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Henrik von Eckermann's girlfriend Christina Niemand. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Swedish showjumper Henrik von Eckermann has been a successful stable jockey at Ludger Beerbaum’s stable in Germany for several years. Last year during the World Cup show in Gothenburg he told us that he had met a cute German teacher that he was dating. When we found out the two of them were still dating a year later, and that this girl was coming to Gothenburg together with Henrik this year – the WoSJ-team decided to find out a little about how life is like when you’re dating someone who is usually away at shows every weekend throughout the whole year. There should be no secret that dating a professional athlete within any sport can be a challenge.

A happy guy; Harrie Smolders. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Harrie Smolders is at the age of thirty one of Holland’s best riders with an impressive career behind him, but also a promising future ahead of him. WoSJ decided to find out more about the top rider, and discovered Harrie to be a true family man and somebody who will easily bring a smile on your face.

Horses have been in the Smolders’ family for generations. Harrie’s grandfather had horses working in the fields at home, and the Dutch rider’s father is also a horseman. So, Harrie and his sister started riding ponies as small kids – Harrie was then eight years old. “At first I didn’t like it, I played soccer as well and I liked that more. But when the pony that belonged to my sister was to be sold, I decided to take it on,” Harrie says. “At first I was really scared; they had to dig the poles into the ground the first year to make me jump,” Harrie laughs.

A living legend; Nelson Pessoa. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Nelson Pessoa is a living legend in the sport of showjumping; during his career as a rider he won several championships and over 150 Grand Prix’s in Europe. WoSJ was lucky enough to get an interview with this exceptional horseman.

Pessoa keeps himself busy with his yard Haras de Ligny outside Brussels, where he keeps sixty horses. At the age of 75, Nelson – or Neco as he is often called – still does quite a lot of coaching. His son Rodrigo, Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze and the winner of this year’s Global Champions Tour in Doha Alvaro de Miranda, are among the riders who are lucky enough to take part of his wisdom. “We also have riders who come in for one or two weeks at a time – often they are junior or young riders. They come from all over the world, but many of them are from North or South America,” Nelson explains.

Legends; Shutterfly and Meredith. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The sport has many superstars; but one of the biggest of them will forever be Meredith Michaels Beerbaum’s Shutterfly. We sat down with Shutterfly’s head girl Anu Harrila to find out more about the historic veteran, his successful stable mate and travel companion Checkmate, as well as their future successors.

Next to Meredith, Anu must be the one who knows Shutterfly the best. The 33 year old Finnish girl has worked for Meredith for 13 years, and has known Shutterfly since he arrived at the yard in 1999 as a 6 year old. “Shutterfly is truly something special, and he is also a bit weird,” Anu says about the 18 year old gelding. “He is a really nice horse, and he likes people – as long as they are not strangers,” Anu smiles.

Lars Nieberg is lucky to have some good horses at the moment. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The German rider Lars Nieberg has his plans ready for 2011. He wants to take part of the Global Champions Tour and if the horses are in good form the goal is the European Championship in Madrid in September.

“I am lucky to have some really good horses at the moment,” Lars explains. Lord Luis (Lasino x Alcatraz), who has been with Lars for the last one and a half year, is his best horse. Then he has the eighteen year old mare Lucie (Landadel x Gralsritter). “Unfortunately Lucie is already eighteen… But she is in a very good shape at the moment so I hope that I can still ride her for some time.”

Nina and Mouse winning the speed final in Gothenburg in February. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Finnish rider Nina Fagerström works as a stable jockey in one of Belgium’s biggest trading stables, Stephex Stables. At the beginning of 2010 Nina was ranked somewhere between 150 and 160 at the Rolex ranking. In April 2011 she had become number 46. To make that big a climb in a year is nothing less than remarkable. If you have seen Nina ride you might not be that surprised though – this is a girl who always chases victory. She recently won the pair competition at the Saute Hermes show in Paris together with Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze after two speedy rounds. WoSJ sat down with Nina to hear about how she ended up in Belgium, learn a little about her horses and of course we wanted to find out about her goals and hopes for the 2011-season.

Alana and Tinka relax at the WEG. Photo: Private. Alana Gamble works for Irish rider Billy Twomey, and travels around the world with Billy’s best horses Tinka’s Serenade, Je T'aime Flamenco, Tackeray and Romanov. WoSJ had a chat with Alana to find out what it’s like to be on the road most of the year, what it takes to be a groom for an international rider and if she ever feels the urge for a holiday.

Eric van Grunsven. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Behind most successful riders there is also a very supportive owner. WoSJ sat down to speak to one of them; Eric van Grunsven – one of the men behind BMC Van Grunsven Simon (Mr. Blue x Polydox and BMC Van Grunsven Whisper (Querelle x Wendekreis).

The two horses are familiar names on the international circuit, and together with Jeroen Dubbeldam Simon won the Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows, the World Cup qualifier in Verona as well as being overall third in the World Cup final in Leipzig as one of only two horses with a double clear on the final day. Whisper won the Dutch championship in 2009, and has several Gran Prix prizes on the record.

Nelson Pessoa speaks to WoSJ about his favorites tomorrow. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Nelson Pessoa has just given his tip to WoSJ on who will win the Rolex FEI World Cup final tomorrow. To WoSJ Pessoa said; “I have believed in Christian Ahlmann from the beginning. His horse is in good form, and is strong enough to take the win. Eric Lamaze is a little bit behind, but I believe he can win the third round tomorrow. Maybe it’s a bit long up to take the title, but Hickstead is an unbelievable horse and Eric is a good rider.”

Daisuke has been preparing for Leipzig with some 145 - 150 classes in Germany. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The 24 year old Daisuke Kawaguchi from Japan is one of the non-European riders that are in Germany preparing for the World Cup final in Leipzig. He managed to qualify for the big final by just riding four of the Asian league qualifications, but in Leipzig he will make his debut in a 160-class.

“In Japan the qualifications aren't that big and we don´t have any indoor shows there, so it will be a big challenge for me, but I am not nervous because I really love challenges”, Daisuke tells WoSJ.

The 12 year old Snowy River II is the horse that will accompany the Japanese rider in Leipzig. The horse has been with Daisuke she was six. “She is a very hot horse but with a strong heart. Snowy River never stops; and she always wants to be clear over the fences.”

Alberto Martinez and Leonard are making their last preparations before Leipzig. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Several non-European riders are in Germany preparing for the World Cup final in Leipzig, and one of them is Alberto Martinez from Mexico. The day before his travel to the big showground in eastern Germany he competes at a national outdoor show in Lastrup at Stall Böckmann. The horse he's riding – Leonard (Liberty Life – Gardestern) - was actually born at Lastrup 14 years ago.

Meredith and Shutterfly. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Who will win the Rolex FEI World Cup final in Leipzig that is just one week ahead? Well, we won’t attempt to answer that question – simply because it is an impossible task and pure guesswork. What we will do though, is to bring you some of the hottest candidates for the title as we take a look forward to the final and a look backwards at the world cup season that will conclude in Leipzig.

Niels Bruynseels. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. Niels Bruynseels is a rider you definitely will see more of this season. With Belgium back in the Super League, and some really exciting horses – the 27 year old rider is bound to become a familiar face to the crowds on the international scene.

To the Belgian’s Niels is well known already; he was a three-time contestant on Belgium’s team for the European Championships for young riders – and his merits include a silver team medal from the championship at Vilamoura in 2004. In his first year as a senior Niels took the bronze medal at the Belgian Championships, and last year he climbed all the way to the top – capturing the gold medal. Bruynseels has also been a regular on the senior teams, and has several nations’ cups behind him.

BCM's manager of events Edwin van Diessen. Photo by Hanne Christensen.Indoor Brabant is one of the best international horse shows in Europe, and draws a crowd on about 71.000 people every year. Next year the event is the host of the world cup finals in showjumping and dressage. Behind the Indoor Brabant you will find the Dutch event organizing company BCM. WoSJ sat down to speak with Edwin van Diessen, who is the manager of events for BCM.

We asked Edwin to tell us a little about the BCM. “The event organizing at BCM consists of putting together events, mainly equestrian ones. Also we publish magazines, such as the equestrian magazine Hoefslag. We are also behind websites such as sporthorses.nl and paardenwerk.nl,” Edwin explains. “BCM is also the owner of two big Dutch shows; Concours Hippique Eidhoven and Jumping Indoor Maastricht. Here at Indoor Brabant we are one of the partners of the show. We also focus on exporting our knowledge on event organizing in the equestrian world to other countries,” Edwin says. “The Helsinki International Horse Show in an example of just that.”

Philipp Weishaupt has proven to be one of Germany's best riders. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The 25 year old Philipp Weishaupt has been a part of team Beerbaum for eight years, and especially the last two years he’s had great success. In 2009 he won the German Championships and he recently won the World Cup in Bordeaux and the Grand Prix in Vigo within a week.

There is no doubt Philipp has a big talent but he gives his boss much of the credit for his success. “ Ludger gives us all the chances to succeed in the sport because we get to ride and focus totally on the sport” Philipp says. “He also helps us whenever we need it. Even though we all have different stables back home we get together in the ring and of course we all help each other out.”

Corradina and Carsten at the WEG in Kentucky. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. Corradina II should be a household horse name for those who are familiar with the international showjumping scene. The grey mare by the famous Corrado I x Sandro  is one of those horses who shows her quality when there is a big occasion, and she has proved herself as a true championship horse for her German rider Carsten-Otto Nagel.

Born on the 15th of June in 1998 – and bred by Prof. Dr. Hartwig Schmidt – Corradina went on to Moorhof Stable as a four-year-old, where Carsten started riding her. The Holsteiner mare has had a successful career ever since; winning the 5* Grand Prix of St Gallen in 2010, the world cup in Stuttgart in November 2010 and she has a bronze medal from the German championship in 2009 – not to forget plenty of prizes from the world’s biggest Grand Prix and the Nation’s Cups.

WoSJ met Leopold van Asten in Neumünster. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.WoSJ met Dutch rider Leopold van Asten during the CSI3* in Neumünster a weekend in February. Our mission was to find out a little about his current horses and his goals for the 2011 season.

Van Asten has been a part of the Dutch show jumping team for several years. In 2010 he competed in three Super League shows and was supposed to be the Dutch reserve at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky with the mare VDL Groep Santana (Mr. Blue x Alme Z). Unfortunately these plans fell through due to a hoof problem. Santana is still recovering but if everything works out as planned their goal for this year is the European Championships in Madrid in September. The Europeans will also be the last chance for the Dutch team to qualify for the Olympics in London in 2012, which makes this event even more important van Asten explains. The Dutch rider also plans on riding some Global Champions Tour legs and hopefully a few Super League shows.

Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson WoSJ visited Birgitta Jonasson who runs a stud at Stuteri Nääs in the south of Sweden. For the past 25 years they have been breeding show jumpers here, and are always searching for the optimal pedigree in their breeding. WoSJ took the opportunity to ask some quick questions.

Which stallions have the most impact on the sport today in your opinion? 

- Quidam de Revel, Lasino, Contender, Contendro, Cassini I, Carthago, Caretino, Calido, Heartbeat, Darco and several more. The old stallions still have the most impact on the sport today, and actually many of them are the same stallions that worked well even in the 1990s.

Kay with Küche - who has a special place in her heart - and "the princess" Sabrina. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.If a dream groom exists it must be Kay Neatham! Meet the girl who travels the world with Marcus Ehning’s top horses.

Kay is the type of girl you have to like. A least if you love horses. After meeting with her I am convinced that there is nobody else I would rather leave my horses to than her. Kind, fun, calm and easy to be around – no wonder Marcus thinks that she is great!

She left England as a 17 year old to work for one of Germany’s young riders at the time – Sönke Kohrock. From there she never looked back; Kay went on to work for the likes of Beat Mändli, Peter Wylde and Bernando Alves – actually she was with Alves for five and a half years. In December 2009 she decided to move on and start a new adventure; this time as the groom of Marcus Ehning – one of the worlds best riders.

The fast and the fearless: Simon Delestre. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. Simon Delestre is known as one of the fastest and most fearless riders on the international circuit. WoSJ met the stylish French rider to find out more about him, his horses and his fascination for speed.

The 30 year old rider comes from an equestrian family; Simon’s father Marcel was a showjumper himself. Surrounded by horses at the family’s yard in eastern France, it comes as no surprise that Simon himself started to ride very early on.

“I rode the European championships for ponies, junior and young riders on several occasions – and in 2000 I was a part of the young rider team that earned a gold medal at the championships in Hartbury. I got to represent France in the Super League quite early on as a senior rider, and was successful in shows such as Rotterdam, Hickstead and Rome – my horse at the time was Inédite de Balme,” Simon tells WoSJ. “I finished school at 18, and then it was all showjumping for me,” Simon explains.

Bo Kristoffersen. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.After a convincing victory in the Meydan FEI Nations Cup Promotional League final in Barcelona in September last year, the Danish showjumping team qualified for the 2011 Super League series. It was a young team that pulled it off with Andreas Schou and Uno’s Safier, Emilie Martinsen and Caballero, Thomas Sandgaard and Rubber Ball, as well as Tina Lund and Zamiro. Out of these four riders, only Schou and Lund are familiar faces on the international scene. The victory was no less than a triumph for the Danish team.

In Denmark’s equestrian federation they needed time making their decision to whether or not they were to participate in the prestigious series – but just before Christmas the federation informed that they had decided to give it a go and compete with the “big guys” in 2011.

There is no doubt that it takes both excellent horses and riders to survive the Super League. Poland had a hard time throughout the entire 2010 series and ended up withdrawing, Spain performed well in several of the series’ legs - but that still wasn’t enough to keep their place and even the likes of the great showjumping nation Holland struggled – saving themselves at the last minute with a victory in Dublin. It takes little explaining to understand that the Danish team will need to perform at their absolute best competing against Germany, France, Ireland, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland and the US – the absolute best showjumping nations in the world.

At the fantastic stud and equestrian center Schou & Skouboe in Denmark WoSJ discovers that things are unfolding in a manner that brings big expectations for the future of showjumping in Denmark.Andreas and Christian. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.  Behind Schou & Skouboe you will find two young and very talented brothers – Andreas and Christian – as well as their business partner Flemming Skouboe. Andreas – the best Danish rider in the world rankings at a current number 225 – is only 24 years old and his brother Christian 22. Despite their young age, they are involved in almost everything of importance when it comes to Danish showjumping; not only are they at the top of the sport – representing Denmark in international championships, as well as dominating the national ones – they also have a huge influence on Danish and Scandinavian breeding through their stud. “We are also joint owners of JBK Horseshows that runs every autumn in the Danish city Odense and Danish International Sales,” Andreas tells us. Andreas has already been hugely successful in the sport, and has no less than eight national championship titles up his sleeve – two as a senior rider - and three titles as a Nordic champion. Christian has also taken several Danish championship titles, and has been a regular on the national teams. What the two brothers have achieved at their age is no less than very impressive.

Andreas and Christian. Middle: Details from the tack room. Right: A little of the yard at Tågerup.

Marcus Ehning. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.If you could chose any horse that you like from your competitors, which horse would you chose and why?

               "I am actually really pleased with the horses I have. Baloubet du Rouet is a horse that I always thought was complete as a show jumper, but it is too late to wish for him… Of course there are a lot of horses that I admire and there are several horses that we will talk about for years to come, but I am so happy with my horses, that I can´t think about another one to wish for."