VIDEO - EVO Schubidoo og Anne-Marie Hosbond klar til UVM

Anne-Marie Hosbond Berthelsen med EVO Schubidoo sammen med avler og ejer Jane Serup Jensen

Reservepladsen udløser en billet

UVM er lige om hjørnet, og for Anne-Marie Hosbond og den 7-årige DV vallak EVO Schubidoo e. Blue Hors St. Schufro / Blue Hors Hotline, blev drømmen om en plads til UVM i første omgang den lidt utaknemmelige 1. reserveplads, men med frafald af Peggy Sue Nexen som er solgt til Frankrig, er Anne-Marie og Schubidoo nu også klar til at repræsentere Dansk Varmblod i Ermelo i næste uge.

For Anne-Marie er det hendes 2. UVM, idet hun tilbage i 2017 var til start på Straight Horse Don Tamino i 6 års klassen, så hun glæder sig rigtig meget til at være med i gamet igen.

Avlerhjertet banker

I år er det præcis 7 år siden at Stutteri EVO blev grundlagt af Jane Serup Jensen og Martin Jensen, og med til den del af historien hører nemlig Schubidoo som er først fødte føl på ejendommen i Veerst lidt udenfor Vejen. Hoppen Fleur nåede desværre kun at få 3 afkom, hvor også den 6 årige vallak EVO Dungey e. Blue Hors Don Olymbrio stadig bor på stutteriet, og som Anne-Marie netop har kvalificeret til mellemrunden.

Man fornemmer tydeligt at avlerhjertet banker lidt ekstra når snakken går om UVM og Schubidoo. “I dagligdagen tænker man ikke så meget over om det er egen avl eller indkøbte heste der går rundt på banen, men med UVM udtagelsen melder stoltheden sig, da det ikke er så mange har været med på rejsen fra den absolutte første dag,” fortæller Jane.

Hoppeføl e. Be Sure / Florencio

Den næste generation

På markerne omkring Stutteri EVO finder man spændende føl og åringer, som helt sikkert får chancen når deres tid kommer, og med det nuværende set-up glæder Jane sig over, at de nu har mulighed for at følge de unge heste, lige fra de første trin med rytter til den videre uddannelse.

Velforberedte

Imorgen er det helt nøjagtigt blot 11 måneder siden at berider Anne-Marie Hosbond startede som 1. rytter hos Stutteri EVO. I tiden der er gået har Anne-Marie været super flittig og allerede høstet masser succes på forskellige heste inklusiv international lille tur debut med hoppen Scarlett, som lige nu er godt på vej mod Grand Prix. Da Anne-Marie sidste efterår overtog Schubidoo havde han været til start i LA1 og parret nåede lige en MB0 inden årsskiftet, og nu er de så klar til UVM for 7 års. Senest har de lige vundet kvalifikationen til DRF´s championat for unge heste i Bogø med 79,847%.

Teamet

På opsadlingspladsen går snakken flittigt på spansk, og selvfølgelig også engelsk når det er nødvendigt, for de eneste ikke spansk talende i dagligdagen er Jane og Anne-Marie, så de har med et stort smil på læben også bestemt at efteråret, udover ridningen, også skal krydres med spansk undervisning.

Når teamet er til stævne er de hinandens hestepassere, og det fungere rigtig fint fortæller Jane og Anne-Marie samstemmende, som er klar til at køre turen mod Ermelo natten til onsdag med EVO Schubidoo, og hvor resten af familien støder til når det går løs med konkurrencerne.

LINK til videoklip her. (hvis ikke du kan se Youtube videoen herunder)

Excellent Dressage Sales top price colt sold for 44.000 euro by So Perfect and top price filly sold for 39.000 euro by Las Vegas

Top filly by Las Vegas / Grand Galaxy Win

Top price colt by So Perfect / Grey Flanel

Part of NEWS from Excellent Dressage Sales

HOOGE MIERDE – The EDS team can look back on a very successful auction in which expectations were exceeded. 55 foals came under the virtual hammer. Nine foals were not awarded. The average sales price of the foals sold was almost € 10.000, of which ten foals were sold for € 15.000 or more.

Soulmate BVP (So Perfect x Gray Flanell) was the auction topper with € 44.000. A fantastic stallion from the well-known mare line of Don Schufro and Just Wimphof! This topper was sold to a well-known Dutch dressage rider and remains on Dutch soil. For Showtime (Las Vegas x Grand Galaxy Win) there was a bidding duel between the Netherlands and Sweden. For € 39.000 euros, this most expensive filly also will stay in the Netherlands. An absolutely handsome foal that can move with a lot of expression! A son of Livius, Stanley, changed owners for € 21.000.

Las Vegas and Fürst Dior offspring the favorite
With ten foals in the collection, the son of Ferdeaux was one of the top suppliers. Las Vegas is the performancetest champion of his year and won the Pavo Cup. The expectations of the stallion are therefore very high for the World Championships for young dressage horses next month in Ermelo. Four of his foals were sold above €15.000. The offspring of the young stallion Fürst Dior were also popular and many buyers expressed their interest. With four foals in the auction, two (out of the famous dam Bukkie) were sold above € 10.000. The son of two-time world champion Glamourdale, Sinclair S, was auctioned for € 16.000 and the daughter of Dutch Champion and two-time bronze medal winner Hermès, So Happy, is leaving for his new owners for € 16.000.

Link here If you want to check out the entire collection.

VIDEO - Besøg hos Grøn Dressage inden turen går til Ermelo

Allan Grøn og Bøgegårdens Santiago Bernabeu efter veloverstået træning - foto: H2R

UVM i Ermelo nærmer sig med hastige skridt

Med mindre end to uger til det går løs i Ermelo lagde H2R forleden vejen forbi Grøn Dressage i Davinde på Fyn, for at fange lidt indtryk fra træningsbanen hjemme hos Allan Grøn, der har to heste udtaget UVM i år. Den 5 års hoppe Søbakkehus Maude e. Hesselhøj Donkey Boy / Wilkens avlet af Agnete Holmsted og ejet af Norcordia ApS samt den 6 års DV kåret hingst Bøgegårdens Santiago Bernabeu e. Bøgegårdens Santiago / Bøgegårdens Laurino, avlet og ejet af Stina og Jørgen Schmidt, Stutteri Bøgegården.

Sammen med Søbakkehus Maude har Allan allerede høstet stor succes, idet parret vandt Dansk Varmblods Unghestechampionat i Herning tilbage i marts måned, mens Bøgegårdens Santiago Bernabeu alene har været med nogle gange som 6 års, men jo har været i ilden som helt ung til hingstekåring, materialprøve osv.

Den sidste træning inden Ermelo

Hver torsdag kommer berider Karsten Pedersen for at holde Grøn Dressage skarpe, og her små to uger før afgang handler det mest om finpudsning og at holde formen ved lige, da begge heste ser ud til at være klar til opgaven, som man allerede så dem til den endelige udtagelse på Vilhelmsborg.

“De daglige rutiner er vigtige for at holde hestene friske og motiverede, samtidig med at det jo også handler om, som altid, at holde uheld fra døren. Og nu glæder vi os til at skulle afsted og føler ihvertfald at forberedelserne frem mod Ermelo har været optimale, og så må vi se hvor langt det rækker i de skarpe felter,” siger Allan Grøn.

Erfaring fra tidligere

Allan Grøn har tidligere repræsenteret Dansk Varmblod ved UVM sammen med vallakken Blue Hors Zick Flower e. Blue Hors Zack/Blue Hors Romanov, avlet af Andreas Gregersen og ejet af Blue Hors. Ekvipagen var i både 2013 og 2014 i finalen som 5 års og 6 års, og vinder af 7 års i 2015, som på daværende tidspunkt stadig var i “pilot projekt” fasen, og først året efter i 2016 blev en fast del af verdensmesterskaberne for ungheste.

Link til video her.

U25 pigerne klar til første start i dag til EM i Ungarn

Så er de danske U25 ekvipager klar til EM i Ungarn.

De fire danske ekvipager er:

  • Josefine Hoffmann med Hønnerups Driver e. Blue Hors Romanov/ Blue Hors Don Schufro (avler: Stutteri Hønnerup)

  • Karoline Rohmann med Jakas Don Louvre e. Blue Hors Don Romantic/ Lauries Crusador xx (avler: Jan og Karina Koefoed-Nielsen)

  • Laura Kristine Thorup med Blue Hors Veneziano e. Vivaldi/ Donnerhall (avler Blue Hors ApS)

  • Thea Bech med Dionisos e. Spielberg/ Sir Sinclair (avler: Holland)

I dag starter stævnet med første del af Intermediaire II klassen. Her er Laura og Veneziano første dansker til start kl. 14.40 og kl. 16.12 er det Thea og Dionisos.

2. del af Inter II klassen går torsdag og her har Josefine og Driver starttid kl. 14.24 mens Karoline og Don Louvre slutter danskerfeltet af med starttid kl. 16.12 som 2. sidste startende i klassen.

Hele stævnet kan følge via livestreaming på Clipmyhorse.

Link til start og resultater findes her.


Resultater fra DRF´s championat for unge heste i Bogø i dag

Sensommer vejret viste sig fra den bedste side til stævnet i Bogø. For de morgenfriske var de første to startende i 4 års klassen kl. 7.00, og med 43 startende ekvipager var klassen først slut godt over middag.

Konceptet hvor rytterne skal ride et program fungerer i princippet godt, men man mangler at der løbende bliver givet anvisninger fra dommerne, i forhold til tempoet i de tre gangarter, da langt størsteparten af feltet bliver vist i et klart overtempo, og det giver alene anledning til få eller ingen bemærkninger fra dommerne, og iøvrigt ikke reflekteret i pointene.

Med 43 startende og 23 ekvipager klar til mellemrunden (minimum 7,8) lignede det desværre 10 ekvipager for meget set fra sidelinien i dag.

Kontakt, balance, selvbæring er tre vigtige faktorer i starten af den unge hests uddannelse. På det 4 års stadie handler det om anvisninger fra rytteren, som jo er den spæde start på en forhåbentlig videre uddannelsesvej. Størsteparten af alle ungheste har brug for rytterens hjælpere til at tage den rigtige kontakt, finde balancen i ex. hjørner og vendinger, herefter bliver hestens forudsætninger for at lære at gå i selvbæring også klart optimeret.

For rigtig mange ligner det at “slagter-trav” er blevet midlet i forsøget på at nå målet. Under en håndfuld af 4 års holdet kunne reelt tåle at rytteren bad om lidt mere, uden det gik ud over en god kontakt hvor hesten forblev i balance.

Dagens super stjerne var årets hoppe i 2021 Valarie B e. Revolution / Blue Hors Zack avlet af Karin og Peer Guldbrandtsen og ejet af Helgstrand Dressage. Også hoppen Quinn G e. Quaterhit / Fassbinder fra Stutteri G viste super kvaliteter og bliver placeret som nr. 3.

4 års klar til mellemrunden (1 og 2 direkte klar til finalen)

5 års klar til mellemrunden (7.8) Nr. 1 direkte klar til finalen

6 års klar til mellemrunden (7,8) Nr. 1 klar til finalen direkte.

7 års klar til mellemrunden (7,2) Nr. 1 klar til finalen direkte

Remember top price stallion About You at Hof Borgmann auction in 2020?

Do you remember 4-year old stallion About You sold for 1.65 million euro at the 2020 Borgmann Online Auction? His full brother About Me will be at the auction tomorrow, and he definitely look like his brother both from look and movements.

The auction will be tomorrow Saturday 20 August at 6 pm, and the final presentation will be at 2 pm LIVE at Clipmyhorse.

H2R favourite top prices for this auction:

Here you find the entire collection.

Selected German Young Horses for Ermelo

German Young Horse selection with a few podium candidates. For the 5 year old Va´Pensiero with Hannah Laser look like the full package for the Championships, while Eva Möller and Danish bred former OLD Champion stallion Global Player look like one of the medalists for 6 year old. The 7 year old looks like a repeat at the podium for Escamillo and Manuel Dominguez.

5 year old

6 year old

7 year old

VIDEO - Høj kvalitet hos de unge hopper til DV´s Eliteskue i torsdags

Quaterhit e. Quatergold / Sandro Hit / Brentano II

3 nye guldmedaljehopper

Hesselhøj Donkey Boy brillierede endnu engang med to ud af tre guld medaljehopper, og der er ingen tvivl om at Donkey Boy har slået sig fast som den helt store ridehesteproducent. Afkommene besidder alle tre gangarter, og vil i høj grad og lade sig ride og uddanne. Hvorvidt Donkey Boy også bliver Grand Prix heste producent vil tiden vise, når afkommene er gamle nok.

Springbank II VH ligner også en ridehesteproducent, og nu med den første guldmedaljehoppe.

  • ÅRET HOPPE - Nr. 228 Dina Holmklit e. Hesselhøj Donkey Boy / De Noir, avlet af Trine Udklit Sørensen, ejet af Kristin Andresen

  • Nr. 229 Brandtbjergs Divya e. Hesselhøj Donkey Boy / Blue Hors Don Olymbrio, avlet af Brandtbjerggaard v. fam. Buhl, ejet af Agnete Holmsted

  • Nr. 241 Sparkletini e. Springbank II VH / Franklin, avlet og ejet af HH Horses

Quaterhit med særdeles spændende fremtidshopper

Medaljekaraten er lavere men kvaliteten er bestemt ikke dårligere længere nede af listen. Med på H2R toplisten finder man yderligere i alt 8 hopper. Alle de hopper ligner fremtidige rigtig spændende sportsheste, der naturligvis har afstamning, som også berettiger dem til at være blandt medaljehopperne.

  • Nr. 221 For Time e. For Dance / Solos Carex avlet af HH Horses, Henrik Hansen og ejet af samme med Helgstrand Dressage. Velgående med kvalitet.

  • Nr. 234 Kastaniegårdens Monclair e. Quaterhit / Fürstenball avlet og ejet Maria Hindkjær. Tydelig præg af mormors far Michellino med super dejlig kvik afvikling af bevægelsesforløbet med flot udtryk.

  • Nr. 235 Springborgs Essie e. Quaterhit / Jazz avlet af Stutteri Springborg og ejet af Jurado Dressage. Masser power af jorden i god balance og flot udtryk.

  • Nr. 236 Nordstrands Quinoa e. Quaterhit / Blue Hors Hertug, avlet og ejet af Gitte Nordstrand Larsen. Meget udtryksfuld, smidig og særdeles velgående i alle 3 gangarter.

  • Nr. 242 Lygum´s Zelina e. Blue Hors St. Schufro / Blue Hors Zack avlet af Lygum Horses og ejet sammen med Bakken Dressage. Masser udtryk og power til fremtiden med høj høj kvalitet.

  • Nr. 250 Remember Me DWB e. Blue Hors Don Olymbrio / Sezuan, avlet af Lena og Rasmus Dalsgaard, ejet af Bregnerødgård. Velgående i dejlig naturlig lukket form, med et aktivt bevægelsesforløb op af jorden.

  • Nr. 253 Atterupgaards Mahalia (4 år) e. Foundation / Lord Sinclair, avlet og ejet af Stutteri Atterupgaard. Smidig i alle 3 gangarter, som går sig dejlig naturlig fri i traven med god energi, super galop og rigtig god skridt. Mahalia med eliteskuets mest imponerende “cv”.

  • Nr. 270 Falkendaune Macohl (10 år) e. Fürstenball / Schwadroneur, avlet af Thomas Bach Jensen og ejet af Henrietta og Andreas Skjold. Sportsresultaterne taler for sig selv, pt placeret som nr. 51 på FEI´s World Ranking for Young Riders.

Med et spinkelt grundlag blot ud fra afstamninger, præsentationen og karakteristikken vover H2R alligevel den påstand, at alle ovenstående hopper umiddelbart havde kvalitet til at gå en medaljekarat op.

Video af nogle af de meget spændende unge hopper LINK

Fry takes Freestyle gold on phenomenal night in Herning

There was magic in the air tonight at the Stutteri Ask Stadium in Herning, Denmark where Great Britain’s Lottie Fry and her spell-binding stallion Glamourdale claimed their second gold medal of the week in the Blue Hors FEI Dressage Freestyle World Championship.

In Monday’s Grand Prix Special the pair pinned Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos into silver medal spot and The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere into bronze, and tonight the same three athletes filled exactly the same places on the Freestyle podium.

But the electricity and excitement in the air this evening was on a whole other level. The sound of more than 10,000 people screaming with delight at the glorious sight of beautiful horses and their stylish riders dancing under the floodlights heralded the arrival of a new era in the sport that has been evolving rapidly over the last decade and more. 

And leading the charge of change are three ladies with lovely young horses that are only starting out in their careers and who have incredibly exciting futures ahead of them

Spell

Fry and Glamourdale were third-last to go of the 15 Freestyle starters and from the moment they entered the arena they had the crowd under their spell. From foot-stomping passage and piaffe to the 11-year-old stallion’s trademark high-stepping extended canter they kept the audience enthralled, and despite a couple of mistakes they racked up colossal scores to put 90.654 on the board and bring the spectators to their feet in a joyous frenzy.

Van Liere had to follow that but wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Her 10-year-old stallion just seemed to grow in confidence with every move, and picking up scores of nine and ten along the way the elegant pair posted 86.900 to slot into silver medal spot. But Laudrup-Dufour and her 10-year-old gelding Vamos Amigos demoted them to bronze with a performance that put 89.411 on the board and set the home crowd alight yet again. 

Van Liere was delighted to collect her second medal of the week at her very first World Championship. The 31-year-old athlete has really put herself on the map with some exceptional performances over the last five days. 

“I’m incredibly proud of my horse, he did such a fantastic job today”, she said tonight. “On Saturday and on Monday he was a little bit tense and I thought today with all the audience he would be more tense but he was actually so relaxed. He’s just getting better and better so I was extremely proud that he did such a good job and I had all his focus”.

Enjoy the experience

Laudrup-Dufour was under the utmost pressure with the hopes of her country sitting heavily on her shouldersm but she said she just decided to enjoy the experience “and it was fantastic riding through that gate again. The crowd tonight were the real superstars, I’ve never seen anything like it, it was like being at a soccer game!”, she said.

“I was super happy with my horse, he was hot today but with that said he’s ten years old, it’s my third horse within four years to take an individual medal with and I’m very proud of him and my team”, she added.

She was asked afterwards if she was disappointed with her result, “no you always go for gold but it’s an honour to be here with these two girls and I do really think that we are a part of changing the sport of dressage and it makes me so proud!”, she pointed out.

Fry said she’d never experienced anything quite like riding into the arena tonight. “The second you entered the crowd was going crazy before you even started, and that already was exciting for Glamourdale to go in there and he knew that it was full and he needed to show off. But as soon as the music started it was the most insane feeling, he was dancing to his Freestyle and I just felt I could sit there and enjoy it. I was listening to the crowd singing along and getting excited about his extended canter. Honestly it was the best feeling in the world and I never have been in an arena like that or ridden a test like that before. 

"This is exactly what Glamourdale was made for - arenas like this, music like that and floor-plans like this! It was all perfect today!"

Lottie Fry (GBR)

Judges

Judge at C, Denmark’s Susanne Baarup, said the judges enjoyed tonight’s Freestyle competition just as much as everyone else.

“It’s amazing to sit there giving marks for such good riding and floor-plans and music, and it’s the small details that decide the placings and we saw extraordinary quality. Out of 15 combinations 13 were plus 80% scores. It’s an honour and a pleasure to be able to judge a world championship and for me it’s particularly special because I was born in this area”.

She was also delighted to see so many young horses doing well. “A lot of people say we don’t see a lot horses form the (Young Horse) world championships doing Grand Prix. But here in this field of nice horses there have been a lot who had success as young horses. It shows the basic riding was done in the correct way”, she pointed out. 

Changes

Laudrup-Dufour talked about the changes she sees happening in the sport. Changes for the better.

“I think style-wise all three of us (herself, van Liere and Fry) we are light riders and we want to try to shape the horses in the softest way possible. It is tricky with such powerhouses, all our three boys are super powerful and it takes a lot to control it but I think it’s impressive - the way both Lottie and Dinja ride, it’s so light and you can’t see that they are doing anything. As Susanne said to see the young horses coming through the system is great. They start to get older now and they can show how much the breeding meant over the last few years, you can tell that these horses are born to do this and it makes it so much more fun for us riders. You don’t have to tell them what to do, you can just go along with them”, she pointed out.

One horse who is certainly born to do it is Glamourdale who rocked the ring on is way to victory this evening. ”It is really hard to believe this all actually happened”, said Fry, “but everything with Glamourdale is nothing short of amazing. He has had this music at stallion shows growing up, so he always dances to it. When the crowd joined in and sang tonight he just loved every minute of it!”

Result 

A farewell to Cassidy - the horse that made Dufour

ECCO FEI World Championships 2022
Herning (DEN)
Dressage

A farewell to Cassidy - the horse that made Dufour

By Stinna Tange

Farewell Atterupgaards Cassidy ridden by Catherine Laudrup Dufour (DEN) during the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning (DEN) © FEI/Leanjo de Koster

Images & Content

Free images for editorial purposes are available from the FEI FlickrAccount in the photostream and in the dedicated albums for all of the FEI’s key series and events. 

Video footage is available at https://fei.broadcast-content.tv/ with the following login details: media@fei.org Password: FEI2018

Last night, we witnessed the emotional farewell to the crowd favourite Atterupgårds Cassidy.  

In front of an enthusiastic home crowd Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour took one last dance under the spotlights with her beloved Cassidy. After 12 years together and countless championships under their belt, the two of them share an extraordinary partnership. However, time has come for the 19-year-old Cassidy to enjoy his senior life back home at Cathrine and Rasmine Laudrups-Dufour’s yard. Though it is important for Cathrine that Cassidy retires while he is fit and happy, it is never easy when a good thing comes to an end as Cathrine explains “it is the end of an era and that’s what makes this so emotional” she continues “but in reality nothing changes for me and Cassidy. We’ll keep having the same routines and we’ll keep training because Cassidy loves to train! But I feel that he deserved one last dance and his fans deserve one last dance.”

"So, tonight was for Cassidy. I owe him everything (…) he is my best friend and I do everything with him myself and that is the favourite part of my day. Just to be around him (…) he brings me so much peace and happiness."

 Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN)

He will never do Grand Prix

Cassidy was not necessarily destined or expected to become one of the best dressage horses in the world. Even though he was doing well at the Danish Young Horse Championships, not many people believed he would progress beyond the small-tour. And the same can be said for Cathrine, who initially liked the feeling she got from Cassidy and together with her then-trainer Rune Willum decided that he would be the one even though she wasn’t completely blown way when she tried him, but explains “he was just so soft and supple and had so much power! And quickly after I’ve got him home, I realised that this could be something very special”. 

She was proven right when they won their first individual medal at the FEI Dressage European Championships for Juniors 2010 just one month later. Cathrine thought that her first individual European Championship medal would be the highlight of her career, but this was only the beginning of a wonderful partnership. The pair would go on to win a medal at every European Championship for all age groups (Junior, Young Rider and Senior) and become the first partnership ever to have done so. “I also think that is why people love Cassidy so much”, Dufour responds when asked what she thinks is the reason for Cassidy’s huge popularity. 

"It is the good story. That we have taken that long road together: a young normal girl and her young horse. I never had a Grand Prix horse before Cassidy, so I also had to learn, whilst I was educating him and because of that he made me the rider I am today." 

He will never do Grand Prix

Cassidy was not necessarily destined or expected to become one of the best dressage horses in the world. Even though he was doing well at the Danish Young Horse Championships, not many people believed he would progress beyond the small-tour. And the same can be said for Cathrine, who initially liked the feeling she got from Cassidy and together with her then-trainer Rune Willum decided that he would be the one even though she wasn’t completely blown way when she tried him, but explains “he was just so soft and supple and had so much power! And quickly after I’ve got him home, I realised that this could be something very special”. 

She was proven right when they won their first individual medal at the FEI Dressage European Championships for Juniors 2010 just one month later. Cathrine thought that her first individual European Championship medal would be the highlight of her career, but this was only the beginning of a wonderful partnership. The pair would go on to win a medal at every European Championship for all age groups (Junior, Young Rider and Senior) and become the first partnership ever to have done so. “I also think that is why people love Cassidy so much”, Dufour responds when asked what she thinks is the reason for Cassidy’s huge popularity. 

"It is the good story. That we have taken that long road together: a young normal girl and her young horse. I never had a Grand Prix horse before Cassidy, so I also had to learn, whilst I was educating him and because of that he made me the rider I am today." 

He will never do Grand Prix

Cassidy was not necessarily destined or expected to become one of the best dressage horses in the world. Even though he was doing well at the Danish Young Horse Championships, not many people believed he would progress beyond the small-tour. And the same can be said for Cathrine, who initially liked the feeling she got from Cassidy and together with her then-trainer Rune Willum decided that he would be the one even though she wasn’t completely blown way when she tried him, but explains “he was just so soft and supple and had so much power! And quickly after I’ve got him home, I realised that this could be something very special”. 

She was proven right when they won their first individual medal at the FEI Dressage European Championships for Juniors 2010 just one month later. Cathrine thought that her first individual European Championship medal would be the highlight of her career, but this was only the beginning of a wonderful partnership. The pair would go on to win a medal at every European Championship for all age groups (Junior, Young Rider and Senior) and become the first partnership ever to have done so. “I also think that is why people love Cassidy so much”, Dufour responds when asked what she thinks is the reason for Cassidy’s huge popularity. 

"It is the good story. That we have taken that long road together: a young normal girl and her young horse. I never had a Grand Prix horse before Cassidy, so I also had to learn, whilst I was educating him and because of that he made me the rider I am today." 

“I only had this one horse and I loved him so much and even though the transfer from Young Rider to Grand Prix wasn’t easy and Cassidy and I struggled with the piaff, I couldn’t just give up on him nor on our partnership. I had to figure out what I was doing wrong since he didn’t understand, and therefor the focus was always on how I could help him. You don’t just quit on your best friend. That was also a huge lesson for me - keep trying until you succeed! So even if a horse has difficulties with one or two things it does not mean you should quite on them”. 

When living-legend Kyra Kyrklund joined their trainer team together with Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein everything clicked, and Cathrine and Cassidy started to master that special art of making Grand Prix look effortless.

To have developed together with your horse like Cathrine has with Cassidy over many years gives a very special confidence in the partnership Cathrine explains “when I saw Cassidy for the first time, he was a six-year-old and afraid of the big screen. Fast forward to our international Grand Prix debut in 2015 it was the exact same situation! But at the time we had been through so much together already, so I never doubted we would also be able to solve that problem. And that is the beauty of having taken that long road together and developed the special bond that we have, it gives you a certain confidence - no matter the situation”. 

Cathrine highlights the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as one of her biggest moments with Cassidy “having my father walk me and Cassidy into the big arena at the Olympics was something I’ll never forget. When he let go of Cassidy, he said ‘Have a good ride and enjoy it’”, Cathrine recalls.

And so, they did. Finishing 13th in the Freestyle at their very first Olympic Games was a huge accomplishment which led to many offers to buy Cassidy, but for Cathrine, their partnership had grown so strong, and she says it was unfathomable to think of selling Cassidy and she’s grateful to her parents for letting her make that decision to keep him.

So, Cassidy stayed with Cathrine and they went on to win an individual bronze at the FEI Dressage European Championship in Gothenburg in 2017. The pair were naturally contenders leading into the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon, but unfortunately Cassidy suffered a minor injury in the field so they were unable to go. Fortunately, they bounced back for the European Championships 2019 in Rotterdam (NED) and took home yet another individual bronze medal. That would also be Cassidy’s last Championship, followed by a few more successful World Cups, before it was time to call it a day. 

So, what is the most important lesson Cathrine takes away from her more than decade long partnership with Cassidy? 

“I think what Cassidy has really taught me is how important good horsemanship is. You know, just how much of a difference it makes to really get to know you horse and spend time with them on the ground as well. It is really necessary to build that special bond if you expect them to give you everything in the arena.”
 

To view Cassidy’s greatest results – click here

For more on Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour – check out her FEI Biography here

Lottie and Glamourdale win the Special in style

Great Britain’s Lottie Fry was the golden girl at the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning, Denmark tonight when taking Grand Prix Special gold with the gorgeous stallion Glamourdale. On a night when the final four riders brought something very special to the ring it was host-nation superstar Cathrine Dufour who claimed silver medal spot ahead The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere and Hermes.

Van Liere, who turns 32 next week, has a formidable record of success at the World Young Horse Dressage Championships, and in 2018 she steered Hermes into bronze medal spot in the Six-Year-Old category. Move on four years and the pair have achieved a very great deal, peaking with a clean sweep of victories at the CDIO5* on home ground in Rotterdam six weeks ago. 

Yesterday they helped clinch an Olympic qualifying spot for their country when the Dutch finished fifth in the Blue Hors FEI Dressage Team World Championship, and in today’s Grand Prix Special they posted a new leading score of 79.407 when fourth-last to go. It wasn’t what she had been hoping for - “I really wanted over 80%” she admitted at tonight’s post-competition press conference, but it was enough to pressure the final few in the closing stages and stake that place on the podium.

Impressed

“He was a bit impressed by the arena on Saturday and again today, but we had a job to do and we wanted to do a nice test without big mistakes so I was happy I could do that. He spooked twice a little bit but quickly focused again and went on. He’s still so young and so talented!”, she said of her 10-year-old stallion.

Character-wise apparently Hermes is “really smart but he’s also a clown and thinks everything is so funny. He’s really enthusiastic which makes him fun to ride and he loves all the attention. You can see it when we do the salute at the end of a test, he has a really big ego and next to that he has so much talent for all the collected work and piaffe and passage so I’m really happy to have a horse like him”, the Dutch rider said.

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos settled the fate of team gold in Denmark’s favour yesterday and the crowd in the Stutteri Ask Stadium were with them every step of the way again in today’s Grand Prix Special. In a delightful test they earned a mark of nine for a transition before making a costly mistake in the two-tempis they still put them out in front with the first over-80-percent score when putting 81.322 on the board. 

“I’m really pleased with Vamos, he felt a lot better than yesterday. I felt the connection improved a lot. Of course there was that bit in the two-tempis, that’s just sport and we tried to go for it - and the crowd were fantastic!”, she said.

Still screaming

That crowd were still screaming when Fry came into the ring with just two left to go. “They were literally going wild and he (Glamourdale) could feel the atmosphere and rose to it today. He was trying so hard and he gave me the most incredible feeling throughout the test!”, the British rider said.

Yesterday she admitted that she was concerned that their lack of expertise in the pirouettes would let herself and her horse down today. But in the end they nailed them.

"Anne van Olst, my trainer, was up the entire night worrying how I was going to fix those pirouettes, and I got a great tip from Isabell as well. And with the combination of both of them we got it done today!"

Lottie Fry (GBR)

she said, having posted what would be the winning score of 82.508.

It wasn’t decided however until the final partnership of Isabell Werth and DSP Quantaz came into the ring as the last pair to go. And the German ace and defending Grand Prix Special World champion made quite an entrance. 

As she passed the departing Fry on her way into the ring she gave her British rival a congratulatory high-five before re-establishing the most dramatic passage in preparation for going down the centreline. It was a wonderful sporting gesture. 

“Isabell is literally the queen!”, Fry said of the Dressage superstar who slotted into fourth place, just off the podium, with a score of 79.073. “She is amazing, she has inspired me since I was five years old so it’s incredible and she’s the nicest person, always cheering and supporting!”. 

Blown away

Talking about Glamourdale, Fry said she was blown away the first time she rode him as a six-year-old. “I’d never sat on anything like him before. He’s always been so special and the feeling he gives now is the same as when he was six - the sky is the limit! 

“When he was seven he won the World Championship for Young Horses and that was when we knew he was a massive showman, he loves going in the ring, the more people the better, he wants to show off, he just wants everyone’s eyes on him! And then we made the step to Grand Prix and he just keeps getting better and better and stronger. He’s one in a million, I’ll never find one like him again. The future is also so exciting, this is his first senior championship and I feel like there is so much we can improve that it’s scary!”, Fry said.

Now it’s on to the last collection of medals in Wednesday’s Grand Prix Freestyle. Fry says she has something very special under her belt with her floorplan and musical score.   

“The theme is Best of Britain, it’s all British tracks and it really suits Glamourdale. When you turn it on he just can’t stop dancing to it!”

So don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Result 

Team gold makes the Danish dream come true

They were always tipped to take the title, and Denmark’s Nanna Merrald Rasmussen, Carina Cassøe Krüth, Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour lived up to the challenge in style when claiming team gold on home ground at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning tonight. But they were chased all the way to the line by Great Britain’s Richard Davison, Gareth Hughes, Charlotte Dujardin and Charlotte Fry who finished just over one percentage point behind in silver medal position while the defending champions from Germany had to settle for bronze.

As the last two riders from each of the nations in strong contention took their turn it was nip-and-tuck all the way and impossible to predict where the medals would fall until the very end. But despite the most intense pressure the Danes achieved the goal they set themselves when these Championships were first allocated to their country three years ago, earning the world team title for the very first time.

Heat

British star and London Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin and her nine-year-old Imhotep began to turn up the heat early this afternoon when putting 77.407 on the board, and when team-mate and last-line rider Charlotte (Lottie) Fry produced a breath-taking test from Glamourdale for a new leading score of 80.839 then Team GB went out in front.  

Dujardin was thrilled with the horse she calls Pete. “He’s only done three Grand Prix competitions, he’s very inexperienced and I had no idea how he was going to be in there today. I was so proud of him, I had one little blip but it was just a miscommunication more than anything, I absolutely love that horse. He makes me smile from ear to ear every day! He has so much power, so much expression, he wants to work and to please you. Now he just needs to get used to the environment and to be given some time”, she said.

She has been riding Imhotep since he was five years old. “I haven’t done big shows with him but I know him well and have a really good partnership with him”, she explained. She is taking care not to ask too much from him too soon in his career however. “It’s a fine line because he’s nine and I don’t want to overdo it, but I wanted to do enough to get enough points for the team today. I didn’t want to scare him and I felt I had a really nice ride but I can’t tell you how big everything feels. In a year or two when he can manage all that power he’s going to be spectacular!”, she pointed out.

It was Fry’s performance that firmly sealed Britain’s place on the podium however. This 26-year-old dressage athlete’s angelic expression masks nerves of steel. She didn’t hold back when it came to giving her all in the ring today, and Glamourdale relished every moment of it, leaving the crowd gasping while he racked up maximum 10 scores for much of his canterwork. 

“He’s a massive showman!”, Fry said. “He and I were in our own little bubble but when the crowd clapped on the last centreline he loved it, he lifted his head and he went Wow!!”

Had to do

Meanwhile Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Marshall-Bell earned 76.584 for the home side, so when Danish anchor Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour entered the arena with Vamos Amigos she knew what she had to do. She had heard the crowd hailing Fry’s spectacular performance, but she wasn’t going to let that intimidate her. She says pressure just gives her a lift.

“I’ve been dealing with it since I did my first Championship when I was 11 years old and I’m fine with it, it just brings me closer into the zone!”, she said after putting the biggest score of the competition on the board with 81.863 which would leave Denmark on the top step of the podium, but only 1.228% ahead of the British in silver medal spot while Isabell Werth and DSP Qantaz and Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain FRH secured bronze for Germany, their final tally of 230.791 leaving them less than three percentage points further adrift. 

Laudrup-Dufour was also partnering a horse that is still on a learning curve. Vamos Amigos hasn’t always been the most settled ride but he has come into his own this year. 

"I managed to ride him to the limit but stay on the right side of chaotic and brilliant today!"

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Team Denmark)

 she said. “He’s had a super season so far, he’s been riding a wave since Neumunster really. Leipzig (Longines FEI Dressage World Cup Final 2022 in April) was like riding on a bomb but I think that atmosphere might have matured him too”, she pointed out.

Satisfied

German star Isabell Werth has competed in many World Championships during her sparkling career and said that she and her team “are very satisfied with our bronze medal”. Her country’s record is second-to-none with 12 titles from 15 editions of the team competition, but it’s a time of change with new partnerships emerging and others leaving the sport.

“We didn’t come here as favourites and we knew the Danish would ride for the gold. We were not quite sure about the British but Charlotte always delivers when she needs to. We had a really open championship and it was nice to see. We are not disappointed at all and we knew when we came here with new riders and horses that it would be difficult. It was a great competition and we are all satisfied with our results”, she said.

This gold medal means a great deal to all of the Danish team. Nanna Merrald Rasmussen, who set out the Danish stall with a great ride on Blue Hors Zack yesterday admitted the reality hasn’t quite sunk in yet. “I was shaking and so stressed when Catherine was riding. We saw Lottie (Fry) riding on our phone in the stables and saw she was amazing so we knew Catherine had to ride at her best to get the gold. To finally bring this medal home is amazing!”, she said.

The only time Denmark has ever placed on the Dressage World Championship podium was back in 1982 in Lausanne (SUI) when Anne Grethe Jensen (Marzog), Tove jorck-Jorckston (Lazuly and Finn Sakso-Larsen (Coq d’Or) clinched bronze.

“We are all overwhelmed!”, admitted Danish Chef d’Equipe Anne-Mette Binder tonight. “We hoped to make a good impression and have a good result here in Herning for the Danish audience but also for everyone travelling here. The riders all followed the plans we had from the start and I’m really, really proud of my team today. The expectations were high and our fantastic riders have fulfilled them!”, she added.

Of the 19 competing nations Team Sweden finished fourth ahead of The Netherlands in fifth and Team USA in sixth, and the top six nations have now qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

However attention now turns to tomorrow’s Grand Prix Special for which the top-30 individuals have qualified, and if this weekend’s team competition is anything to go by it’s going to be another gripping day of top sport.

Don’t miss a hoofbeat

Results here

Dinja gives the Dutch the edge

Some days it’s the small things that make all the difference, and today was one of those. For The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere it was all smiles when she rode to the end of her Grand Prix test with a perfect halt from the 10-year-old Hermes who posted the highest score on the opening day of the Team competition at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark to give her country the overnight advantage.

But just moments before, Great Britain’s Gareth Hughes had a very different experience when, excited by the clapping of the crowd, Classic Briolinca just couldn’t stop dancing at the end of a great performance and never came to a proper halt. Precious lost marks may well have made the difference between fifth for the British team or a higher placing going into the second day.

However in a sport in which human and horse compete as one, the influence of the equine partner’s flight instinct is never far away so nothing can ever be completely predictable. It’s part of the magic and the challenge of it all…

Second day

As the Grand Prix Team Championship goes into its second day tomorrow when the medals will be decided it’s still a wide-open competition. The 12-time champions from Germany are hot on Dutch heels thanks to Benjamin Werndl and Famoso OLD who put the second-best score of the day on the board with 77.003. And they have two more stars to come tomorrow when Isabell Werth (DSP Qantaz) and Frederic Wandres (Duke of Britain FRH) take their turn. 

Ingrid Klimke kicked off the German effort with a smart 75.683 from Franziskus to ensure they were always going to be right in the mix. It was a personal best for this partnership.

“That was my major aim, and I got it!”, said the lady who is a longtime legend in the sport of Eventing and who is experiencing the very first Dressage Championship of her sparkling career. “He was with me the entire test. There was not a single moment in which I didn’t feel absolutely confident with our performance. Of course he loves the extensions and in the last trot diagonal he knew what comes next. He lowered his croup in the corner and he wanted to show everyone how great a mover he is!”, she pointed out.

Better

Today’s leading rider, van Liere, felt her stallion could have done even better. “Normally his piaffe and passage are brilliant but he didn’t do them to his best today and the same for the pirouettes”, she explained. But she got it spot on in the halt, her horse was not in the least bothered by the spectators’ clapping as the pair marched down their final centreline. 

"Hermes is a clown - he likes the applause and he knows it’s for him! When he enters the arena he doesn’t like to hear it (clapping) but when he finishes he thinks of course this is for me, because I’m the best!"

Dinja van Liere (The Netherlands)

Team Denmark are in third following two solid performances from Nanna Merrald Rasmussen and Carina Cassøe Krüth, the latter’s mark of 76.863 deciding this first-day result for the Danes who are firm favourites for the title. 

Merrald Rasmussen was close behind with a personal best 76.724 and she was very pleased about that. Talking about her Olympic ride, the 18-year-old stallion Blue Hors Zack, she said “he hasn’t done a lot since Tokyo, just two competitions because he’s been very busy breeding. He has done many, many shows in his career and he needs to be a little bit hungry when he is going out. If I do too many shows with him he will be a bit bored with it. He has to be fresh and happy to go out again, and that was the plan here and why we didn’t take him to Aachen”, she explained.

Super

“I did the Danish championships with him and he was super. You never really know, he is 18, I wondered should he really be on the team again and then we took him to the Danish Championships and he was on fire! So we thought ok do the same routine before coming here, no shows just a lot of normal work at home, that was the plan and it has paid off!”, said the rider who followed her success at her home Championships in June with getting married one week later.  

She said she felt “just super, super proud!” to produce that personal best in front of her home crowd. “They were supporting me like crazy at the end, the tears were almost coming. Normally you get a hand-clap down the centreline in the Freestyle but this was just special!”, she said after the spectators went a little wild. 

When team-mates Daniel Bachmann Andersen (Marshall-Bell) and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Vamos Amigos) complete the Danish effort tomorrow they will be hoping for an even bigger response from the sidelines because they have Blue Hors FEI Dressage World Championship team gold clearly in their sights.  

With the Swedes in fourth thanks to Juliette Ramel’s 76.164 it’s really tight at the top of the leaderboard however, and with the best three scores to count for every nation anything can happen when the battle resumes in the morning. 

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