Canadian Pan Am team rider Chris von Martels will not be making his CDI Grand Prix debut on his Pan Am bronze medal winning Zilverstar any time soon. The Canadian has leased his horse to Dutch young rider Lisanne Zoutendijk.
Zilverstar is a 2004 born KWPN gelding by Rousseau out of Hutricia (by Rossini). He is bred by E. 't Hooft and is owned by Chris and Lisa von Martels.
The bay gelding made his international show debut under Spanish based Dutch rider Brigitte van der Hagen. In 2009 she competed him in the international young horse classes in Vierzon, Pompadour, Biarritz, Vejer, and Arruda dos Vinhais. In 2010 he did the 6-year old tests in Sevilla, Vejer, and Pompadour.
Chris von Martels made his international small tour debut in Wellington, Florida, in February 2013. The pair consistently competed at small tour level from 2013 till 2015. They represented Canada at the 2015 CDIO Wellington Nations Cup and at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, where they won team silver and individual bronze, their career highlight.
Von Martels did not compete Zilverstar at all in 2016 citing that he was preparing the horse for Grand Prix. The duo made its CDI show come almost two years after ths Pan Ams at the CDI Crozet in France in August 2017. They competed in the medium tour and scored 68.556% in the Intermediaire A but retired from the Intermediaire B.
Because Von Martels was based with Leida Collins-Strijk in Riethoven, The Netherlands, this summer, Zilverstar was in Europe and stayed there. As of October, Zilverstar has been leased to 19-year old Dutch young rider team member Lisanne Zoutendijk who trains with Jeffrey Heijstek and Coby van Baalen.
"I'm so happy with this horse," Zoutendijk told Eurodressage. "I want to ride him in the Young Riders division and see if we can go for a team spot."
The new duo made its show debut at a regional event in Oud-Gastel today, scoring 66.71% in the Prix St Georges.
Photos © Astrid Appels
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