American Grand Prix rider and 2010 WEG team member Katherine Bateson-Chandler has received the ride on the 6-year old Oldenburg mare Fine Time. Her long-time sponsor Jane Forbes Clark secured the horse as Katherine's Grand Prix hopeful.
Fine Time is a 2011 born Oldenburg mare by Furstenball out of Dolce Vita (by Sandro Hit).
The mare earned her first time in the spotlight as a 4-year old under Andreas Helgstrand's assistant trainer Emma Ahlberg. She finished 6th at the 2015 Danish Young Horse Championships. Under Helgstrand's Australian stable jockey Simone Pearce the mare competed at the 2016 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Ermelo, The Netherlands, last August, where she finished 11th in the 5-year old finals. The duo also finished 7th at the 2016 Danish Young Horse Championships in Odense in October.
Fine Time was initially owned by Dagmar and Hans-Werner Müller but right before Ermelo, Helgstrand sold her to his Danish business partner Bolette Lyngby Wandt who is based in France. Jane Clark has now acquired the mare as Bateson's FEI hopeful.
"I think everything about her is special," an ecstatic Bateson told Eurodressage. "She has everything I have been looking for: three stunning and correct paces and a fantastic character. What more could I ask. She has that special kind intelligent look in her eye. She knows she's special in the most humble of ways!"
The Wellington, Florida, based Katherine tried the mare already back in December 2016 and the mare only got out of CEM quarantine on 11 February 2017.
Bateson is currently competing Jane Clark's Dutch warmblood Alcazar at international Grand Prix level.
"I feel so blessed to have an owner and friend like Jane to purchase this exceptional young horse to develop to Grand Prix," Katherine stated.
Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Scores: 2016 Danish Young Horse Championships
Scores: 2016 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses
World Champion Victoria's Secret Sold to Denmark
Definite Entries for 2016 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo
Scores: 2015 Danish Young Horse Championships