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Maria Gretzer will be the new athlete representative. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Maria Gretzer, the Swedish jumping  rider who has competed at three Olympic Games and three FEI World Equestrian Games™, has been appointed as athlete representative on the FEI Executive Board. She replaces Kevin Staut (FRA), who made history by becoming the first athlete representative on the FEI Executive Board in May 2011.

Gretzer, who is now the jumping trainer for the Swedish eventing team, competed at the Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 1990 (Stockholm), 1998 (Rome) and 2006 (Aachen). The 54-year-old is now retired from international competition.

Hansi is on the list for the Löwen Classics. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.This weekend the four star event Löwen Classics takes place in Braunschweig, Germany. Although the best of the best are heading for Den Bosch this weekend, Braunschweig can also present a great selection of riders for their show. Michael Whitaker, Hans-Dieter Dreher, Katrin Eckermann, Carsten-Otto Nagel, Gert-Jan Bruggink, Jens Fredricsson and Henrik von Eckermann are some of the riders on the entry list.

Click here for the full list of riders.

Quismy des vaux did her first Grand Prix with Kevin Staut in Dortmund, and finished second. Up until recently the 9 year old Dollar de la Pierre-daughter has been seen under Vanessa Borgmann. All photos by Jenny Abrahamsson. 

Lisen and Matrix in Gothenburg in 2012. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Lisen Bratt Fredricson’s Olympic ride Matrix has been sold to José Maria Larocca. Lisen bought the now 11 year old Matrix (Cardento x Maximus) as a 7 year old, and brought him up to international level. The pair has enjoyed several victories together – the latest win came a little over two weeks ago in the national Grand Prix in Borås, and they also have some great international Grand Prix results to look back at. In 2012 Matrix and Lisen were a part of the Olympic Swedish team in London.

«It is with mixed emotions that I’m selling Matrix,” Lisen states in a press release. Matrix is a fantastic horse with all the qualities I look for in a good showjumper, but first and foremost he’s a real fighter. I’m really going to miss working with him. At the same time it feels good to show that one can buy horses in Sweden, educate, compete and then sell them on. As we work professionally and on long-term with our own business it feels good to have done this in order to develop our business further and invest in new talents,” Lisen states. “José is a very good rider and I’m sure that he and Matrix will have many successful years together.”

Source: Press release from Lisen Bratt Fredricson

Ninja La Silla will be retired. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.According to Stall Bengtsson & Kristoffersen's website the fantastic little chestnut Ninja La Silla will be retired. The official retirement ceremony will be held on Friday the 26th of April during Gothenburg Horse Show.

Ninja La Silla has competed at several championships with Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, and his career has been filled with amazing results - he was European Champion in Madrid in 2011, individual silver medalist at the Olympics in Hong Kong in 2008, he was 6th at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010 and ended 7th at the European Championship in Windsor in 2009.

"It has been an honor for me to ride such a fantastic horse as Ninja La Silla and I'm very thankful to Alfonso Romo for giving me the opportunity to ride him. To be part of the journey that Ninja La Silla and I have had together with such great results in the championships is something that every rider wishes for. Ninja La Silla has a fantastic personality and is not just a horse, he is a friend and he really deserves to be thanked off on home soil in front of the Swedish crowds at Gothenburg Horse Show," Rolf says on Stall Bengtsson & Kristoffersen's website.

Donaat Brondeel with Etoile M van't Oudbos in Lanaken. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Gregory Wathelet has a new ride in the 9 year old Etoile M van't Oudbos (Toulon x Lys de Darmen). According to studforlife.com the Belgian bred stallion will now move on in hope of reaching the very top level of the sport, after being successful under Belgium's Donaat Brondeel. Brondeel competed Etoile M in Falsterbo and Mechelen in 2012 – in addition to being a part of the FEI Zangersheide Sires of the World.

Rolf is back in the ring. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.This weekend Rolf-Göran Bengtsson is back in the ring, after his break following an operation. It's been almost three weeks since Rolf announced that he had to undergo a small operation, and that he would take a competition break until Den Bosch. But Rolf is already back, and is doing a show in Herning, Denmark, this weekend.

Related article: Rolf-Göran Bengtsson out of action for the next weeks

Malin has a new ride. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Malin Baryard Johnsson has a new ride in the 7 year old Corporal VDL (Cardento x Grosso Z). Corporal VDL will join Malin on her way home to Sweden from the Netherlands after next weekend's show in Den Bosch. The stallion has been in Sweden before, and has competed in the youngster classes under Magnus Österlund.

Malin says to Tidningen Ridsport that she knows that Corporal VDL is a really nice horse, and that the plan is that she will try him out and see if they are a match. If everything works out fine Malin will compete the stalion, under a cooperation with the owner VDL Stud in the Netherlands.

Frank Schuttert and Winchester HS in Amsterdam. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.According to dehoefslag.nl Frank Schuttert has started to work for Jos Lansink. A few weeks ago the super talented 19 year old Dutchman decided to leave his bachelor studies, and move to Belgium to start working with horses full time. Until then the Grand Prix winner from Amsterdam combined his sporting career with his studies, but now Frank says to the Dutch website that this wasn't ideal. Schuttert has brough his fantastic  Winchester HS with him to Lansink.

Global Champions Tour 2013 opens a fantastic new chapter in equestrian sport with spectacular events in London, Doha, Shanghai and Madrid.

The world's premier show jumping championship series continues to go from strength to strength with a record 13 international events in its 8th season launched today. The Top 30 riders will once again deliver world class sport as they compete for the richest prize money in show jumping and the coveted GCT Championship crown.

No Father's Girl with her first foal. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Gilbert Böckmann's former international ride No Father's Girl gave birth to her to her first foal on Monday. No Father's Girl is now proud mum of a big colt, and unlike his mother he knows who his father is. It is Sören von Rönne's stallion Christian (Cartani x Lord Liberty) – now competed by Gilbert – that have sired the foal.

"I'm very excited to have a foal by Christian out of No Father's Girl - I would be surprised if he can't jump," Gilbert laughs. "He is a big foal for being her first and he looks really nice with his long legs."

Marco Kutscher is the new rider on Casilius. (Here seen with Spartacus.) Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Schou Absolute Horses has bought the 7 year old stallion Casilius (Casall x Cambridge) and half of the horse is sold on to Ludger Beerbaum. Casilius was approved in 2010 by Danish Warmblood as a premium stallion, and has been placed in international youngster classes on numerous occasions under Swedish rider Janicke West. It will not be Andreas or Christian Schou from Schou Absolute Horses that will ride Casilius though; Marco Kutscher is the one that will educate the stallion the coming season.

Source: Schou Absolute Horses

Some great results has contributed to Patrice Delaveau's climb. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.WoSJ has taken a look at some of the riders that have climbed the most among the top 200 on this month’s Longines Ranking. The ranking includes validated results from 01/03/2012 to 28/02/2013. Within the top 100 Patrice Delaveau has jumped from 47 to 29 after some super results lately. Maikel van der Vleuten is another climbing rider, going from rank 46 to 30. Irish rider Conor Swail has moved up from rank 79 to 63, while Abdullah Sharbatly continues to climb – this time from 91 to 74. Michel Hecart from France is another rider moving upwards with high speed; from 128 to 81. Beat Mändli has also broken into the top 100, and gone from rank 107 to 86 – as has Gert-Jan Brugging from Holland who climbed from rank 106 to 89. British rider Tina Fletcher has gone up from rank 104 to 90, and Kamal Bahamdan from 109 to 97.

Number one; Christian Ahlmann. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.

Christian Ahlmann is still number one in the world as the latest ranking has become official. Steve Guerdat is still number two, while Gerco Schröder and Nick Skelton have changed positions which means that Gerco is currently number three and Nick has fallen down to rank eight.

Penelope Leprevost is out of Top Ten and is replaced by Beezie Madden who currently holds rank ten. Pius Schwizer and Edwina Tops-Alexander are ranked as number four and five followed by Kevin Staut and Marcus Ehning as rank six, Skelton as rank eight and Marc Houtzager as rank nine.

The wonderful stallion London is now exclusively available on frozen semen from Schockemöhle. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Paul Schockemöhle’ has secured himself exclusive breeding rights from Eurocommerce London (Nabab de Reve x Chin Chin). The news of the double Olympic silver medalist being a part of the German breeding magnate’s 2013 stallion catalogue – and that exclusively, has also been commented by Ger Visser Jr. to horses.nl. Visser confirms that Eurocommerce London will be available on frozen semen from Schockemöhle, but that the stallion remains at Stal Eurocommerce in Holland and will continue to compete under Gerco Schröder.

Airside here's our plane#KayOver the last week Kay Neatham has taken us with her on an amazing trip to Hong Kong. With her guest tweets and photos, we have followed Kay and Marcus’ horses on their travel from home to the far east – and now they are finally on their way home again. Below we have collected some of Kay’s last tweets for you to enjoy. A huge thanks to Kay for taking us behind the scenes on her travel to Hong Kong!

Watch this weekend's You Tube highlights; Harrie Smolders' winning round in the Vilamoura Grand Prix on the amazing stallion Emerald, some clips from the Nations Cup in Wellington, the super exciting jump-off from the Grand Prix in Wellington as well as an interview with the winner Kent Farrington.

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 Campbel out for one last walk on the warm up#Although Marcus Ehing have left Hong Kong, Kay and his horses are still waiting to fly back home. Here you can see some of Kay's Sunday tweets and images from the empty arena and inside the city. To see all Kay's tweets; follow WoShowjumping on twitter.com. 

Cian O'Connor. Top Irish rider and Olympic bronze medalist Cian O’Connor is our guest blogger today. Cian has spend the last three weeks in Wellington at the Winter Equestrian Festival, and in today’s blog entry he tells us about his stay in Florida so far, this weekend's Nations Cups and yesterday’s thrilling Grand Prix.

Click here to read the blog entry.

Wow cool back ground,happy hacking with my super star#Kay

Our guest tweeter Kay Neatham is still in Hong Kong. Yesterday it was time for the Grand Prix and here you can se a selection of some behind the scenes photos and tweets from Kay. To see them all you have to follow WoShowjumping on twitter.com.

Team discussion,terri lost the idea when they changed to german#Kay

We have selected some of Kay's amazing tweets from Hong Kong yesterday.  To se them all, you can follow WoShowjumping on twitter.

Mornin' oldenburger butter for breakfast,a little piece of german export!!!#Kay  

The Longines Hong Kong Masters will be broadcasted live on the web. All in all six classes can be watched via the event’s website. Eurosport will also broadcast the Longines Speed Challenge (Thursday), the Gucci Gold Cup (Friday) and the Longines Grand Prix (Saturday). Check out Eurosport’s website for local broadcasting times. The live broadcasting times can be viewed below. 

Rene has a new job. Photo by Jenny AbrahamssonGerman Rider Rene Tebbel has taken on training the Turkish showjumpers. The goal is to prepare them for the European Championship for children as well as the Mediterranean Games in Turkey in the end of June.

Tebbel will thus not do any more indoor shows this year. Instead he will commute to Istanbul, as well as preparing his own horses for the outdoor season. He will also continue to train his children Justine and Maurice. Maurice won the European Championship for juniors last year.

Mornin' all, my rider has arrived!!!! #Kay

We have now collected part six of Kay's amazing guest tweets and photos from Longines Hong Kong Masters.

If you want to get Kay's tweets "live" you can follow WoSJ on Twitter. 

Old Chap Tame got injured in Bordeaux. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Eugénie Angot's top horse Old Chap Tame got a smaller injury in Bordeaux earlier in February. Because of this the eleven year old stallion will not compete during the Sunshine Tour as originally planned. According to Horses.nl the plan is for Old Chap Tame to be back for the Nations Cup in Rome.

Source: Horses.nl.

Johannes Ehning and Salvador are in Wellington. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Germany, Canada, Ireland, USA, Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia will all compete in the second leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Wellington this weekend. So far most of the countries have nominated more than four riders, and some will also start as individual riders in the Nations Cup.

The nominated riders are(see the list under Read more):

Giulia Martinengo Marquet. Italian rider Giulia Martinengo Marquet is back competing, after giving birth to baby daughter Bianca in the end of January this year. Giulia now has several new horses as a part of her team. One of them is the now seven year old Galan S (Indoctro x Calypso d'Herbier), that ended as number 12 in the final at Zangersheide as a five year old. Stefano Cesaretto, who is Giulia's husband and trainer, has also purchased the eight year old Funke van't Heike (Action Breaker x Grand Veneur), the eight year old Cashgirl (Casall x Alcatraz) and the five year old Colibri (Canturo x Acobat) for Giulia to ride.

On the other hand the ten year old Cartella (Con Air x Quantum), that Giulia has had big international success with, has been sold to Mario Zanotelli's sponsor.

Source: Press release from Giulia Martinengo Marquet

Lauren Hough with Tackery. Photo by Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com.Nordic Lights Farm has bought two new horses; NLF Billy On Show and NLF Newsflash. Billy On Show is a 11 year old gelding by Cevin Z, that was previously ridden by international eventer Pippa Funnell before he was sold to Norway. Newsflash is an eight year old Irish Sport Horse by Last News that has been ridden by Canadian rider Courtney Vince.

Both horses will in the future be seen under Norwegain rider  Eirin Bruheim. "I am so excited about my two new horses," stated Bruheim in a press release from Phelps Media Group, Inc. "I have ridden NLF Billy On Show for a week and had some great results in the Low Amateur classes last week. He is so fun and amazing to ride. NLF Newsflash is a brand new horse to me, however I've tried him multiple times and I am really excited about this new partnership. I am looking forward to showing these two horses this year!"

This is for celia,yes your favourite coffee has a stand here:):)#kayGuest tweeter Kay was spending some hours yesterday taking a closer look at what Hong Kong has to offer. She found some good company and a huge dinner.. Here you can take a closer look.

Corny gets more food than campbel,so he thought he'd have a look if corny would share#kayOur guest tweeter Kay Neatham, Campbel and Cornado are settling in well in Hong Kong. Kay has taken our followers on Twitter behind the scenes in the stable and in the amazing arena that will host the Masters. We have collected a selection of Kay's fantastic tweets and pictures from the last 24 hours for you to enjoy. You can also follow Kay live on our Twitter account.

Dynamite vh Hazelarenhoekje. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Studbook Zangersheide’s spring selection resulted in sixteen new approved stallions; eight 3 year olds, four 4 year olds, one 5 year old and one 6 year old. The older stallions that were approved on basis of their sport results were Dynamite vh Hazelarenhoekje (Heartbreaker x Clinton) and Marius Claudius (Concorde x Nimmerdor). The clone Air Jordan Alpha Z (Argentinus x Matador) were among the approved stallions.

Source: zangersheide.com

Denis Lynch looks to have a new ride. Photo by Hanne Christensen. Dutch websites report that Stal Tops and Denis Lynch have purchased Anyway II (No Limit x Farmer). On Dutch Sport Horse Sales' website it is stated that the 8 year old KWPN gelding originally was bought by John and Lisa Hales in September 2010 at the Dutch Sport Horse Sales, an auction of young and talented showjumpers in Weert, Holland. British rider Robert Whitaker then went on to ride Anyway II, and has had some great results on him – including a win in the final for 7 year olds at Addington during the British Young Horse Showjumping Championships. According to Dutch Sport Horse Sales it is Lynch that will train Anyway II.

Carsten-Otto Nagel and Cazaro can be seen in Bremen the coming weekend. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The riders list for the Euroclassics in Bremen the coming weekend is full of great names. Jeroen Dubbeldam, Gert Jan Bruggink, Max Kühner, Carsten-Otto Nagel, Jur Vrieling, Albert Zoer and Christina Liebherr are amongst those who can be found on the list.

Click here to see all the entries.

Containers going in 14hrs ago!! Battery ran out!! We left at 7pm#kaOur guest tweeter Kay Neatham has finally arrived to Hong Kong with Marcus Ehning's horses Campbel and Cornado. It’s been a long travel, and Kay has given us some amazing tweets and snapshots on the horses out flying. We have collected Kay's fantastic tweets and pictures below for you to enjoy. You can also follow Kay live on our Twitter account.

Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani with California in Vienna last year. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.By: Karim Mekawi

Last year this man jumped a shocking 151 places on the Rolex Rankings list making him the "One to Watch" which highlights the rider who has made the biggest jump within or into the Top 250 riders of the globe. This year he is doing the World Cup finals for the second time, and has laid out an even better plan for the season.

The Masters move on from Paris to Hong Kong, and Christian Ahlmann will be present. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.From the 28^th of February to the 2^nd of March some of the world’s best riders will be competing at the Longines Hong Kong Masters. Seven of the riders within the Top 10 will be present; Christian Ahlmann, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Pius Schwizer, Marcus Ehning, Kevin Staut, Gerco Schröder and Marc Houtzager. Plenty of other top names will be fighting for the wins as well, and you can view the entire list of riders here.

Terri escaping the toilet!! #kayOur guest tweeter Kay Neatham is on her way to Hong Kong with Marcus Ehning's horses Campbel and Cornado. Friday they left the Ehning stable and drove to Liege airport where their plane was schuduled for Saturday. We have gathered Kay's fantastic tweets from yesterday's action for you to watch, with Terri Fitton in a leading role together with the horses. We also got a shot of Richard Spooner and some of the other fantastic grooms.

Hi everyone! Ready for a trip to hong kong?! The first 300km is with the truck!!#kay The next week Kay Neatham is taking us along on their trip to Hong Kong for the Longines Hong Kong Masters that takes place next weekend. Kay is travelling with Marcus Ehning’s horses Campbel and Cornado, and yesterday they started on their long trip by spending the first 300 kilometers in the truck;

Kevin in action on Silvana HDC. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The crowds in Gothenburg have a real treat in store, as the organizers have announced that Kevin Staut will host a clinic on Friday the 26^th of April. The clinic will start at 10.00, and the 33 year old French rider will give the audience a taste of his training philosophy. Kevin has individual gold from the 2009 European Championships, team-silver from the WEG in 2010 as well as team silver from the Europeans in 2011 – in addition to numerous other top results.

Read more about the clinic here (in Swedish).

The Belgian riders, here seen in the rain in Aachen last year, have a new Chef d'Equipe. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Kurt Gravemeier will take over Philippe Guerdat's role as Chef d'Equipe for Belgium. Earlier this month Guerdat resigned, and went on to work with the French team where he will take over after Henk Noren. Gravemeier, who is German, will follow the team towards the World Equestrian Games that are to be held in Caen, Normandy, next year.

Source: equibel.be

Line Raaholt has a new exciting horse in Status FRH. We look forward to seing them together. Private photo. Norwegian rider Line Raaholt is currently in Spain competing on the Sunshine Tour where she has brought her new promising ride, Status FRH. The nine year old Hanoverian gelding has been seen under Eva Bitter since he was six, and the two have competed up to 4* level.  Status is by another one of Eva’s former rides, Satisfaction FRH which again is by Eva’s wonderful stallion Stakkato.

Line tells WoSJ that Status came to her at the beginning of December, but Sunshine Tour is their first show together. "The chemistry feels very good. We have spent time getting to know each other back home and now it is time to get started on the outdoor season. I really look forward to it," Line says.

Kay is back! Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Kay Neatham is back guest tweeting for WoSJ. Marcus Ehning’s head girl will be our guest tweeter from the Longines Hong Kong Masters, and will take our readers behind the scenes both on her long travel – which starts Friday – and on the show. From Friday evening you can follow Kay’s tweets live on the WoSJ-account on Twitter, and look for her tweets marked #kay. We will also collect a selection of Kay’s tweets here on WoSJ.

We are glad to hear that Steve is back in the ring. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Steve Guerdat is back riding after his accident in Bordeaux. According to his website, www.steveguerdat.com, Steve will spend the next five weeks at the Sunshine Tour in Spain. He is there together with his groom, his stable jockey Simon Bürki and twelve horses, but will go back to Switzerland once a week to treat his injured leg.

Andreas and Christian Schou. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. For the last five years the Danish brothers Andreas and Christian Schou have run the stud and equestrian center Schou & Skouboe, located in Denmark, in partnership with Flemming Skouboe. According to ridehesten.com Schou & Skouboe have now decided to end their co-operation and Christian and Andreas will take over Skouboe's shares in the company. In a press release the Schou-brothers express their gratitude towards Skouboe's participation in the company, and thank him for his contribution to getting the two to the level they are at today.

The Schou brothers will now continue their growing business in Denmark together with the Hallundbæk-family who during the past seven months has bought the three top horses Satisfaction, Allerdings and Catoki. The new team has been named Absolute Horses.

Riding and entertainment in world class. The time is approaching fast towards Denmark's largest sporting event in 2013 - European Championships in show jumping, dressage and para-dressage 20th-25th August 2013 in Herning. We will get to experience the world's elite compete on Danish soil under the best possible conditions. Alongside the exciting championships there will be held international classes where some of our young and promising Danish top riders can try their hands with riders from other nations.

EEM World, the organizer of the Masters Grand Slam Indoor, the best indoor equestrian events in the world, is pleased to unveil a partnership with Gucci as lead sponsor on the second round of its calendar, the Longines Hong Kong Masters. Held at the AsiaWorld-Expo from February 28th to March 2nd, 2013, this first edition of the second round of the Masters Grand Slam Indoor promises to carry forward the tradition of the Gucci Paris Masters.

Urano and Marc Bettinger in Lanaken. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.According to studforlife.com Jerome Hurel has a new ride in Urano de Cour au Bois (Baloubet du Rouet x Kannan). The French rider made his debut on the 9 year old French bred stallion – a silver medalist at the Belgian championships for 7 year olds in 2011 – in Oliva last weekend. Urano de Cour au Bois was during 2012 competed by Thierry Goffinet and Marc Bettinger up to 3* level, and also participated at the FEI Zangersheide Sires of the World in Lanaken last summer.

Source: studforlife.com

Marc Bettinger with ZZ-Top vh Schaarbroek Z in Amsterdam earlier this year. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.ZZ-Top vh Schaarbroek Z has according to studforlife.com been sold to Venezuela. The 12 year old Zangersheide gelding by Zandor Z x Latus I has had great results on the international circuit; first under Kevin Staut – when he was riding for the owners Haras de Hus, then under Michel Robert before the horse moved on to Marc Bettinger who recently has competed ZZ-Top vh Schaarbroek with some good Grand Prix results.

KWPN is out with a new English book; "The KWPN Horse: Selection for Performance". The book will take the reader step by step through the complete score sheet and will explain all the characteristics which may affect the sport potential of the KWPN horse: from body shape to the size of the legs, from the length of stride at the walk to the degree of caution in the free jumping. The book is equipped with detailed illustrations and contains practical links to video footage of free movement and loose jumping. The book is recommended for everyone that wants to know more about the KWPN evaluating system.

"The KWPN Horse: Selection for Performance" is available in the KWPN webshop at www.kwpn.org.

The FEI and the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) have embarked on a three-year plan in response to growing demand from countries for help in improving cross-border movement of top-level sport horses, as participation in equestrian competitions reaches a record high.

Casall La Silla has several offspring showing this weekend. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.As many as 68 stallions will be shown at Zangersheide's stallion approval this weekend. The show kicks off on Friday, but the jumping of the horses starts Saturday when the three year olds will be free jumping. The four year olds will either free jump or jump under rider. Sunday there is a second viewing and the older stallions will jump a course under rider.

There is a big variation of pedigrees and among the sires we find top showjumpers as Verdi, Quality Time, Casall, Plot Blue and Catoki as well as legends' like Darco, Heartbreaker, Baloubet du Rouet and Nabab de Reve.

David Will has a new top ride for the 2013 season. Here seen with  Colorit. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The German rider David Will has a new promising ride in the twelve year old mare Juvina (Cassini I x Grannus). The mare was educated by Thomas Frühmann, but  since the end of 2011 Juvina has been seen under Austrian rider Stefanie Bistan who has been competing her up to 5* level. Recently Juvina’s owners decided to place her with David Will at Dietmar Gugler’s stable in Germany in hopes of selling the horse to international clients.

David Will is one of the younger German riders who has been able to get in on the German National b-squad for 2013 with the ten year old stallion Colorit.

Loeske Veenendaal with Cold as Ice Z and her daughter Annina Z. Photo private.The super dam Cold as Ice Z (Carthago Z x Ramiro Z) has recently arrived at Loeske Veenendaal’s yard in Holland. Cold as Ice Z is the dam of Judy-Ann Melchior’s As Cold as Ice Z (Artos Z) and the international showjumper Annina Z (Animo II Z), as well as grand dam of the approved stallion Antartica Z (Air Jordan Z) – who also jumps at international level. Cold as Ice Z’s dam, Ragram Z (Carthago Z), was also an international showjumper at 1.40m level. The grand dam Aglaya Z (Agram) is the full sister to Agent, Paul Schockemöhle’s Olympic ride.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Rolf-Göran Bengtsson will be out of action for the next weeks. The Swedish rider has to undergo a small operation tomorrow, and will not be able to compete for the following few weeks. “I hope to be back for the World Cup in Den Bosch on the 14th-17th of March,” Rolf writes on his official Facebook account.

We wish Rolf a speedy recovery! 

Eurosport has done a documentary on the world’s leading lady rider Edwina Tops-Alexander. The film can be watched below.

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Rob Hoekstra is coaching the coaches in South Africa. Photo provided by Emma Garson.British showjumping team manager Rob Hoekstra is currently in South Africa giving a five day clinic to the country's top riders and coaches. Hoekstra arrived in Johannesburg on Monday the 11th of February and is working towards advancing the level of competitive showjumping and coaching in the country. Sixteen of South Africa's top showjumping coaches were selected to participate in the first three days of the clinic, dubbed 'Coach the coaches'. 'Coach the Coaches' is an initiative the South African Equestrian Association wants to carry out annually and they are in fact hoping to bring Rob out again in October this year.

Steve rode Bordeaux's World Cup with a broken leg. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Steve Guerdat got injured in Bordeaux last weekend, after a horse kicked and hit his knee. After a visit to the hospital Guerdat decided to ride the Rolex FEI World Cup on Saturday despite the pain. But on Sunday he declined from the Grand Prix, and that with good reason as a new visit to the hospital revealed that Steve's leg was broken. In addition a knee hematoma was discovered as well as injured ligaments. Nevertheless Steve hopes to be back in the saddle soon.

We wish Steve a speedy recovery!

Reed Kessler. Reed Kessler is back guest blogging for WoSJ, and it would be an understatement when we say that we are over-excited about it! Reed will guest blog from the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, where week 6 has just kicked off with the first 3* week of the event which also includes a World Cup qualifier. Reed has lots of horses to compete this week, and in her first blog entry she tells about her plans for the week and about a long and eventful Wednesday at the showground.

Click here to read our interview with Reed from earlier this year;

Henk will train the Swedish riders. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Henk Nooren is back as trainer for the Swedish showjumping team. He will now be working with the Swedish riders towards the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Nooren worked with the Swedish team back at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and he will now once again help the riders.

"Henk has an unbelievable experience and he has the ability to bring out the best in our riders. I really look forward to work together with Henk again," Sylve Söderstrand, the Swedish Chef d'Equipe, says to the Swedish Federation.

Source: www.ridsport.se

Robert Splaine will stay as Chef d'Equipe for Ireland. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Robert Splaine has been reappointed as the High Performance Manager for the Irish showjumping team following a board meeting of Horse Sport Ireland last night (Tuesday). The position of Show Jumping High Performance Manager was advertised in December 2012 and following second round interviews on Monday, Robert Splaine was recommended by the interview panel for re-appointment.

Philippe Guerdat. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Philippe Guerdat has resigned as Chef d'Equipe of the Belgian showjumping team. The Swiss has been in charge of the Belgian showjumpers since January in 2010, and has had great success with the team. In 2010 Belgium won team bronze at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and qualified for the 2012 Olympics under Guerdat’s guidance.

In a statement on the Royal Belgian Equestrian Sports Federation’s website it is said that Philippe Guerdat will be the new Chef d’Equipe for the French riders, who recently saw Henk Nooren quitting. The Belgian federation will start the process of finding a new Chef d'Equipe.

Source: equibel.be  

We wish Tim a speedy recovery. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Tim Stockdale suffers from broken ribs after a fall from a young horse at home this weekend. Nevertheless Tim went on to give a masterclass he was booked in for the same night; teaching William Whitaker from the ground. After the masterclass Tim went to hospital, where he was diagnosed with cracked ribs. On his Facebook account Tim writes; "I'll be fine. Just one of those silly things. Big thank you to William Whitaker for helping at the demo tonight and to all my fantastic staff who were brilliant as always. Also to everyone who offered to drive lorry home[…]»

Rich & Apache #mathieuThis weekend we have had Mathieu Mougeot as our guest tweeter. Mathieu works for Richard Spooner, and this weekend Mathieu has been tweeting fom Bordeaux. For those of you not on Twitter, we have collected a selection of Mathieu’s great behind-the-scenes tweets from Saturday and Sunday below.

Check Picobello Z - here with Lowie Joppen in Lanaken. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Eric Lamaze has a new and promising ride; the 7 year old Check Picobello Z (Cardento x Orlando). The grey gelding has up until last summer been seen under Lowie Joppen, who finished as number eight at the World Championship for six year olds in Lanaken with the horse. After the championship the horse was sold, and recently Lamaze has been riding the horse at the Winter Equestrian Festival. In the middle of January Artisans Farms and Torrey Pines Stable bought the horse, and it thus looks like Eric has another exciting prospect added to his string of horses.

Malin has a new ride. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Malin Baryard-Johnsson has a new promising ride in Cilke Quality SC. The 6 year old Swedish bred mare by Quite Capitol I x Laurenz has up until now been carefully produced by Lisa Marie Norlander – who qualified Cilke Quality SC for the youngster championships in Flyinge in 2012.

Source: ridehesten.com

Two time Olympian and NARG Vice-President McLain Ward presents the NARG award for number one tournaments to Spruce Meadows’ Ian Allison. Photo Credit Kenneth Kraus.The North American Riders Group (NARG) has recognized Spruce Meadows as #1 in the sport of show jumping for a third year in a row. NARG consists of the sport’s top riders, trainers, coaches, owners and business interests representing Canada, Mexico and the United States. A number of criteria are considered in assessing all of the tournaments, including footing in the rings, prize money, stabling, attendance, course designs, technical aspects, organization and media coverage.

NARG noted that of the 1300 North American tournaments eligible for consideration, there is no other venue that supports high performance sport in North America to the same degree as Spruce Meadows. Spruce Meadows tournaments not only focus on providing a high standard to all, but through the generous support of sponsors it also provides athletes from around the globe the ability to obtain valuable world ranking points for the FEI World Ranking computer list.

Andreas Schou is to be a father this summer. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.

Danish showjumper Andreas Schou and his girlfriend, the Swedish rider Jannike West are expecting a baby in July. Jannike and Andreas live in Kolding, Denmark, where Andreas and his brother Christian run the stud and sales stable Schou & Skouboe. You can read more about Schou and Skouboe and see some wonderful pictures in one of our first WoSj Exclusives; Schou & Skouboe - a promise for the Danish showjumping future. 

 The WoSJ-team wishes Andreas and Jannike the very best!

 The 8 year old Toulon-daughter Toulouse 66 has made the step up to five star level this year, and looks like an exciting prospect for Henrik von Eckermann. All photos by Jenny Abrahamsson.

Rolf Lüdi is taking a break. The Swiss top course designer Rolf Lüdi has decided to take a break from designing courses at events in Switzerland. According to pferdewoche.ch Lüdi is upset about the way some Swiss team riders had forwarded criticism against his work, especially as it has come to him indirectly instead of through a dialog. It’s is not clear how long Lüdi’s break will last.

Source: pferdewoche.ch

At the 2013 KWPN Stallion Show, 48 jumping stallions earned a ticket to the performance test in Ermelo. KWPN has compiled a stallion statistics on their website, which provides an overview of sires per breeding direction, along with offspring evaluated respectively in the first, second, and third round viewings, as well as any offspring selected for the performance test. Among the jumping stallions, Alicante HBC produced the most selected sons – three in total.

Click here to access the list.

Wraps guard!!! #mathieuThis weekend we yet again have Mathieu Mougeot as our guest tweeter. Mathieu works for Richard Spooner, and this weekend they have travelled to the World Cup show in Bordeaux. You can follow Mathieu’s guest tweets live on the WoSJ Twitter-account, and look for his tweets marked #mathieu. For those of you not on Twitter, we have collected a selection of Mathieu’s tweets from Thursday and Friday below.

Luckily it seems that all is well with Steve. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Steve Guerdat suffered an injury during the warm-up in Bordeaux yesterday, and was taken to hospital. The incident happened when the Swiss rider got a kick in his knee by a passing horse. Luckily it seems that Steve is on the mend, as it was stated today on his website that the Olympic Champion was released from the hospital last night and that the examinations carried out did not reveal any fractures to the knee. Apparently Steve will try to ride again already tonight.

Source: steveguerdat.com

Eric van der Vleuten. Photo by Hanne Christensen.According to hestesport.no Eric van der Vleuten is the new trainer of the Norwegian showjumping team. The popular Dutch rider has made a deal with the Norwegian federation, and will come to Norway for trainings as well as joining the team for CSIO events. The plan is also that Eric will join the Norwegian team at the European Championships in Herning in August.

The Norwegian federation is very happy to have Eric as their new trainer, and hope to start up the trainings with Eric in March.

Source: hestesport.no

Shaun Neill is aiming for the World Cup Final. South Africa’s number 1 ranked rider of 2012 , Shaun Neill, landed in Europe on the 5th of February to start with the qualifying process for the World Cup Final in Gothenburg. Shaun qualified for the final in the South African league on his horse Clyde Z (Carthago Z x Jus de Pomme), but he was unable to take Clyde overseas due to the quarantine restrictions and lack of time before the final – and now has to qualify himself again on another ride in accordance with the FEI rules.

 In a new photo series we will take a closer look at some of the sport’s top stallions, and whether or not their offspring bear any resemblance to their father! First out is Cornet Obolensky (Clinton x Heartbreaker), who was retired from the sport in 2012 after a very successful career. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. 

Pacino with Clement McMahon. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.According to studforlife.com Clement McMahon’s successful partner Pacino sadly had to be euthanized last night. The Irish rider and the 9 year old BWP stallion by Diamant de Semilly had great success together in 2012, and were double clear for the winning Irish team in the Top League in Dublin as well as being on the wining team at Hickstead. The two also won the Mulingar Grand Prix in June.

Our thoughts go out to Clement McMahon and his team.

Source: studforlife.com

Cameron Hanley. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.After almost two years away from competition, Cameron Hanley can finally make his comeback! On his Facebook-account Cameron wrote the following Wednesday; “All packed and ready to go, leaving tonight with the truck to Oliva for my first show in almost 2 years. Can't wait.....” Hanley has been out of action due to a surgery that led to a critical condition and several more surgeries, after an unfortunate accident while playing with his kids in the early summer of 2011.

Related article: Long recovery for Cameron Hanley 

There will be more Cristallo-snapshots this weekend!This weekend we welcome back Mathieu Mougeot – who works for Richard Spooner – as our guest tweeter. Mathieu will be travelling to the World Cup show in Bordeaux with the Spooner-horses, and there will be lots of Mathieu's trademark behind the scenes-tweets and snapshots to look forward to. You can follow Mathieu’s guest tweets live on the WoSJ Twitter-account, and look for his tweets marked #mathieu.

Sapphire has both clones and embryos carrying her legacy. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.McLain Ward’s famous partner Sapphire (Darco x Hedjaz) was retired last year after a fantastic career. The amazing mare is now enjoying her retirement, and although she can no longer be seen in the ring her heirs and heiresses are waiting to step into the spotlight. According to chronofhorse.com the two Sapphire clones Kara BC and Kidjaz BC are turning three years old in 2013, and they are both a lot like Sapphire. Not only does Sapphire have two clones, two surrogate mares are carrying Sapphire embryos waiting to be born in August —one is by Heartbreaker and the other one by Presley Boy.

Source: chronofhorse.com

Angelica is looking forward to this season. Photo by Hanne Christensen. Angelica Augustsson has some new exciting horses in the stable. It's the 9 year olds Ullrichequine's Candy Man (Caretino x Ramiro) and SIEC Zappa WH (Sydney x Navarone) that have joined the Swedish rider's string of horses, and  together with Candy Man Angelica has already had success - the two ended 6th in the Medium Tour final in Offenburg last weekend. 

"Both horses are really interesting, and I'm looking forward to this season," says Angelica to World of Showjumping.

Cantor de la Vie Z (Clinton x Heartbreaker) and L'Etoile Z (L'Arc de Triomphe Z x Quattro B) both passed the 35-days stallion test in Denmark which finished off last weekend. Cantor de la Vie Z got 817,50 points, including a 9 for capacity and a 10 for character, while L'Etoile Z got 756 points.

Click here to see all the points.

The show organizer En Garde - that organizes the Hamburger Derby, Munich Indoors, the Bundeschampionat, the show in Gera and Partner Pferd in Leipzig among others - has made a new website.

The Swiss riders are on top form and several of them have made big climbs on this month ranking. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.This month there are few changes among the top 50 riders where Cian O'Connor has made the biggest climb going from rank 50 to rank 43. Paul Estermann has made a huge climb outside top 50 though as he has climbed 19 places and is currently number nr 61. Another Swiss rider - Clarissa Crotta - has climbed 13 places and with that she has entered the top 100, currently ranked as number 90. Alexandra Fricker went from place 150 to 114.

Christina Liebherr is planning for the future! Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Christina Liebherr has some new and exciting prospects at her stable - Stall La Baumetta. The latest addition is the eight year old Akteur (Jupilot x Furioso) which she recently discovered at Manfred Marschall's stable. In December Christina also bought a seven year old stallion by Quidam de Revel x Calvaro as well as a six year old by Calido x Carthago.

Source: www.reitturniere.de

New horse for Pius. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Pius Schwizer has a new ride in the 11 year old Oscar du Chanu (Richebourg x Papillon Rouge). The French bred gelding has up until now been seen under Jaques Bonnet, but will this weekend participate in Bordeaux with Schwizer.

Source: psi-magazin.de

Billy Twomey is back in the saddle. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.After a slightly longer recuperation than he originally planned, Billy Twomey is back in the saddle. On his website, Twomey writes that he wanted to ensure he was fully healed before getting back into competition. The Irish rider has already been competing at a national show in the UK, and has now decided to go to the first leg of the Spanish Sunshine Tour in Valencia in February.

Related article: Twomey hopeful of comeback in January

Source: billytwomey.com

Christian Ahlmann is leading with 195 points. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Christian Ahlmann remains as number one on the Longines Ranking (previously Rolex Ranking). Steve Guerdat and Nick Skelton also remain in position two and three. Edwina Tops-Alexander climbs from rank six to rank four and is thereby changing position with Marcus Ehning.

Pius Schwizer is changing rank with Kevin Staut as he climbs from rank seven to rank five. Gerco Schröder is number eighth, while Marc Houtzager holds on as number nine in the world. Penelope Leprevost is back as rank ten, but has pushed Rolf-Göran Bengtsson out of the Top Ten for the first ranking in a very long time.

Click here for the full ranking.

Jens Fredricson has a new horse. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Jens Fredricson has a new ride in the 9 year old Avon (Quidam de Revel x Cortez). The horse has previously been ridden by Daniel Zetterman, but when Daniel left for the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington the owner Magnus Lindholm chose to give the ride to Jens. Daniel competed Avon at Hickstead, in Dublin and Aachen last year. 

"I have had him for about seven weeks now, and he is a very nice horse. Avon has good bloodlines, a good jump and a good background. As Daniel has been riding him he has gotten a good education. We will do our first show together this weekend," Jens says to World of Showjumping.

Big Star with Nick Skelton in Paris last year. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Big Star (Quick Star x Nimmerdor) has been announced as 2012 KWPN Horse of the Year. The announcement was made at the KWPN stallion show in Den Bosch this weekend. Nick Skelton's fantastic ride has amazed with his jumping and great results. "I want to thank everyone who voted for Big Star. It's a great honor that he's the KWPN Horse of the Year and we're very happy. I'm honored to be able to ride a horse like him," Nick said in a video showed at the ceremony.

Gregory Wathelet has a new ride. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. Gregory Wathelet has a new ride in No Limit Z (Non Stop x Le Tot de Semilly). It's the owner and former rider of the horse, Eric Lombard, that has decided to let Gregory Wathelet  continue the education of his eight year old stallion. According to studforlife.com Gregory is bringing the horse to Spain for the Sunshine Tour to get their new partnership going. Along with him Gregory also brings several other new prospects such as the eight year old mare Demone Des Rosiers Z (Darco x Kannan), the eight year old stallion  Balthazar de Hus (Balou du Rouet x Grosso Z ) and two seven year olds from Haras d’Ouilly - Sothis d’Ouilly (Cheers Cassini x Narcos II) and Shou d’Ouilly ( Calvaro x Quick Star).

Source: studforlfe.com

VDL Emmerton is the sire of Freeman VDL. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Freeman VDL (Emmerton x Chin Chin) took home the KWPN jumper stallion championship in Den Bosch this weekend. "His canter is remarkably good as are his reflexes, form and athleticism. He performed very consistently and convincingly both in Ermelo and here in 's-Hertogenbosch. He's the most complete horse of this birth year," Daan Nanning, Chairman of the Stallion Selection Committee, said about Freeman.

Second best was Fandango (Vittorio x Odermus R)and number three Ferdino (Verdi x Fuego du Prelet).

Click here to know more about the stallions and see videos.

Source: KWPN

Van Schijndel's Rascin with Piet Raijmakers Jr. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Van Schijndel's Rascin (Ramiro x Pilot) was thanked off yesterday at the KWPN Stallion Show in Den Bosch. Gerard van Schijndel, the son of Rascin’s owner Jo van Schijndel, was present together with Piet Raijmakers Sr. and Jr. Egbert Schep from KWPN thanked the riders and the owners of Rascin for the stallion’s many successes. Rascin came to Piet Raijmakers Sr. as a nine year old, and the now 18 year old Ramiro-son has had huge international success under both Piet Sr. and Jr. with wins from Grand Prix and Nations Cups around Europe. Rascin will now move on to breed full time.

Source: kwpn.nl

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Horse & Country TV that sends live on cable, satellite and online will in 2013 present a fresh line-up of TV programming in cooperation with British Showjumping. It will be quality sports action and exclusive behind-the scenes insights.

The new roster includes a number of shows that will be exclusive to Horse & Country TV which will later on be available to watch online via the British Showjumping website.

The KWPN stallion approval started yesterday and will continue for the next couple of days. Click here if you want to see videos of the showjumpers and here to see the schedule.

Source: www.kwpn.org

Christian Ahlmann is of course a part of the German Championat-squad for 2013. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.In Germany the showjumping squads for 2013 have been announced. In the so called Championat- squad five top riders can be found; Christian Ahlmann with Taloubet Z and Codex One, Ludger Beerbaum with Chiara and Chaman, Marcus Ehning with Plot Blue and Copin van de Broy, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum with Bella Donna as well as Carsten-Otto Nagel with Corradina.

The B-squad consist of: Daniel Deußer with Cornet D’Amour, Hans-Dieter Dreher with Magnus Romeo and Embassy II, Marco Kutscher with Spartacus and Cornet’s Cristallo, Janne-Friederike Meyer with Lambrasco and Grace, Philipp Weishaupt with Monte Bellini and Leoville in addition to David Will with Colorit.

Nino des Buissonets. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Nino des Buissonets has been crowned Horse of the Year 2012 in Switzerland. It’s the magazine Pferdewoche’s readers that voted Steve Guerdat’s Olympic ride as winner; and nearly 90 % voted for Nino. The Rider of the Year-title and the Rookie of the Year-title went to 2012’s Swiss sensation Paul Estermann who produced one clear round after another in the Top League last year.

Source: pferdewoche.ch

On the team; Eric Lamaze. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The Jump Canada High Performance Committee is pleased to announce the 2013 Canadian showjumping team short list based on the 2013 short list criteria. The following athletes have been identified as official members of the national show jumping team, which falls under the umbrella of the Canadian Equestrian Team (CET).

The four riders who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games for Canada:

1. Ian Millar / Perth, ON

2. Eric Lamaze / Schomberg, ON

3. Jill Henselwood / Oxford Mills, ON

4. Tiffany Foster / Schomberg, ON

Saudi Equestrian – team bronze medal winners at the London 2012 Olympic Games – has today launched an all new English/Arabic website; saudiequestrian.com. The updated site has been built to be more user-friendly and easily navigable, as well as being fully optimised to be viewed on a range of mobile and tablet devices.The website also incorporates a fresh look, whilst staying true to the origins of the Saudi Equestrian brand values. Content on the site includes: detailed biographies of the entire team (riders, horses and management); reports from shows in which the team competes; a comprehensive gallery of images of the team; and various other information about the team, their future competitions, and the recently announced Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™