The FEI is to unveil an innovative photographic celebration of equestrianism entitled Inspire at the World Equestrian Games. Inspire brings together 16 images of inspirational equestrian legends
and young talents who represent all the FEI equestrian disciplines. Athletes from all disciplines are shown in surprising and eloquent contexts, many of which incorporate subtle or playful references to their disciplines. Most of the images unite two people in rural or urban backdrops.The origins of the athletes are diverse and serve as a reminder of the geographical spread of the 133 National Federations affiliated to the FEI. The list of depicted equestrian contains no surprises as they are celebrities in the sport: HRH Zara Phillips, Jessica Springsteen and Beezie Madden (USA, Jumping), Rodrigo and Nelson Pessoa Laurentia Tan, Hussain Al Marzooqi and Ali Mohammed Al Marzooqi, European Junior Reining Champions, Natalia Berezhnaya, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum with her baby Brianne Victoria, Darlene Milord, Kai Vorberg with his mentor Reinhold Strang (pictured right), Totilas, Ijsbrand and Bram Chardon , Alex Hua Tian, Enos Mafokate and grandson Karabo, HRH Princess Haya, and Alltech president Dr Pearse Lyons and his wife Deirdre
Belgian born but German based dressage trainer Jan Bemelmans married his partner Nicole Menzel in Krefeld, Germany, on 9 September 2010. The bride wore a champagne coloured silk dress with beige jacket and red flowers decorated the scene. After they said their vows Nicole and Jan Bemelmans, who is the national team trainer of Spain, released white doves outside. Equi News reported that German Grand Prix rider Dieter Laugks was amongst the guests.
Isabell Werth wrote on her website that she took both her horses, Satchmo and Warum Nicht, to the German WEG trainig camp at Gestut Moosbend in Belgium. The Germans leave for Kentucky on 16 September 2010 and until then the team riders are doing some team building in training camp."It's a good feeling to have two top horses at my disposal and be nominated with both," said Isabell. "If you only have one iron in the fire and a cough or a hoof ulcer comes along, the World Equestrian Games dream would be over."
After setting tongues wagging on his facebook page commenting ‘I sold the dream and it leaves today’, Carl Hester has sold his De Niro gelding Supernova II to Jennifer Goodman. Jennifer who currently owns several medium level dressage horses and Grade A showjumpers, has bought the ride for Gloucestershire based Spencer Wilton who told us, "Supernova is confirmed at medium and advanced medium level, I will spend time getting to know him and he’ll come out for prix St George level premier league and small tour outings in 2011."
Claudia Ruscher, the silver and bronze World Young Horse Champion and triple gold medal winning Bundeschampion, is leaving the stable of her father to work at Stall Ramsbrock in the north of Germany. Rüscher achieved a historic feat when she won her third consecutive gold medal at the Bundeschampionate with the same horse, Belgian owned Lissaro van de Helle, the first weekend of September. This has never happened before in the history of the German Young Horse Championships. Rüscher will be joining Hella Kuntz and Herman Burger at Ramsbrock.
Hendrik Lochthowe will stay in Switzerland. His announced return to Germany to work at the Lodbergen Dressage Centre will not happen. The German born Lochthowe has decided to stay at Silvia Ikle's stable and continue to train Rubin Cortes (by Rubin Royal x Calmiro) up to Grand Prix level. His GP mount Rubin Royal has a new rider, a Swiss young rider whose name so far remains undisclosed.
Jochen Arl's FEI Dressage pony Equestricons Lord Champion (by Le Champion) has been sold to 2010 European silver medal winning Lena Charlotte Walterscheidt.This year Lord Champion's rider Dana van Lierop saw both her FEI ponies being sold. Her second pony Wengelo's Ricardo sold to Pia Boehmer in Germany. Van Lierop will now be focusing on a new ride, the 9-year old former international show jumping pony Malforins Mc Baloubet. Dana is retraining the recently castrated stallion for FEI pony dressage.
Courtney King-Dye has been to visit "her" horses for the first time since her horrible riding accident, in which she fractured her skull and went into a coma for a long time. King-Dye has been working extremely hard at her rehabilitation and is doing hippotherapy with a horse named "Dude". King-Dye felt both sadness and joy while visiting her horses as she also went to see Mythilus and Rendezvous' graves. "I waited till now to write," she said. "I couldn't shake the sadness of that for a few days. It overshadowed the initial joy I felt at seeing the other horses. But now I can talk about it! It was simply wonderful to see my horses! Just made me so happy! I gave Jen a few pointers, through Lendon, but she's doing a great job! I'm so lucky to have her. Luckily I visited the graves afterwords, so my initial joy was absolute!"