Norwegian FEI Dressage Pony rider Hedda Victoria Aam Opheim has retired her top pony Dancer from competition sport. The 23-year old stallion did his final show in Norway last weekend.
Dancer is a 1994 born German Riding Pony by Dressmann out of Anetefka (by Nordlight). He is bred by Heinz Pfeiffer in Germany and previously owned by Flemming and Bettina Petersen before moving to Norway.
Dancer is a licensed pony stallion, getting approved in Alsfeld in 1996. He did his 30-day stallion performance testing in 1998 in Munster-Handorf and svcored 103.19 points to place 19th out of 39. He was started as a young pony in 1999 by Julia Preusse-Beckmann and later competed in Germany in the A-level tests by Dennis Maximilian Frey, Julia Kaufmann, and Isabell Scherf. Between 2007 and 2012 there were no more show starts in Germany, but in 2012 Lisa Gad competed the chestnut stallion in one show in Breitenburg at L-level.
The now 16-year old Norwegian Hedda Victoria Aam Opheim has owned Dancer for five years since 2011. Despite the pony's high age he was still actively competed at international pony shows. The pair made its CDI debut in Odense, Denmark in May 2016. Since they they competed at the CDI's in Ypaja, Vestfold, Nieuw en St. Joosland, Aalborg, Uggerhalne, and Hammaro.
Aam Opheim and Dancer represented Norway at the 2016 and 2017 Nordic Baltic Championships and at the 2016 and 2017 European Pony Championships. Their last international were the 2017 Euros in Kaposvar where they finished 47th in the team test and 54th in the Individual Test.
The pair did his last show in Norway the weekend of 1 - 3 September 2017.
"Dancer has always been one to count on after long and hard trips. He was just as amazing no matter where we were in the world. You have been, are and will always be my best friend. Again thank you for everything, it has been a wonderful trip," said Aam Opheim.
Opheim has reached the age limit and will move onto horses in 2018. She will compete in the Norwegian Pony Championships next week with her second pony, the 18-year old Dutch bred Septun, to conclude her pony career.
Photo © Digishots
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