Morricone II Has New Rider in Greek Lia Koudouni

Dressage

Greece

Morricone II, a 10-year old Oldenburg stallion and one of three licensed brothers, has found a new rider in Greek Lia Koudouni. The stallion is still in Germany where he is being trained by Koudouni at Gestut Sprehe.

Morricone II is by Millennium out of Hartima (by Rubin Royal x De Niro). He is bred by Heinrich Vahle.

Gestut Sprehe

Albert Sprehe prsented that black at the 2017 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing in Vechta, where he was licensed. He was also approved for Sachsen-Thuringia.

He did his 14-day suitability test in Schlieckau in April 2018 and scored 7.65 in total with 7.2 for dressage and 7.83 for jumping. He went on to do the first sport test in April 2019 in Munster and scored 7.31 points.

Morricone II has done very little breeding as only 2 offspring are registered for sport with the German equestrian federation.

Sport Career

Morricone II moved to Gut Buchenhof in 2018 and was first competed that year by Isabell Ahegger. He returned to Sprehe and was shown once in 2020 by Sabine Rueben. In 2021 Simone Pearce showed him once at M-level.

The ride was then allocated to Sprehe's new head rider, Italian Beatrice Arturi, who debuted him internationally in the 7-year old tests at the 2022 CDI Samorin, followed by the World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo, where they were 37th in the preliminary test with 64.140%. They did not ride the consolation final.

In 2023 the pair moved into the senior small tour and placed in the top three at the CDI Ornago in September. they won the Italian Inter I championships. In 2024 they did one CDI in Samorin. His last show was in August 2024 at S* level in Hude.

Greece

Morricone II has now found a new rider in Greek Lia Koudouni.

The 33-year old Ioulia "Lia" Kyriaki Koudouni has a yard in Athens, Greece, but is currently spending time at Gestut Sprehe getting to know and train Morricone II under the supervision of Sabine Rueben. In Greece she is coached by Joanna Georgopoulou.

"He is amazing and I am really looking forward to the future with him," she told Eurodressage. "We are training to build him up for the big sport. With Morri I hope to make the big step to Grand Prix."

Koudouni's international show career began in 2005 at children's level at the Balkan Games in Plovdiv on Donnergroll (by Donnerhall x Debüt). She competed him in six Balkan Games in total (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011). She also took him to the 2007, 2008, and 2009 European Junior Riders Championships and last showed him at Young Riders level in 2011.

A five-year break from international showing followed. She returned with Collier (by Christ x Ron William) in 2016 and rode him at the 2016 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo in the 5-year old division. He showed him internationally through August 2018 when he was 7. The CDI Nice in August 2018 was her last international.