What's Happening: January 2026 - Part II

New Zealand Olympian Melissa Galloway (née Parkes) and her husband Lachy Galloway are expecting their first child, a baby girl, in May 2026. Galloway, who spent three years in Europe working out of Van Olst horses in preparation of her 2024 Olympic start, returned home to New Zealand after Paris and left her career making horse Windermere J'Obei in Europe to be sold to German U25 rider Emma Lienert. Galloway is now coaching students in her home country, while producing the next generation of young horses, including Kiwi bred Evita MH (by Everdale x Soliman de Hus) and Rubin's Rock DW (by Rubin Royal x Rockstar).

Cathrine Dufour has purchased a new young horse, the 5-year old Danish warmblood Alibi's Isya (by Iron x De Niro x Rotspon), bred by Rikke and Jesper Filipsen Dahl. Under Caroline Hansen the black finished fifth at the 2025 Danish Young Horse Championships as a 4-year old. 

Japanese Olympian Akane Kuroki welcomed her first child with her husband: a baby girl named Emma, who was born on 1 December 2025. Akane chose for surrogacy and stated that  "it was made possible through considerable medical and legal support." Kuroki competed internationally from 2014 till 2023. She represented Japan on Toots at the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as at the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games with Toots and L'Esperado. She also competed horses such as Elastico, Bordeaux and Zuidenwind, amongst others. Her last competition horse in her career, so far, L'Esperado, she recently sold to a client in Japan.

California based dressage rider and trainer Amelia Newcomb has succumbed to the pressure and is moving her business from the U.S. West coast to Wellington, Florida. "I am moving there full time," she confirmed to Eurodressage. "Excited to join the equestrian community there." Newcomb began her international show career in 2020 on Karen Drown's Grand Prix Natasha (by Negro x Donnerhall) and between 2020 and 2023 showed Harvard (by Charmeur x Tuschinski) at Grand Prix level. Her last CDI was in March 2025 at small tour on Kensington (by Galandro x Special D). Amelia is the sister to Joseph Newcomb, who runs Exclusive Dressage Imports out of the San Diego area.

German born Australian rider Alexandra Vodermaier is on the move again. After 12 years in Australia, where she got married and took in citizenship, she returned to Germany in the spring of 2025 to build a career in her home country. She first started to ride for Yara Reichert in the south of Germany but has now joined the team of German Olympian Dorothee Schneider, first at Doro's old farm Gestut St. Stephan, and now making the move to Gestut Famos with her.  Maik Kanitzky, owner of Gestut Famos, hired Heiner Kanowski as general manager of the facility.

Dutch professional dressage rider Jeanine Nieuwenhuis has given birth to her first child, a baby boy, on 9 January 2026. The boy is officially named Joos Mick but will be nick-named Jim. Father to Jim is Jeanine's husband, Jeffrey Den Hollander. The 30-year old Nieuwenhuis made her career as a Dutch youth rider aboard TC Athene with whom she became the 2016 European Young Riders Champion and 2019 European Under 25 Champion. Nieuwenhuis last competed internationally at the CDI Leeuwarden in October 2024 with Galliano (by Johnson x Rudy B).

Horse investor Matthias Schlamminger died unexpectedly right before New Year's Eve. Originally from Regensburg and garnering wealth as a car dealer, Schlamminger was an avid horse investor. According to Zuchterforum he owned around 700 dressage and jumping horses, spread out over Germany and Hungary. In 2024 Schlamminger bought Gerd Könemann's yard and EU stallion station in Rhede, where he based his competition horses. The official opening was celebrated in the spring of 2025. He owned dressage stallions such as Attendance, Beckham Gold, Strong Oak, Tesino, and pony stallion Malibu amongst others. The family announced Schlamminger's sudden passing on 15 January. Schlamminger had no less than 9 young colts (out of 93) in the running for the 2026 DSP Stallion Licensing in Munich.