Wyoming and Megan O’Brien: All Smiles Winning a Championship (Photo Credit: Carol Robertson)

San Juan Capistrano, CA - Some of the nation’s best dressage horses and riders, including Guenter Seidel and Jan Ebeling, enjoyed great competition and the Easter holiday among the spectacular setting of the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, CA during Cornerstone Event Management’s Festival of the Horse & CDI 3*/Y/J, March 27-30, 2013. The CDI Intermediaire I victory went to Megan O’Brien riding Wyoming, a 12 year old Hanoverian gelding by Weltmeyer out of an Akzent I mare, with a score of 64.693%. He also won the PSG Open class with a score of 73.158%.

Wyoming is owned by Carol Robertson, a Grand Prix dressage trainer & rider at Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center in Huntington Beach, California. Wyoming has an extensive record of wins, including a 70.25% victory in FEI Freestyle of Choice Class at the 2011 Del Mar International Horse Show “Evening of Musical Freestyles” with Robertson riding. (Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk_-KXXtr5E )

Other winning Hanoverians at the Festival of the Horse show included Cassidy Gallman, who won both the Team and Individual tests in the Young Rider classes with Woden, another Hanoverian gelding by Weltmeyer. CDI Junior competitor Rison Naness rode Kristina Harrison’s Hanoverian mare Venezia (White Star x Espri) to sweep her division with 64.459% in the Team Test and 61.474% for the Individual Test.

(Source: http://californiadressageriders.com/?p=183)

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Cosma 20 & Abby McCardle
(Photo Credit: Phelps)

Lexington, KY - The heat was on as the Kentucky Spring Classic got underway Wednesday, May 15, 2013 in Lexington, KY. Five riders produced double clear rounds during the 1.45m Open Jumpers, but it was the last do so that proved to be the fastest. Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20, a 10 year old Hanoverian mare by Couleur Rubin broke the beam at 30.378 seconds for the win by 3/10ths of a second over Reed Kessler and Soraya De L’Obstination.

Abigail was exuberant about the win. “I was really happy with the way she went; she was super.” Cosma 20 has been partnered with McArdle for a little over a year. “I feel like I really know her well,” she commented. “I know we having been moving up slowly, but she’s green at this level and it’s still new for me, so it’s important to build up slowly. I’m lucky to have such a wonderful horse. After Kentucky, we will go to Spruce Meadows, and then Europe to show in Chantilly, Dinard and Valkenswaard.”

The 1.45m Open Jumper course was created by Conrad Homfeld and featured a long bending line to begin, as well as a vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination and an oxer-vertical double combination. Nine competitors advanced to the jump-off, where they began with a bending line to the double combination, before rolling back to two oxers and finishing over a vertical near the gate. The first to show without fault over the short course was Abigail McArdle’s trainer, Katie Prudent. The next to complete the jump-off with all the rails intact was Ramiro Quintana and Ollywood Des Horts. They increased the speed by almost two seconds, stopping the clock at 31.263 seconds and claiming the eventual third place honors. Margie Engle chose to be more conservative with Cabras, leaving all the fences in place, but crossing the finish line in 34.614 seconds for fifth place.

Olympian Reed Kessler of Lexington, KY, was one of the last riders to show, and she had her eye on the prize with Soraya De L’Onstination. She was able to top her trainer Katie Prudent as well as Quintana, speeding through the timers in 30.655 seconds. Unfortunately, her time would only hold up for second place, as Abigail McArdle was next to go with Cosma 20. The reigning North American Junior Jumper individual gold medalist is well known for speed, and Wednesday was no exception. McArdle stepped on the gas, leaving out a stride through the first bending line and speeding to the final obstacles without even a rub. The duo clocked in at 30.378 seconds to take home the winning prize.

“During the first round, I wanted to see how the first bending line in the jump-off rode, and I was able to shape it and leave a stride out there,” explained McArdle. “Then we still added to the double combination but made up time after the combination and then over to the last line.” Cosma 20 & Abby are accustomed to victory laps, as they were also the 2012 gold medal winners of the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships in the Individual Jumper division. (Results at https://www.usef.org/_AUAIFrames/CompUp/Data/Result320.pdf). Video segments of their rides in this prestigious championship are available for viewing on the web at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns2zukjvVoA The future is bright for this talented duo!

(Source: http://www.usefnetwork.com/news/9959/2013/5/16/abigail_mcardle_and_cosma_20_captur.aspx)

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Brunello and Elizabeth Boyd (Photo Credit: S. McMillan)

Conyers, GA - Brunello, a 16 year old Hanoverian gelding by Accord II, and Elizabeth Boyd added to their impressive list of wins with a victory in the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby on Friday, May 17, 2013 at the 2013 Atlanta Spring Challenge Horse Show at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, GA. Course designer JP Godard produced a long and flowing course with many 4’ options that was a challenge to the field of competitors. Exhibitors and spectators enjoyed a beautiful evening complete with a cool breeze while watching some of the country’s top hunter riders compete under the lights. While the action was taking place in the ring, everyone ringside enjoyed the catered Derby Party.

Brunello and Boyd are no strangers to the derby winner’s circle, taking home an impressive 15 wins to date. Other 2013 wins include the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Challenge Derby Classic at the Camden Spring Classic show in South Carolina in April and the March $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby (Round #1) at the Equestrian Sports Production show in Florida. Brunello also finished 2nd at the February 2013 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular in Florida. (Video link-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah2CmBy5_2o)

Brunello has earned over $28,000 to date in 2013 in hunter competition. Exhibitors and spectators enjoyed a beautiful evening complete with a cool breeze while watching some of the country’s top hunter riders compete under the lights. While the action was taking place in the ring everyone ringside enjoyed the Derby Party catered by Proof of the Pudding and sponsored by 2013 hospitality sponsors.

(Source: http://sidelinesnews.com/blogs/showworld/tag/2013-atlanta-spring-challenge-horse-show)

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Laurie’s Crusador as a Young Stallion
(Photo Credit: http://ggstables.webs.com/articles.htm)

Laurie’s Crusador: One Of The Most Influential Thoroughbred Sires of The Modern Hanoverian Breed Got To Celle Through “Luck” And Travels Through Other Countries?

Laurie’s Crusador (Welsh Pageant-Square Note) raced as a two and three year old in England. His sire’s progeny won almost 2 million British Pounds on the track and his dam was a winner over hurdles and on the flat, going on to produce five winners. One of these was Laurie’s Crusador. Dutch stallion owners, Henk Nijhof and Jan Greve were both Thoroughbred fans in the 1980′s, when Thoroughbreds were not popular among warmblood breeders. They traveled to Newmarket, England in search of a stallion for the KWPN breeding program.

They didn’t find “the stallion” they were looking for in Newmarket, but were told about a stallion for sale in a nearby barn on the way to the airport and decided to stop by. Nijhof stated, “When we arrived it was totally quiet, no human or horse visible. We snooped around a little and found, in a remote part of the stable, a row of box stalls where a horse was looking out.”

Nijhof was immediately impressed. “If that’s him, then we’ve found the right one!” he said to Greve. “His head, his eyes – I was immediately filled with enthusiasm.” We finally located a groom, who pulled him out of the box stall. Jan & I were convinced: the stallion had a lot of neck and a beautifully developed body with an impressive croup. “When he cantered forward upward with great ease in spite of his minor injury, we knew that we had found what we had set out to find,” said Nijhof.

When the horse arrived in Holland, he had missed the KWPN licensings for that year. The KWPN suggested presenting the horse the following year. Nijhof instead offered him to Maas J. Hell, the Director of the Holstein Verband. The Holstein approval committee rejected him. He was then offered to Dr. Burchard Bade at Celle. Dr. Bade leased him right away and his breeding career commenced in Celle in 1990, when he was five years old. Stationed at the Landesbruck breeding station, Laurie’s Crusador was met with suspicion that all “full blood” stallion faced in Germany at that time.

However, he convinced local breeders with his presence, quality and exceptional movement. His first son, Lancier, was licensed in 1993 and was purchased by the Celle in the “first lot” of stallions and stood for most of his life at Celle’s breeding station in Dorum. As of 2010, the Hanoverian Stallion Book list Laurie’s Crusador as the sire of over 507 competitors with winnings over almost $1,000,000. Quite a record for a stallion who passed through England, Holland and Holstein in his youth before finding a lifelong home at Celle.

(Source & Photo Credit: & C. Hectorr, “From Gotthard to Gribaldi: The Making of The Modern Warmblood, Sporthorse International, Australia, pp.629-631 & http://ggstables.webs.com/articles.htm.)

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Codex One and Christian Ahlmann (Photo Credit: GTC)

Hamburg, Germany - World Number 1 Christian Ahlmann celebrated a “fantastic” victory on home turf in Hamburg today on Codex One winning a nail-biting jump off winning the second Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of the 2013 series.

Ahlmann and Codex One, an 11 year old bay Hanoverian son of Contendro I, outpaced a stunning field of the world’s best riders and horses taking the honors for the second Grand Prix of the championship series and was full of praise for his “special” Hanoverian stallion. With 40 points under his belt, Ahlmann looks a formidable force this season and shaved seconds off the times of runners up Daniel Deusser and Roger-Yves Bost.

Ahlmann said of his victory, “It felt fantastic. I had a really great day today. Codex One did an amazing job in the three rounds. He really showed everybody how special he is. In the jump off I took a lot of risks. I was in a position to see Daniel (Deusser) and it was clear I had to take the last risk. Today was my lucky day. I will try to compete the whole season (of the Longines Global Champions Tour) as much as possible.” The pair took home the first place prize money of over 94,000 Euros (over $120,000.)

Victory lap video online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdw0q7c7KF0

Source: http://www.globalchampionstour.com/events/2013/hamburg/news/853/christian-ahlmann-wins-grand-prix-as-longines-global-champions-tour-and-hamburg-sign-new-deal/

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Anabel Balkenhol and Diamonds Forever (Photo credit: Eurodressage.com)

Hagen, Germany – Anabel Balkenhol achieved the ultimate feat – first and second place in the German Dressage Derby Grand Prix & Special, as well as the Helenenhof Prize – with her Olympic horse Dablino FRH and eleven-year-old Diamonds Forever. Balkenhol and her Olympic mount Dablino FRH, a 13 year old Hanoverian DeNiro-Wanderbursch II gelding, won the German Dressage Derby Grand Prix in Hamburg Thursday with a score of 74.894% and the Grand Prix Special on Sunday with an amazing score of 76.917%. Balkenhol also placed second in the Grand Prix with a 72.149% on Diamonds Forever (Depardieu x Warkant), an 11 year old Hanoverian gelding that she started at CDI Grand Prix just three weeks ago.

Anabel Balkenhol answered the burning question, whether Dablino FRH will go forward to the “horse exchange” on Sunday where the top four trainers switch horses and ride each other’s horses in Grand Prix tests. She answered with a cool, “We’ll see…In fact the chestnut horse still has a pretty full program ahead of him this season, so it will probably be Diamonds Forever who takes on the ‘horse swap’.” It was Diamonds Forever that went to the “horse exchange” between trainers instead of Dablino FRH, where Diamonds Forever was the highest ranking horse.

Hannah Biggs on Weltzin
(Photo Credit: ll-foto.de)

Hannah Biggs of Great Britian was also a star on her 14 year old Hanoverian stallion, Weltzin (Weltbogen-Werther.) Hannah and Weltzin stormed into second place for the final in a hotly contested Grand Prix Special class on a score of 70.938%. Not content with just bettering their own scores, they were nearly two percent ahead of the third placed combination of Germany’s Bianca Kasselmann and her Oldenburg Weltclassiker.

Hannah, who is a member of the UK Sport funded British Equestrian Federation’s World Class Development Program said: ‘‘It was amazing, Weltzin felt even better in the main arena than in the warm up. We’ve figured out a routine that keeps him really relaxed and happy when he’s away competing – and it’s really working. We’ve been working hard over the winter with Emile and World Class and Weltzin is now so much fitter which helps to produce an elegant, effortless picture.”

“Hamburg was particularly special because it’s actually where Weltzin was bred, continued Biggs. In fact his breeders (the Lewinski family and Anne von Laffert) were so excited when they heard he was returning to his home town that they came out especially to watch him and they even brought Union Jacks to wave in his honor! They’re so proud of his achievements and are even considering breeding from him.”

It was Hannah and Weltzin’s trainer, Emile Faurie who spotted the stallion’s international potential and invited the combination to come and train with him from his yard in Oxfordshire.

Weltzin is now based with Emile and Hannah travels the two hour journey in order to ride him four times a week. Emile said: “To see the accumulation of work over the last four to five years suddenly coming to fruition was truly wonderful. Hannah rode like a true professional and had two super, clean tests. I am convinced that with more international outings and tests like these the marks will just continue to go up and up.”

(Source: http://www.dressage-international.com/?p=12083 & http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2013/05/16/hannah-bigs-it-2013-cdi-hamburg)

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The German system includes standardized pre-purchase examinations, 16 standardized x-ray views of the legs and feet plus two views of the spine, as shown in the third document. With regards to the interpretation of radiography a system was developed which characterizes x-rays as being Class I-II-III-IV.

In developing this system for classifying radiography, the key was to base the system on evidence based medicine. That is, the German Hanoverian Verband undertook longitudinal studies which showed the probability of a radiographic finding actually resulting in a lameness or unsoundness. This clinically based analysis took much of the subjectivity out of the interpretation of radiography. The description of this grading system is found in the Guidelines document on page five. It is summarized below:

• Class I: Without specific abnormal radiological findings and findings categorized as anatomical variations. (Ideal condition)
• Class II: Findings mildly deviating from ideal condition; appearance of clinical issues estimated less than 3% in an indefinite time. (Norm condition)
• Class III: Findings deviating from norm condition; appearance of clinical issues estimated in 5 – 20% in an indefinite time. (Acceptance condition)
• Class IV: Findings severely deviating from norm condition; appearance of clinical issues likely (more than 50%) (Risk condition)

Anyone who is buying or selling horses in our global economy is encouraged to review all of this information, as understanding German pre-purchase examinations is useful. Breeders may also want to ask their veterinary professionals if this system should potentially be adopted by the equine veterinary community in their country as well. A link to complete information about the x-ray grading system is now available on the web at http://www.canadianhanoverians.com/programs/german-system-for-grading

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United States Dressage Federation Nutrena Adult Amateur clinic with Hilda Gurney We are selling water snow cones and doing lunch to raise funds for next years AHS Annual meeting!!! Be there or be square!!! — with Lisa Eileen Nickerson, Devachan Evans, Amber Miles, Lexie Schmitz and Emma Randels at Central Arizona Riding Academy.

Lexington, KY: The AHS has many youth members riding, showing and breeding Hanoverian horses. We would like to bring these members together for some fun, education, and camaraderie.  We hope to educate young people about breeding care, presenting horses in hand and free jumping, and judging conformation. Young people between the ages of 14 and 25 are invited to participate. Once this group is well established, they can compete together in International Young Breeders competitions. These competitions are meant to bring young breeders together across breeding associations, countries, and languages at an annual international meeting. They compete in five disciplines, but the aim is to get together, make new friends, and create new contacts. We are looking to educate young people (under 25) in the hopes of one day putting together a team to represent the United States in the International Young Breeders World Championships.

Whether you own a horse or not, and even if your family isn’t involved in breeding, there is a place for you here to enjoy horses and like-minded friends!  We hope this will be a great experience to learn to evaluate the suitability of sport horses of all different breeds and for all different disciplines. It is a good opportunity for the riders to learn to judge the horses’ potential from the ground. You will learn about the horses’ conformation, and how to evaluate the horses’ strong and weak points. Also you will learn how to present the horses in-hand, evaluating free-jumping, and theory. Competitions consist of 3 parts, a written quiz on knowledge, presenting a horse on the triangle, and judging. The judging consists of 3 parts, judging mares in hand, evaluating free movements of the horse, and evaluating horses over jumps.

One of our first goals is to make some connections between all of you and what better way to do it then on Facebook! So be sure to like the American Hanoverian Society Young Breeders Club Facebook page!

Our longterm vision is to plan a young breeders camp, clinics, and eventually field a junior team to the International Young breeders Championships.  Be sure to check out the following link to learn more http://www.young-breeders.com/.  While exploring the site go to World Championships and then Regulations. This page tells you all about the program and gives additional links with written questions, and judges’ cards.  Another terrific part to read is the history page. There you will learn that the original idea for Young Breeders Competition was born in Germany, more particularly in the Hanoverian Studbook. Some twenty years ago, Dr. Ludwig Christmann wanted to involve the youth more intensively in breeding matters. His idea was warmly welcomed and soon young breeders associations were founded in all regions of the German studbooks. Nine years ago, the regional contests resulted in a national young breeders competition in Germany.

Please fill out the following short questionnaire and send it back to Dorie Vlatten-Schmitz, Program Coordinator.  Also mark your calendars for the January 2014 AHS Annual meeting. We hope to have many of you attend and will try to plan some Young Breeder activities and get togethers. We look forward to hearing from you!

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