What's Happening: July 2025 - Part II

Swedish former international rider Nina Rademaekers has double reason to celebrate. She and her partner Calle Lundgren are expecting their first child together, a baby boy, due in October. Calle, who is a personal trainer, also proposed to Nina on 20 July 2025 and she said "a thousand times yes." The 32-year old Rademaekers began competing internationally as a pony rider in 2009 with Jose. With Acanto (by Abanos x Grenadier) she moved into the junior division and represented Sweden at the 2011 Nordic Baltic Championships. Bizet Gersdorf (by Come Back II x Leandro) was her Young Riders horse. She last showed him internationally in April 2015. Three years later, in 2018, she returned to the international arena as an Under 25 rider with Dorano (by Dormello x Silvio). She piloted him once in the international senior big tour in May 2019.  Rademaekers has not been on the CDI stage since then. Her last national start was in 2022, but she still rides at home on the 12-year old KWPN bred Impress Me F (by Foundation x Krack C), aka Melvin. Nina is active as a digital content creator.

Stefanie Viehoff-Wolf is on the move again. After leaving Johann Hinnemann at the start of 2023, the professional rider was based at a yard in Stapelskotten near Münster. She stayed there for almost two years, but now has relocated her business to Osterwick near Rosendahl. She has rented Potthoff entirely.

German breeder Matthias Fieseler of Rhenania Horses attended the second German WCYH team selection trial in Warendorf on 15 July 2025. When he wanted to leave the DOKR show grounds he noticed that all four tyres of his car were slashed. He posted a call for witnesses on his Facebook page. "All 4 tyres on the side of our car were punctured. This was done in such a way that the tyres deflated later," Matthias wrote. "Based on the information available, we assume that someone was ‘working on behalf of’ someone. We are offering a reward of €2,000!"

Dominique Dreumel, the photographer behind Equigeniek, has announced that she is pregnant with her first child. She and her partner Nick van Aken will become parents at the end of 2025-begin 2026. This is a silver lining for the couple as six weeks ago Van Aken got severely injured in a car accident. 

Brazilian triple Olympic rider Joao Victor Marcari Oliva has proposed to his girlfriend, Portuguese Under 25 rider Marta Fernandes, and she said yes. The 29-year old Joao and the 23-year old Marta became connected through dressage and the Lusitano. Marta began competing Joao's Lusitano Hussein VO in 2020, a few years before they become an item. Two weeks ago Marta rode Joao's 2023 Pan American Games silver medal winning Feel Good VO (by Franziskus) at the European Under 25 Championships in Kronberg. Joao is a son of Hortência Marcari, Olympic silver medalist in basketball at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

German Grand Prix rider Paulina Holzknecht recently went on her bachelorette party in sunny vineyards and a month later she became  Mrs. Voelkel as she married on 26 July. The 27-year old Holzknecht is based in Solingen and trains with Johan Zagers. She rode on the German team at the 2015 European Junior Championships and at the 2018 and 2019 European Young Riders Championships, all with Wells Fargo.

Former British youth team rider Olivia Oakeley got married.  She wed Taylor Elias on 26 July 2025. With Donna Summer Oakeley represent Great Britain on the British junior and young rider teams at European Championships five years in a row between 2010 and 2014. The highlight of their career was placing 6th in the Kur at the  2014 European Young Riders Championships in Arezzo. A 7-year break from international showing followed between 2015 and 2022. Since then she has only competed at CDI's in the UK, her last being in Hartpury in July 2024 on small tour horse Full House (by Florencio x Falkland).