Danish Under 25 Grand Prix rider and assistant trainer at Helgstrand Dressage, Daniel Bachmann Andersen, married his long-time girlfriend and the mother to his child, Norwegian dressage rider Tiril Ånerud on 2 August 2014. The couple got married in the church of Kongsvinger in Norway.
The Hanoverian breeding stallion Drosselklang II (by Don Carlos x Frustra II) has passed away at age 30. Bred by Margarethe Hagenah, Drosselklang II was Hanoverian Stallion of the Year in 2001. He has mainly produced show jumping offspring and sired 11 licensed son, including Drossan who produced the small tour dressage horse D'Accord.
Helen Krieble, president and founder of the Colorado Horse Park, where the 1998 and 2000 North American Young Riders Championships were hosted, announced her retirement during Summer in the Rockies. Over the past 22 years, Krieble transformed her vision into a reality to build an equestrian mecca for all the FEI sports at the Colorado Horse Park. Now in her seventies, she is looking for a like-minded equestrian to purchase the facility and take over the reins.
Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and her husband Alexander Johannsmann are expecting their second child. The couple already has one child, son Konstantin, born on 24 July 2010.
Retired Grand Prix horse Sisther de Jeu is scheduled to become dam of four foals in 2015. This year, so far, four embryos were successfully flushed out of her and put into gestational mares. The embryos are sired by Glamourdale, Governer, Dante Weltino and Negro. Owner Emmy de Jeu praises the skill and expertise of her vet Esther de Melker for her success rate with embryotransfer. "Sisther is only inseminated when she comes in heat naturally, de Jeu told Eurodresage. "She has been in heat even throughout the winter, so our first foal will come in January 2015." The bay mare (by Gribaldi x Amor) is spending her retirement in the field with nine other mares, including former GP mare Riondine.
Zuchter Forum reported that Patrick Kraft has acquired the Dillenburg state stud owned licensed stallion D-Online. A full brother to Anabel Balkenhol's 2010 German WEG team horse Dablino, the bay stallion is by De Niro x Wanderbusch II and is 16 years old.
American FEI rider Chrissa Hoffmann has acquired a new Grand Prix horse in partnership with two co-owners. She spotted and bought the Danish warmblood Grand Prix mare Mireill (by Michellino x May Sherif). The 13-year old dark bay mare was was first competed by Rikke Nørup-Nielsen and in 2011 Kamilla Albrektsen took over the ride.
Akiko Yamazaki, long time sponsor of Steffen Peters, has acquired a new horse for herself in Germany. The amateur Grand Prix rider purchased the formerly licensed 6-year old Oldenburg gelding Bailarino (by Breitling W x De Niro). First ridden by Kira Wulferding and then shown by Portuguese Antonio do Vale, the chestnut Bailarino finished 7th in the consolation finals for 5-year olds at the 2013 Bundeschampionate. The horse was recommended to Akiko by horse dealer Henrik Brinkmann, who has already acquired two horses through Brinkmann's recommendation.
Palestian-German Grand prix rider Christian Bruhe got married to 34-year old German-French Sarah Zimmermann. They wed in a civil ceremony on Fraueninsel in Chiemsee, Germany, on 14 August. The church wedding will be on 6 September in the French Provence. Congratulations
German 2010 WEG Team rider Anabel Balkenhol has been successfully operated on mid August. The Grand Prix rider suffered from a series of infections in her bowels which didn't heal with medication. Balkenhol had to undergo quite a heavy operation but is recovering well. She hopes to be back in the saddle and at shows by October.
France's best performing dressage pony at the 2014 European Pony Championships, Clarissa Stickland's Diana has been retained for France. The chestnut Diana (by Don't Worry) has been sold to French FEI pony rider Arthur Barthel, who trains with Anne Sophie Serre. The Stickland family acquired Diana five years ago. Stickland and Diana became French Pony Champions two years in a row.