British team rider Fiona Bigwood and Danish Grand Prix rider Anders Dahl have become the proud parents of a baby girl on July 22, 2006. The baby girl was born in England two weeks early, which was not the plan. "Anders had to rush back from Germany to the hospital and just made it after some mad driving across London," Fiona told Eurodressage. Baby and mother are doing perfect. The baby weighs 3.5 kilogram and is "an absolute sweetie." Fiona did joke that she has never been in so much pain before. "Men definitely have it easier in this world," she quipped. The baby received the beautiful name of Mette Clare Dahl.
Two big national shows are being hosted in Belgium in August. The first weekend of August (5-6 August) it's the Cup of Belgium, the inofficial Prix St Georges championship. The Cup is hosted at Philip Vermeulen and Maria Gijsbrecht's stable Oosterhof in Herenthout and it offers two days of top FEI level competition (small tour championship, pony classes, Grand prix).
Two weeks later (11-15 August) Belgian Grand Prix rider Wim Verwimp hosts the "Summer Event 2006", a huge five-day event featuring national dressage and show jumping classes. The Summer Event will also be the place for the Belgian pony, junior and young riders championships as well as the Pikeur Trophy Semi Finals. International Grand Prix riders Leida Collins-Strijk and Dane Rawlins have confirmed to compete at the Summer Event. Leida Strijk's husband Tim Collins will be riding some jumper classes. Don't miss it!!
At the 2006 Westfalian Elite Mare Show, Florina became the 2006 Westfalian Elite Mare Champion. Florini is a bay mare by Floresco out of a Pavarotti van de Helle x Ramiro dam. She is bred and owned by Wilhelm Rüscher-Kornemann from Greven, Germany. The reserve champion was First Lady (Florestan I x Ferragamo) followed by Dura (Diamond Hit x Brentano II).
The 2006 CDIO Hickstead promised to be a huge event with top riders, but several international stars had to cancel. Top of the bill, Anky van Grunsven, withdrew with the message that she could not compete due to illness. She also added that she might require surgery. "She called us on Thursday to say that she may have to go in for surgery," a Hickstead spokesperson told Horse and Hound, "I don't know what the surgery is for – we didn't want to ask." Swedish Kristian von Krusenstierna did not start in Hickstead either. His horse Wilson did not make it at the vet check on Thursday morning. Von Krusenstierna, who is on the short list for the Swedish WEG team, is in England training with Kyra Kyrklund.
Patrick van der Meer went to the CDI Falsterbo to compete his Grand Prix horse Allassio and returned from Sweden empty-handed, literally. Swedish buyers fancied Van der Meer's 13-year old grey Holsteiner gelding (by Acobat x Tumbled) and negotiated a purchase. After the show, Allassio stayed in Sweden to be vet checked and sold.
You might think that theAmerican dressage team is training seriously in Europe to prepare for the World Equestrian Games, but Leslie Morse confessed to us that she, Kyra Kyrklund, Nathalie Zu Saeyn/Wittgenstein and Kristian von Krusenstierna are preparing for a different kind of Games, Aquatic Games. "When we can, we keep our competitive spirit sharp by a serious back-stroke race in the pool next door," Morse told Eurodressage. "So, you'll see the serious international splashing backstrokers pictured--in the far back is me, Leslie Morse of the USA, then Natalie of Denmark, Kyra Kyrklund of Finland, and Kristian of Sweden. These are some of the ways that we try to relieve the stress. Of course, it's not all fun and games, but the fun and games is the best part to show and creates the best pictures, too."
Petra Langjahr from Dortmund has set up a new website www.horsian.com whichhelps people retrieve stolen or vanished horses. It's a brand new site but it could be a very useful source of information when you know a horse has disappeared and you want to find it back. "The idea for Horseian.com arose some months ago, when the horse of a friend vanished. She brought him to a so-called "Gnadenbrothof" (retirement home) for a good retirement. Instead the horse was sold immediately - it seems to a horse dealer in The Netherlands. So many horses are transported internationally nowadays," Langjahr told Eurodressage. Check out the new site at www.horsian.com.