Sven Rothenberger's top Grand Prix horse Barclay II has been sold for 50% to the German performance stable Hofgut Liederbach. The Hanoverian gelding will be ridden by the 27-year old Belgian Grand Prix rider Carl Cuypers.
"I had seen Carl ride here in the area and went to Hofgut Liederbach to ask whether we could do something together," Sven Rothenberger told Eurodressage. "Carl tried out Barclay and it went really well, so we agreed to make a partnership, Carl as rider, me as trainer and Hofgut Liederbach as sponsor. The goal is to coach Carl to the 2006 World Equestrian Games and then we'll go from there."
At the Belgian CDI Selection Trial on February 4, 2006, Cuypers and Barclay II (by Brentano II x Lungau) won the first Grand Prix as a combination with 66.771%. "Carl had only ridden Barclay five times but it can go well when you have a rider who can ride and a well trained dressage horse. I've done it with Andiamo and Ideaal as well. I just got them and eight days later I won in Stuttgart," Rothenberger reminisced.
Belgian Carl Cuypers has worked for three years at Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff's Schafhof in Kronberg, Germany, before moving to Hofgut Liederbach in Liederbach, Germany, where he conducts training seminars, trains young horses and markets sales horses.
At the 2005 Belgian Dressage Championships, Cuypers finished fourth aboard Acolito .
The horse gene runs strong in Rothenberger's family. Sven was the 1996 Olympic bronze medallist with Jonggor's Weyden. He won team gold with the German team in 1991 and became the European Champion on Andiamo. He also claimed multiple team silver medals with the Dutch dressage team over the years. His wife Gonnelien is also an internationally successful dressage rider, while his children Sanneke and Sönke are currently two of Germany's top FEI pony riders in Germany. Aboard Konrad, Sanneke became the silver medallist at the 2005 European Pony Championships in Italy. Sven is now bringing the 8-year old Westfalian stallion Future (by Florestan x Apart) to Grand Prix level.
Rothenberger also shared the news that he has purchased Roger Schulkens' Prix St Georges horse Paso Doble (by Don Primero) for his daughter Sanneke as junior riders horse. "Paso Doble has been in our stable for two days now and Roger will continue to coach Sanneke. We believe it's good that he will help her. It will widen her horizon. She needs to get input from different trainers. I was helped by Johann Hinnemann and Otto Hofer and I want to give the same opportunities to her," Rothenberger stated.
Photos copyrighted: Barclay by Astrid Appels / Cuypers by Koenraad Cappon
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