In Dutch equestrian magazine De Hoefslag, Dutch team coach Sjef Janssen and former team vet Jan Greve were interviewed about Greve's sudden resignation.
The Dutch Equestrian Federation described the reason of the conflict as an "incompatibility of characters." In De Hoefslag Janssen was quoted saying, "I don't have much to add to it. The co-operation between Greve and myself wasn't optimal for a longer time. There were some issues slumbering. Recently it all became more grim. The Dutch Federation initiated a conversation between them, Jan and I, but there was little point to that. In regards to London we decided to keep the path to London as optimal as possible. That this goes well is more important than anything to me and nobody has the worry about different things. The sport needs to come first and everybody has to subordinate themselves to that result, even I, if that may be necessary." Former team vet Jan Greve said, "if the collaboration between a coach and a team vet needs to make room for suspicion and ego-tripping of the coach, it ends for me there. I was simply used as team vet for the outside world, but in the meantime too many things happened behind my back. I regret this for the boys (the team candidates). I liked doing the hob and received many text messages from them. It all grew slowly and at a certain point I had enough."
The Swedish warmblood stallion Cairo (by Cortez x Utrillo) passed away at age 23. Bred and owned by Carin Leuhusen, Cairo was licensed as a 4-year old and competed at S-level in both show jumping and dressage. Under Elin Jonsson he was member of the Swedish dressage team at the 2006 European Young Riders Championships in Stadl Paura, Austria, where they finished 32nd individually.
British 2010 WEG team rider Fiona Bigwood and her Danish long-time partner Anders Dahl have become the proud parents of their third child. Bigwood gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Friday 18 May 2012 at 11.27 AM. "We have decided to call him Lars Joshua Dahl and hopefully we can leave the hospital tomorrow (21 May)," Bigwood wrote. "He is doing very well. He has needed some antibiotics to help his breathing but we seemed to have turned a corner and he is improving all the time- happy days."
The 2010 Oldenburg reserve licensing champion Floricello (by Florencio x Dormello) has been sold for 50% to Danish Andreas Helgstrand. The liver chestnut stallion was owned by Swedish Inger Marie Hemmingsen and will now continue his dressage career at Helgstrand's centre in Denmark. Helgstrand aims to qualify the stallion for the Danish Young Horse Championships.
The Hanoverian licensed stallion Wilkens (by Waterford x Falkland x Lanthan) has been sold to American-Danish Charlotte Jorst. The black stallion was licensed as a premium stallion in 2006 and sold at auction to Denmark for 280,000 euro. The stallion was initially based in Denmark, where he was competed by Anna Blomgren for Andreas Helgstrand. Begin May the black stallion moved to Carola Koppelmann's in Warendorf for further training but the stallion sold almost immediately to the U.S.A.
The Swiss magazine Blick published a short article about Christine Stuckelberger and Georg Wahl's 46-year partnership. The now 92-year old Georg Wahl is still going strong watching the horses daily. One of his favourite past-times is watching soccer on television at the moment.
Jane Gregory's siter, Claire Heslop, carried the Olympic torch on 19 May 2012 during its progression around the U.K. in memory of her older sister, who passed away unexpectedly in the spring of 2011. Heslop asked to take part in the torch relay as a fitting tribute to Jane, who was a British Olympic team member in 1996 and 2008 and hoped to ride at the 2012 Games in London.
On Tuesday 22 May 2012 Kris Keersmaekers has been elected new chair of the Belgian Warmblood Society's Board of Directors. He is succeeded Carl Rijcken. Keersmaekers was the vice-chair for year but his position will be taken by Jozef Bauters.
German FEI rider Kathrin Middelmann has lost her number one small tour horse Patent F.M. The 13-year old grey Westfalian gelding (by Popcorn x Rivellino xx x Ribot) died on Tuesday 22 May 2012. During a normal training session, the horse collapsed and died from to a ruptured artery. The 1.85 m standing was one of the most successful small tour horses in the Westfalian area, collecting a purse of 25,323 euro over the years. Patent F.M. was owned Kathrin's father Franz Middelmann, who also discovered Martin Schaudt's Olympic horse Durgo.
Animal cruelty charges have been dismissed against Olympian Cesar Parra, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III announced on 24 May 2012. In March 2012, the Hunterdon County SPCA issued four summonses to Parra after a complaint was made regarding an incident that occurred almost three years prior. Parra was accused by the SPCA of “torture or torment to a living animal” after a horse he was training was injured in June 2009. Kearns told NJ.com that, “Of the four summonses issued to Parra, one was related to a fourth degree crime, one was for a disorderly persons offense, and two were civil complaints.” The one criminal summons related to the disorderly persons offense was reviewed by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutor Kearns noted, “This incident occurred almost three years prior to the complaints being issued and the Statute of Limitations on Disorderly Persons offenses is one year, therefore that summons was dismissed.” Read more at NJ.com