First Date OLD, Bundeschampionate Medal Winner, Sold to German Pony Rider

Dressage

Germany

First Date OLD, a triple Bundeschampionate finalist and one-time medal winner, has been sold to a German pony rider as her junior hopeful. The mare will continue her sport career under German pony team rider Julie Sofie Schmitz-Heinen.

First Date OLD is a 2017 born Oldenburg mare by For Dance out of Wentana (by Weltmeyer x Brentano II x Woermann). She is bred by Hans-Hermann Lagershausen.

Veronika Steinhof

Owned by Martina Lagershausen, the mare was trained from novice to L/M-level by Veronika Steinhof.

The pair made its show debut in 2020 when First Date OLD was three years old. The won the 2020 Oldenburg Young Horse Championships in Vechta and scored silver at the 2020 Bundeschampionate in Warendorf.

In 2021 the duo went on repeat, winning the Oldenburg Young Horse Championships in Rastede and placed fourth at the Bundeschampionate.

In 2022 they were fourth in the L-level dressage horse test at the Oldenburg regional championships in Rastede and landed 8th place at the Bundeschampionate.

Julie Schmitz-Heinen

Julie at the 2022 European Pony Championships

First Date, who is nicknamed "Filou", has been sold to the Schmitz-Heinen family who runs dressage stable Hof am Eifgen in Wermelskirchen, Germany

The mare joined the barn on 22 November 2022. "So excited to find out what the future holds for us," said Julie.

Aboard pony Carleo Go (by ), Schmitz-Heinen was member of the gold medal winning pony team at the 2021 and 2022 European Pony Championships. She also won individual bronze this year.