Foundator Sold to the U.S.A.

Dressage

U.S.A.

American Grand Prix rider Natalie Pai has secured a new horse from Europe, the Oldenburg bred Foundator.

Foundator is a 10-year old by Foundation out of Blue Angel (by Samarant x Andiamo). He is bred by Markus Rump

Oldenburg Price Highlight

Foundator first came into the public spotlight when he sold as the price highlight of the 2017 Oldenburg spring elite auction in Vechta.

The dark bay 4-year old sold for 360,000 euro to Andreas Helgstrand from Denmark. Helgstrand formed an ownership partnership with Solyst Dressage.

Denmark

Foundator moved to Denmark, but was only very lightly competed.

With no show record in Germany, Foundator did his first competition at home in Uggerhalne under Spaniard Severo Jurado Lopez. They placed second in a 5-year old young horse qualifier. A month later, Australian Simone Pearce rode him to victory in another young horse qualifier.

Severo and Foundator were entered to compete in the first German team selection trial in Warendorf on 18 - 20 June 2018 for World Young Horse Championships, but they were not picked up for the next round.

A week later Australian Simone Pearce rode him to victory in another young horse qualifier in Billund, Denmark. These were the horse's only two recorded show starts in Denmark. The Danish press at the time reported that Pearce qualified Foundator for Australia for the 2018 World Young Horse Championships but in the end she took Lindballe’s Just Perfect (by Johnson x De Niro) to Ermelo.

Sold to the U.S.A.

Foundator resurfaced five years later in Germany under Swedish Malin Wahlkamp-Nilsson, who rode him at the Munster Indoor national show in January 2023 at Prix St Georges level. They scored 68.373% to place 15th.

Foundator has now sold to the U.S. as a Grand Prix hopeful for former Under 25 rider Natalie Pai. The 26-year old trains with Adrienne Lyle.

"I am very excited about him," Natalie told Eurodressage.

Pai came through the system from junior level to U25 Grand Prix. She showed at the 2014 North American Junior Riders Championships with Way Not (by Wie Weltmeyer x Gaston) and won individual gold at the 2015 North American Young Riders Championships with Fritz San Tino (by Falkenstern II x Wanderbusch II). In 2017 she made the transition to Under 25 level on the schoolmaster Unlimited (by Jazz), whom she rode through 2019.

In 2020 Pai acquired the now Selle Français mare Utopie d'Ouilly (by Quite Easy x Narcos II) and campaigned her at Under 25 level through April 2022. The mare is now retired from sport and will be a broodmare at Pai's farm in Virginia. Nationally she showed younger horses Donna Valentina (by Don Schufro x Stedinger) and Inspiration PF (by Everdale x Calido I) until April 2022 and has not been out to compete in a year.

In March 2022 she acquired the Oldenburg Grand Prix stallion Mister-C, who was previously competed by Csaba Szokola, Dorothee Schneider, and Daniel Bachmann.

"Mr. C. is doing amazing but I have not completed him yet," Natalie explained. "We are planning on competing fairly soon."