We often wonder why the German top dressage riders are lagging behind so much in their marketing and personal promotion online. Most of the German A and B team riders have amateur websites and those that have professional sites never update them or are slow and trivial with their updates. They are leagues behind with their PR strategies compared to the Dutch.
Anky van Grunsven is by far spearheading this campaign as she has a beautiful site where you can find several updates EACH DAY!
But, the young guns are coming. German A-team rider Matthias Alexander Rath finally got the message that the whole package has to work if you want to be a top player. He launched a most amazing "mini site" and is the first rider who has a "video clip" on his site. MTV makes its way in the dressage world! You have to check out the video clip in which you see Rath preparing himself for a ride on Triviant. With the song "Horse and I" by Bat for Lashes as musical accompaniment, you are in for a major treat (we get goosebumps each time we watch the teaser!)
We think it's brilliant that there finally is a rider out there who steps outside the box! For the first time you see a dressage rider who is innovative and can market himself with something unique! Congratulations! www.matthias-rath.de
Spanish Olympian Beatriz Ferrer-Salat has switched trainers. She moved from Jan Bemelmans to Ton de Ridder and is now seeking his coaching. The sympathetic Spanish also made her Grand Prix debut with Delgado at a German regional show in Frechen scoring over 70%. Congratulations!
One of the most successful brood mares ever, Poesie, has been bred this year to the Arabian stallion Orlow ox. Poesie produced the World and Bundeschampion Poetin as well as the licensed stallions Samba Hit I to IV. The grey Arabian Orlow ox is approved for the Hanoverian society.
Isabel Bache has appointed the head rider at the Katrinelund Stallion Station in Denmark. This means that she will leave her current base at Holga Finken's stable in Germany and move to Denmark to train and compete stallions such as De Noir (which she has been riding for quite a while) and Stevie Wonder (by Stedinger x White Star x Einblick).
Polish Katarzyna Milczarek sold her small tour horse Don Windsor to Berlin based FEI rider Romina Hoyzer. The 8-year old dark bay Oldenburg gelding Don Windsor is by Don Cardinale x Waldstar xx and was internationally competed at Prix St Georges level.
Dutch former team young rider Dominique Filion celebrated her 26th birthday recently. She also told Dutch equestrian newspaper Het Sportpaard that she has sold her 13-year old Dutch bred Grand Prix horse Pride (by Jet Set D x Kaiserstern xx) to Germany.
Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud recently took a short break from horses and travelled to Barcelona, Spain, for some well earned R&R. "It was very cold, but it's nice to be away for a few days," Gal told Eurodressage in Wiesbaden. Edward was supposed to ride Sisther de Jeu at the show in Germany but right before they left the Gribaldi mare pulled a shoe and was slightly uneven because of it. Hans Peter Minderhoud showed Tango in the Grand Prix for Kur tour.
Nadine Capellmann has sold her 7-year old Westfalian bred Furst Rohan (by Furst Heinrich), which she competed at S level for the first time beginning this year.