Santa Maria, the Louisdor Cup hopeful of German Grand Prix rider Nicole Wego-Engelmeyer, has been sold to Switzerland. She will continue her sport career under Swiss team rider Delia Eggenberger.
Santa Maria is a 2015 born Russian warmblood mare by Sandro Marinero (by St. Moritz x Cordoba) out of an unregistered mare.
From Moscow to Hagen
She was owned by German company Equitorus GmbH of Russian dressage horse investors Elena Knyaginicheva and Sergey Knyaginichev.
The couple is also known as the former owners of the German team horse Bluetooth OLD (Frederic Wandres), the double World Young Horse Champion Sa Coeur (Eva Möller), PSI auction price highlight SPH Dante and Grand Prix horses Saphira Royal and Delatio, amongst others.
Santa Maria was reared and initially trained in Moscow, Russia but moved to Hof Kasselmann in Germany in 2022. The Kasselmann family became a co-owner of the horse.
77.149% in the Louisdor Cup Qualifier
Nicole Wego was allocated the ride and within a year's time the mare flourished and the pair celebrated significant milestones in the national show ring in Germany.
The pair only competed in four shows. At the CDN Hagen in September they were second in the national S*** class as well as at the CDN Fuldabruck. They made a splash at the last Louisdor Cup qualifier of the 2023 season in Guxhagen, where they finished third with a whopping score of 77,149%, earning 10s for piaffe and passage.
"The quality of this horse is out of this world," Nicole Wego-Engelmeyer stated. "She barely needs any aids to ride her in piaffe and passage. It's so much fun to ride this horse."
Sold to Switzerland
Santa Maria's talent for the Grand Prix did not go unnoticed and Swiss investor Isabelle Ros bought the mare.
The black Grand Prix mare has now moved to the Alpine country as a future star for team rider Delia Eggenberger. She has already presented her in front of the Swiss selectors, including team trainer Oliver Oelrich, at a Swiss elite squad training.
Photo © Mhisen
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