip was pretty much spot on with 80,200%

Queenparks Wendy & Andreas Helgstrand - Bit open halt, good power and balance for diagonal, good balance for half passes, good halt tense rein back, nice diagonal, super into passage, good passage, becomes tiny bit slow steps and travel bit forward, good transition to walk, super extended walk, good collected walk, clear up into passage, bit forward 2nd piaffe, nice expressive passage, tense into canter, error mid 2 times, super nice extended canter, bit unbalanced zigzag error end, good 1 times bit short, good 1st pirouette, 2nd becomes bit big, good into trot, good diagonal, need bit more clear push start of passage, forward final piaffe, lack bit more impulsion for final passage meters.

Placed as no 3 Daniel Bachmann Andersen & Zippo M.I. - great improvement of the piaffe tours from last time. Starting the test with some tensions and uneven steps, but becomes clearly more relaxed at the end of the test.

Michael Søgaard and Fredendals Fountain showed a very nice overall test with just an error for the two times. Nice expressive test with good power and balance. Good angle for piaffe and passage tours. Still need a bit to much help for the series, but well managed.

Click here to watch Jovian and Andreas helgstrand

Placed combinations:

Stallion shows this weekend LIVE at Clipmyhorse with Isabell Werth showing two stallions

3 stallion shows live this weekend

Team Nijhof Saturday at 2 pm with 6 dressage stallions among them the very well moving Fontaine TN by Finest / Samarant

Hengststation Schult Saturday at 2.30 pm. Very interesting to see the two stallions Valdiviani by Veneno / Fidertanz and Majestic Taonga by Toto Jr / Jazz, both presented by Isabell Werth. Also Flash Bang by Fürst Jazz / Sir Donnerhall I and Escaneno by Escamillo / Veneno will be presented.

Sunday with Landgestüt Nordrhein Westfalen at 11 am. Here you find the entire list of stallions.

Stud fee vouchers auction for Ukraine at HORSE24 running until 27 March

Auction of stud fee vouchers

In a very short time Horse24 succeeded to sign up with 40 stallion stations throughout Europe in order to raise money to help Ukraine.

Stud fee vouchers for a total of 112 stallions are in the auction.

For the breeders this auction gives you a great possibility to search for some of the best stallions in Europe and at the same time check out both videos, predigree and informations, and make your bet.

“Together we must help the suffering people and animals in Ukraine. The full auction prices without any costs will be donated directly to Equiwent Hilfe”
— HORSE24

Two different lots are running until 27 March

The first part of the auction will end 27 March at 2 pm, while the second part will end 27 March at 5 pm.

Current dressage top prices in lot 1:

Current dressage top prices in lot 2:

Check out both running auction lots here.

World Cup final 7 & 9 April LIVE from Leipzig at Clipmyhorse

World Cup final

A very exciting World Cup final comes up in April. Will Dalera and Jessica remain unbeatable and which combinations will at the podium this year.

Schedule:

  • World Cup Short Grand Prix Thursday 7 April at 6.30 pm

  • World Cup Grand Prix freestyle final Saturday 9 April at 7.10 pm

There will be full live stream at Clipmyhorse, and for the Danish viewers also with Danish commentary.

Entries:

FEI PRESS RELEASE - Being more Jessica......

Olympic and European champions, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Wendl and TSF Dalera BB, will be chasing gold once again at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2022 in Leipzig, Germany in just over two week time. (FEI/Liz Gregg)

With two Olympic and three European gold medals all collected over the last eight months, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB look hot favourites to take the FEI Dressage World Cup™ title when the 2021/2022 Final gets underway on home ground in Leipzig (GER) in just over two weeks’ time.

While driving her lorry full of horses home from CDI*** in Ornago (ITA) yesterday where she steered the ever-improving 13-year-old gelding Ferdinand BB to win both the Grand Prix and Freestyle and where her student-rider, Raphael Netz, won three U25 competitions, she talked about the path that has taken her to where she is now in her career, and her future plans. But when it comes to predicting results she won’t be drawn. She doesn’t take anything for granted.  

“Of course you have to have a clear vision and you must set your goals, but over the last 20 years there were times when I didn’t believe in myself anymore. However I always tried to push myself and I held on to my dreams and hoped the opportunities would come”, says the 36-year-old based at Aubenhausen in southern Germany who holds the No. 1 spot in the Dressage World Rankings.

Key to success

Jessica says that the key to her success was the decision “to stop trying to be someone else”. By the age of 19 she had already earned six gold and two silver medals at European Championships, but it all went wrong in her early 20s. “I had some difficult years with hardly any success and I struggled a lot. I had been Junior and Young Rider champion many times so I dreamed of it at Senior level. But for more than five years it didn’t happen”, she says.

It was a light-bulb moment during which she decided to just “be more Jessica” that turned everything around.

"I stopped trying to imitate other riders and began to focus on doing things my own way - the way I always loved to do it, going back to being the little girl who loved to play with her horses. The horses began to enjoy it more and I don’t ever want to lose that joy again!"

she explains.

She describes herself as “very lucky” that Beatrice Bürchler-Keller entrusted her with Unee BB in 2012. This was the horse that would turn her life around. In 2015 the pair were on the bronze medal winning team at the FEI European Championships in Aachen (GER) and they finished third at three FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas (USA) that same year, in Gothenburg (SWE) in 2016 and again in Paris (FRA) in 2018. 

“Unee was one of the most important teachers for me”, Jessica says. “He wasn’t interested in me when he first arrived so I had to find a way to make myself interesting to him. He was nearly ready for Grand Prix when I got him and I really wanted to win his heart but I couldn’t do it the way I used to do it because I always grew up with the horses I’d ridden before. He already knew what he was doing and had his own way, so I had to learn his language before we could both learn a common language. I learned that it’s not just about the horse doing things my way but about doing what is best for each individual horse and being more flexible”. 

Top trainers

Along the way she worked with many top trainers including Paul Elzenbaumer, “a very patient, loving and calm man” and then Stefan Münch, compatriot Isabell Werth who will be defending her title at the 2022 Final with Weihegold, then Jonny Hilberath, Morten Thomsen, Andreas Hausberger and Monica Theodorescu. “However I always have my own ideas, and I rely also on my brother Benni (Benjamin Werndl) who is very important to me - it’s our goal to be in the German team together some day!”, Jessica points out.

Now of course her career at top level revolves around the brilliant 15-year-old TSF Dalera BB who she has been riding since the mare was eight years old. “It was when she was 10 and we won the Louisdor Final in Frankfurt that I realised she could be very special, and when she was third in the Freestyle in 2019 (at the FEI European Championships in Rotterdam) that was the day I thought everything is possible. Then two years later (at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and FEI Dressage European Championships in Hagen) we proved it!” 

And making their prospects even more exciting is the fact that Jessica believes Dalera has further room for improvement. “She feels she can give even more and when I enter the arena I always know she will try her heart out and give her best. I think she loves me and the life she is living. She loves travelling and she’s a real showgirl! But we both enjoy cantering through the forest as much as competing. She’s grateful for that, and so am I”.

Many talents

Jessica is a woman of many talents. During lockdown she wrote a book - “Heaven on Horseback” - about her life, her struggles, her inspiration and her positivity, and she’s currently working on a second publication, a children’s book. She says a near-death experience, when she almost drowned, changed her view on life and helped her become more reflective and to move forward. She wants this latest book to be “a nice story, with a lot of learning”. 

Her five-year-old son, Moritz, may be a little too young to enjoy it as yet because it will be aimed at children aged 10+. Moritz travelled with her to Ornago and it was the first weekend Jessica was without the support of her husband or parents, but it worked out well thanks to the help of grooms and riders. With another baby on the way - due in August and therefore negating any possibility of a tilt at the World Championship titles - she knows she’s going to have even more on her plate in future. “I’ll have to manage my life even better and I’ll need more help for sure. It’s really important to have a good work/life balance”, she says. However she’s aiming to return to action as quickly as possible after baby number two arrives. “I was competing four weeks after giving birth to my first son, so hopefully I can do that again!”, she says with a laugh.

For now however, the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022 final has her full attention. For Dalera the preparation will be kept very simple - “nothing special, just keeping her motivated, healthy and happy, hacking in the forest and if the weather is good then going on the gallops”, she explains.

And as for preparing herself, it will be about focusing on the reason she does what she does. “Sometimes we need to remind ourselves why we started in the sport - because we love horses. So many people focus too much on the outcome - the success rather than how to get there. I try to focus on how to get there, rather than the outcome”.

Being more Jessica….that seems to work…..

More information about the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2022 

4 nykårede DV hingste klar til bedækningssæsonen

Blot 4 dressurhingste blev indsyet til den obligatoriske 10-dages test i Tørring efter hingstekåringen i Herning.

De øvrige godkendte hingste vil blive præsenteret til de kommende tyske 2-dages test i hhv. 6. - 7. april i Vechta, og 26. - 28. april i Münster-Handoff, for at opnå deres endelige godkendelse for i år.


Træningsbeskrivelser:

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OLD saddle Licensing and Riding Horses for Online auction - videos online

Videos of 11 dressage stallions for the up-coming OLD saddle licensing and 20 dressage horses are online.

2 April at 3 pm to 10 pm with Online & Live OLD Auction

Among the stallions for the saddle licensing no 46 by Glamourdale / Londonderry look like a top price stallion.

Among the riding horses and older licensed stallions Morricone III look like to absolute top price.

Here you find the entire list of horses for the auction.

There will be online presentation of the collection 27 March at 6 pm at Clipmyhorse.

Vaderland, Von und Zu and Venido highlights at Celle stallion show

Friday evening with huge stallion show from Landgestüt Celle.

Both Vitalis sons Vaderland (ds Krack C) and Von und Zu (ds Floriscount) showed themselves with very nice qualities. Both with lovely expression and a supple uphill front. Vaderland with better canter than Von und Zu, but best walk of the day from Von und Zu. Also Blue Hors Veneziano son Venido looks like a quality stallion.

You have the possibility to catch up on the entire show at ClipMyHorse archive.

FEI PRESS RELEASE - Exciting contest for Final qualifying spots

The FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2021/2022 qualifying season came to an exciting conclusion at Motesice in Slovakia last Sunday where Freestyle victory secured a place at next month’s Final for former champion, Helen Langehanenberg, while Moldova’s Alisa Glinka was confirmed winner of the Central European League.

Only top spot would be enough to help Langehanenberg make the cut to the 35th showdown of the series that dates all the way back to 1986. The German rider, who won the FEI Dressage World Cup™ title with the great Damon Hill back in 2013, was lying ninth on the Western European League leaderboard with 33 points going into yesterday’s last-chance competition. 

Compatriot, Frederic Wandres, was holding third place on the league table with 52 points, so she needed the maximum 20 cross-over points from the Central European series to overtake him and to clinch that last of three qualifying slots on offer to German riders. 

Having steered the 14-year-old mare Annabelle to a narrow victory over Poland’s Katarzyna Milczarek in the Short Grand Prix, Langehanenberg put more distance between them when posting 77.905 in Sunday’s Freestyle. She will now fly her country’s flag alongside defending champion Isabell Werth and reigning Olympic and European champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl when the Final kicks off on their home turf in Leipzig (GER) in three weeks’ time.

Final standings

Saturday’s win in the last leg of the Western European League at ’s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands boosted von Bredow-Werndl to pole position in the final standings while success in Slovakia saw Langehanenberg rocket up to second place ahead of Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour in third. 

A total of nine athletes can qualify from this league but only a maximum of three from any country, so Wandres, who finished fourth, has missed out by an agonising single point.

Sweden’s Patrik Kittel, Denmark’s Nanna Skodberg Merrald and Spain’s Juan Matute Guimon fill the next three placings ahead of French rider Morgan Barbançon and The Netherlands’ Thamar Zweistra who finished in equal-eighth place. As Wandres cannot compete, tenth-placed Briton, Charlotte Fry, has made the cut.

Just two slots are available to athletes from the Central European League which kicked off in Minsk (BLR) in April 2021 with victory for the eventual league winner, Glinka. The 35-year-old athlete then went on to win three more rounds of the 19-leg series, at Zhashkiv (UKR) and Kunkiai (LTU) in May 2021 and in Kharkiv (UKR) in June partnering her super-consistent horse Aachen, and the impressive pair also posted two runner-up finishes during the season. 

Katarzyna Milczarek finished eight points behind on the final leaderboard but showed just how competitive she is when putting former champion, Langehanenberg, under plenty of pressure over the weekend. The veteran Polish athlete who, with Ekwador, represented her country at the London 2012 Olympic Games posted a win with Guapo at this season’s fifth qualifier in Samorin (SVK), and last weekend’s second-place result with the 11-year-old stallion bought her ticket to the 2022 Final. 

Across the globe

Meanwhile across the globe Ashley Holzer and Anna Buffini claimed the two qualifying spots on offer in the North American League. 

Former Canadian Olympian Holzer, who took up American citizenship five years ago, posted a double of wins in Ocala, Florida (USA) in October and December 2021 and added further points in Wellington, Florida (USA) in January and February this year with her 15-year-old mare Havanna to top the league standings.

Buffini’s FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final ride is also a 15-year-old mare, FRH Davinia la Douce. Victory and a personal-best score at the last of the eight qualifying legs in Wellington earlier this month sealed second place in the North American rankings and has confirmed a slot for the 27-year-old amongst the total of 18 world-class Dressage athletes who will battle it out for the coveted series title at Leipzig Exhibition Centre from 6 to 10 April 2022.

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