Danish Grand Prix rider Sofie Jeppesen has married her long-time boyfriend Marc Fortuin in the Kildrebronde church in Denmark on Saturday 8 August 2015. After the wedding ceremony, a reception and dinner party were held in the garden of Jeppesen's home.
The couple has been together for nine years. Fortuin works as a creative designer in an advertising agency.
Dutch Grand Prix rider Danielle Heijkoop has lost the ride on the 6-year old KWPN bred El Torro B (by Painted Black x Jazz). The American owner, M. Keenan, wants to have the horse back in the U.S.A.. Heijkoop received the ride on El Torro B half a year ago and ended up finishing 13th in the 6-year old finals at the 2015 World Championships for young dressage horses in Verden.
David Lindh OAM has been appointed to the board of Equestrian Australia (EA) filling a casual vacancy position. Lindh is a highly credentialed professional with experience in corporate and commercial matters, both as a lawyer and as a company director. He received an Order of Australia Medal in 2008 for his services to business in particular as a company director in the energy and resources industry and to equestrian sport.
More Danish wedding bliss. Ridehesten reported that Danish Under 25 dressage rider Anne Sofie Aaen got married to Asbjørn Lauritsen on 21 August 2015. The couple got married in the Jorgens church of Svenborg, Denmark, in attendance of 85 family members and friends. Aaen, who recently finished fourth in 2015 Danish Under 25 Championships on Schambucka Solyst, has recently established her own equestrian business so the honeymoon to the Maldives is delayed until November. Lauritsen is a farrier by profession.
Grand Prix power duo Patrik Kittel and his Australian wife and Olympian Lyndal Oatley are spending their summer holiday at Qualia, a resort where they got married, on Hamilton Island in Australia. The Oatley family owns the entire island in the Great Barrier Reef and Lyndal's sister Nicky is a manager of the resort.
British international junior rider Ruth Hole has received the ride on Caroline Ironside's 5-year old Holsteiner stallion MFS Cayden HH (by Contender). Under Jennifer Johnston, the AES licensed Cayden competed the 2015 British Winter Championships. Clare Hole's FEI dressage pony Bernwode Brokat has returned home to owner Sarah Stegall as both Ruth and Clare Hole have outgrown the pony.
Canadian Olympian and WEG team rider David Marcus has decided to permanently base himself in Wellington, Florida with his life partner, Australian FEI rider Nicholas Fyffe, and sells her equestrian property in Campbelville, Ontario. “To be successful in our sport, it is imperative to compete in Wellington during the winter months,” explained Marcus. “For the past five years, we have spent time in Florida over the winter. This past winter, we were there for six months while our barn in Canada sat vacant. It has become obvious to us that this isn’t financially sustainable in the long-term. For this reason, we have decided to base ourselves in Florida year-round.”
In the Dutch sports magazine Helden (Heroes), the Dutch gold medal winning dressage team at the 2015 European Championships was honoured. Helden interviewed Edward Gal and as concluding questions asked him if you he would like to have Totilas back at his home. After a long wait, Edward replied: "Yes, I think I would. You mean that he would enjoy his retirement here, right? That I would like, but I know it will never happen."
After already getting married in a civil ceremony on 20 June, Kristina Bröring-Sprehe celebrated her church wedding to Christian Bröring in Dinklage, Germany, on 22 August 2015. Sprehe was dressed in a gorgeous white lace gown and wore her hair in a beautiful braided updo. The couple went straight on a honeymoon to Sardinia. A photo of Kristina in her gorgeous lace gown can be seen here.