The Horses & Dreams' organizers Ullrich and Francois Kasselmann, dressage co-ordinator Dr. Ulf Möller as well as the national German coaches Otto Becker and Monica Theodorescu, but also show jumping rider Patrick Stühlmeyer and the Danish dressage rider Daniel Bachmann Andersen looked forward to five days top sport and entertainment at Horses & Dreams, which starts Wednesday morning 20 April 2016.
Everybody is looking forward to Horses & Dreams – everyone in its own way. Host Ulli Kasselmann, for example, appreciates his “fantastic new building” on which all eyes will be set. Just as on the life-size LEGO-horse that arrived at the Hof Kasselmann today. “We will put this extraordinary specialty – this sensation – up for auction on the occasion of the charity concert of the Big Band of the German Armed Forces BUNDESWEHR on Saturday evening,” Kasselmann explained today. The revenue of the horse and of the concert will be given for the benefit of the charity initiative “Riding against Hunger” that has been committed to fighting hunger all over the world since 2012. More than 1.5 million Euro have already been generated for the poorest of the world since it was launched, revealed publisher Gudrun Bauer in the run-up to the event.
Daniel Bachmann Andersen who is riding for the Danish stud Blue Hors, already participates for the fifth time at Horses & Dreams, and he could tell about the always fantastic atmosphere and the perfect conditions. He will show up with the stallion Blue Hors Hotline in the Almased Dressage Stadium for the CDI4*-Tour. “Riding is the most difficult sport of the world,” thinks the 25-year-old rider. “I cannot ask a horse before the start how it is feeling today – you have to feel it yourself as rider.”
Local hero Patrick Stühlmeyer has to cope with double pressure. The show jumping rider from Georgsmarienhütte who is working in the stable of Bernfried Erdmann in Rulle, was only recently nominated for the German national A-team. He was not only facing the Olympics in Rio, but also family and friends visiting Hagen to see his performances. “Of course everybody wants to give his best – but I try to keep cool and ride as concentrated as always – and hopefully this will be enough.”
National show jumping coach Otto Becker plans to nominate the four best German riders for Rio: “It is not a question of age or name – in order to be at the top in Rio, we still have to improve.” Becker thanked the sponsors who made it possible to even upgrade the DKB-Riders Tour 2016. “The Riders Tour is the most important series of all – for the professionals and for young riders to continue gaining experiences at important tournament venues.”
Monica Theodorescu, the German national dressage coach, is positive about the outdoor season after having completed a training course with the team last week in Warendorf. “The elder horses got well through the winter, and the younger ones even improved.” With Kristina Bröring-Sprehe, not only our number one was competing in Hagen, but also the number one of the world rankings. “Both are in top form and are looking forward to Horses & Dreams – all riders are waiting in the starting blocks for the outdoor season.”
Dressage co-ordinator Dr. Ulf Möller thinks the same, because “the Olympics fever already reached Hagen, and the riders know that this tournament provides perfect conditions – even if the weather is not always quite perfect.” Francois Kasselmann keeps pace in the show jumping stadium: “There are also top conditions here in the show jumping stadium, and the fact that we announced five world ranking jumper competitions is of course an incentive for the top riders to travel to Hagen.”
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Tickets for Horses & Dreams and the Charity Concert of the Big Band of the German armed forces Bundeswehr are available with www.horses-and-dreams.de or with ADticket online www.adticket.de, with the ticket hotline: Tel. ++49 (0)180 - 60 50 400 (€ 0.20 /call incl. VAT for fixed network calls, max. € 0.60 / call for cell phone calls) and with all ADticket-booking offices.
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VIP Hospitality at Horses & Dreams Meets Denmark 2016
For more information, visit www.horses-and-dreams.de
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2016 CDI Hagen