What's Happening: April 2023 - Part II

Sun, 04/30/2023 - 18:08
Bits 'n Pieces
Silva and Boyd Martin are expecting their third child

American professional dressage rider Silva Martin is pregnant with her third child. The baby is due in October 2023. The German born Silva (née Stigler) is married to eventing rider Boyd Martin. They are already parents to sons Nox (2015) and Leo (2018).

Dutch trainer and rider Christa Larmoyeur fell off a horse and ended up in the hospital for X-rays. Fortunately she didn't fracture anything and just needs to take it easy for a few days. She wrote "I did something that hasn't happened in 30 years," she joked about falling off a horse. "Fortunately nothing broken, although the pain made it feel otherwise. My trainer used to say, "and right back on," but I think I'm going to wait a few days with that." To Eurodressage Larmoyeur added, "today I'm aware of even more muscles in my body. All will be fine, it just needs a bit of time."

Dutch dressage trainer and rider Jeannette Haazen is also sidedlined for a while. She has an accident and ended up with her foot and lower right leg in a cast. Get well soon.

Brydon proposing to Allie Schmidt
(Photo © Q2 Photography)
Canadian international small tour rider Alexandra "Allie" Schmidt got engaged to her boyfriend of three and half years, Brydon Clark, at the 2023 CDI Ocala. Schmidt had just finished competing her 17-year old KWPN gelding Balthasar (by Sandreo x Gribaldi) when Clark dropped on his knee and presented the ring. The 28-year old Schmidt is based in Ontario. Clark is an adventurer, animal lover, photographer and apprentice saddler, who helps Allie out with her horse business.

Successful American dressage horse breeder Maryanna Haymon has suffered a stroke and is rehabilitating at a hospital near her Marydell Farm in Columbus, North Carolina. Dressage-news reported the news. “Specifically, she suffered a medullary infarction which resulted in marked right-sided involvement,” horse show photographer Sharon Packer who lives in the area reported. “She has been moved from acute care to rehab. Her cognition, vision and speech have not been affected. As with any severe stroke, fatigue is almost debilitating. Since she is right dominant and cannot use her right arm at this time, she is limited in being able to take phone calls and cannot text.” Haymon is the breeder of international Grand Prix horses Serenade MF (Alice Tarjan) and Doctor Wendell (Maria Klementieva) and international small tour horse Sonata MF (Amanda Perkowski). She was the owner of the late breeding stallion Don Principe.

Lyle and Feodoro in March 2023
Canadian dressage rider and horse investor Vicky Lavoie of Nexolia Dressage has decided to bring home Feodoro, the 12-year old Hanoverian by Furstenball x Rosario, which was trained to Grand Prix level by Adrienne Lyle and the ride recently allocated to Lars Petersen. "After a long reflexion, I decided to bring Feodoro home. He is my heart horse. Having him to ride in the early years inspired me to get fitter and get involved more in the sport. Although I’m blessed with a lot of good horses, without him it wasn’t the same and some of the motivation got lost.(...) I will ride him myself and I expect to be smiling a lot in the future as I now feel complete again."

Dr. Dietrich Plewa was awarded the German Rider's Cross in Silver. On behalf of the German Equestrian Federation (FN), FN President Hans-Joachim Erbel, the well-known dressage and horse expert was thanked for his services. Like his younger brother Martin Plewa, Dietrich Plewa was born with a passion for horses through their father, Wilhelm Plewa, a horseman and successful trainer, who played a key role in the reconstruction of competition sport in Westphalia after  World War II. Dietrich Plewa began his equestrian career in show jumping, became German junior champion in 1963, but soon switched to dressage and moved to the south of Germany under the decisive influence of then national coach Bubi Günther. Between the 1970s and early 1990s he was one of the most successful dressage riders in Germany, collected a total of around 150 S-level victories and 30 Grand Prix victories and became German reserve Champion in 1994 with Geronimo. He was already judging nationally in the mid-1980s, became an international judge in 1989 and became an O-judge in 2009. Until 2019 he officiated at numerous international championships including the é014 World Equestrian Games in Caen.

Hungarian young rider Mira Dicso has acquired the 11-year old KWPN mare Halesta (by Quadroneur x Weltart). The black mare was third at the 2015 KWPN Mare Championship where she was presented by breeder Willeke Bos of Stal 104. The mare was first competed by Vai Bruntink up to Advanced Medium level and sold in September 2020 to horse dealer Helgstrand. Two and a half years later she found a new owner in Dicso, who has competed Foxtrot (by Foundation x Furst Heinrich) at the 2021 European Junior Championships in Oliva Nova. Most recently she's been showing Havana (by Stedinger x Don Schufro) at Young Riders level.