Andreas Helgstrand's Jovian Passed Away

Dressage

Denmark

Andreas Helgstrand's Danish medal winning team horse Jovian has passed away on Thursday 4 September 2025 following complications from getting gelded.

Jovian was an 11-year old KWPN stallion by by Apache out of Zinith (by Tango x Fruhling). He was bred by E. Ten Bosch.

Licensed Stallion

He was presented at the pre-selection for the 2017 KWPN stallion licensing in Den Bosch by Ad Valk and Jeroen Witte, but not accepted. The non-licensed stallion sold to Swedish Sophia Skobe Rosen of Stall Sathalla who kept in The Netherlands.

KPWN officially measured him at 1.74 m, but the horse appeared larger than life and was reported to stand above 180 cm.

The ride was initially allocated to Chiara Prijs Vitale who rode him in the picture by winning the 2017 VWF Dressage Cup for 3-year olds in October 2017. Jovian sold to Helgstrand shortly afterwards, but was purchased by Norwegian Cathrine Rasmussen of Kleppenhus Dressage under the Helgstrand banner.

Helgstrand first had the WFFS positive stallion approved in Germany. He was first licensed with Oldenburg in February 2018, with Hanover in March 2018 and Westfalia followed a year later in February 2019. He was approved for Danish warmblood and Selle Français, but not for KWPN even after his sport results.

He first did the sport test in Verden in March 2018 under Thomas Sigtenbjerggaard, scoring 9,01 for dressage and a few days later Jovian did his 14-day stallion test in March 2018 in Denmark, scoring 8,75 for dressage, 6,55 for jumping and 7.95 points overall. His second sport test he completed in February 2019 in Munster-Handorf with Eva Möller in the saddle, scoring 9,08 points. Moller also rode Jovian to a second place in the 2018 Pavo Cup Finals

Jovian leaves behind 215 offspring registered in the German Equestrian Federation database, 14 of them are licensed stallions. Horsetelex lists 17 licensed sons and 280 offspring worldwide. His oldest approved offspring was born in 2019.

Double World Young Horse Champion

Andreas Helgstrand made Jovian his own ride and they first came into the spotlight by finishing 9th at the 2018 Danish Young Horse Championships in the 4-year old division. A year later there was silver at the 2019 Danish Young Horse Championships. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to corona and only days before the start of the 2021 Danish YH Championships he withdrew the horse.

Jovian became the talk of the town on international scale when he won the 2019 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo, beating popular breeding stallion Secret (whose sport career was cut short due to health issues). Jovian prevailed in the finals and scored 96.000 for the title. In 2020 the WCYH were cancelled due to corona and in 2021 Jovian returned to the WCYH in rainy Verden and won gold again, this time with a record score of 89.136%.

Grand Prix at 8

There was no time to loose and Jovian made his national Grand Prix debut still aged 7 at at the CDN Aarhus in Mårslet on 26 March 2022. One judge (Lone Dichmann) went gaga over the test and rewarded it with 88%. The final score with three judges was 83.700%. Their international Grand Prix debut was in May 2022 at the CDI Aalborg, where they scored 77.130%, still one month before Jovian's 8th birthday.

The pair competed at the CDI's in Hagen (76.348%) and Aachen (74.761%) but were not nominated on the Danish team for the 2022 World Championships in Herning, which Helgstrand fully sponsored and organised. Helgstrand rode the 2022 Danish Championships with Queenspark Wendy and placed fourth. At that time rumours had surfaced that Jovian was going to be sold to Portugal, but the sale fell through.

In 2023 the pair competed at the CDI's in Herning (76.000%), Aalborg (76.044%) and Aachen (74.326%), won bronze at the 2023 Danish Dressage Championships, and made it on the Danish team for the 2023 European Dressage Championships in Riesenbeck, sponsored and organised by his Global Equestrian Games. To put it into perspective hardly any organizers step forward with the financial commitment to host a World or European Championships so it's slim pickings for the FEI to whom to allocate the event. In Riesenbeck the pair won team bronze

Annus Horribilis

Team silver at the 2023 Euros in Riesenbeck

The autumn of 2023 became the start of an annus horribilis for Helgstrand. He lost the bronze medal he won on Jovian at the 2023 Danish Championship after getting disqualified for a medication violation. In November 2023 Operation X was aired with led to a string of suspensions by the FEI and Danish equestrian federation.

The ride on Jovian for 2024 was given to his business partner, Swede Patrik Kittel. The horse was listed as owned by Helgstrand and Kittel (in order to be eligible as a Swedish Olympic team candidate) and there was no more mention of Cathrine Rasmussen being involved in the ownership of the horse, at least on paper. Kittel premiered the Olympic hopeful stallion at the CDI Lier in February 2024 to 73.739% and showed him at the Aachen Festival 4 Dressage (74.500%), the CDIO Compiegne (74.283%), the CDIO Aachen (74.652%) but opted to ride Touchdown at the Olympics in Paris

Come Back Kids

After a one-year suspension Helgstrand returned to the arena with Jovian at the 2025 CDN Hjallerup on 14 February 2025, scoring 76.967%

Their international return was at the CDI Herning in March where they won the Grand Prix with 72.478%. They went to Hagen (71.391%), won bronze at the 2025 Danish Championships, and in Aachen they posted 72.587% to clinch a spot on the Danish team. In the absence of Nanna Merrald, Daniel Bachmann, and Carina Cassoe Kruth, the selection at the top was thinner and Helgstrand easily earned his place on the team. At the 2025 European Championships in Crozet, France, last week, Denmark won team bronze and Jovian placed 26th in the Special on 29 August with 69,666%

Untimely Passing

On Friday morning 5 September, Helgstrand communicated the sad passing of Jovian.

"After returning from the European Championships, Jovian was given some well-deserved days off," said Helgstrand. "After long and careful consideration, we decided to neuter him, but unfortunately complications arose during the procedure. Despite the vets' diligent efforts, his life could not be saved. This leaves the entire Helgstrand Dressage in deep sorrow – and in particular his rider, Andreas Helgstrand, and his long-time groom, Mikala Krog, both of whom have had a close and special bond with Jovian for many years."

"He leaves behind an irreplaceable emptiness – but also unforgettable memories and a lasting legacy in the world of dressage," Helgstrand stated.

Groom Mikkala Krog took to Instagram, "my heart will never be full again. Dino you are the best there ever could happen to me & Andreas. No horse can leave a hoof print like you will in our hearts."