worldofshowjumping.com

 Franke Sloothaak moves on from Russia to Austria. Photo by Jenny AbrahamssonGlock Horse Performance Center, owned by Gaston Glock, has hired former world champion and olympic champion Franke Sloothaak to train and manage their showjumpers Robert and Gerfried Puck, Dieter Köfler, Markus Stock and David Tschikof as well as eventer Katrin Khoddam-Kazrati. With the hiring of Sloothaak, Glock shows that they don’t only want to make a mark within dressage where they already have high profiled riders, but they now want to make more out of their showjumping team as well.

Oleg Krasyuk was a part of the wining Ukrainian team in Rome Friday. Photo presented by Revolution Sports. Oleg Krasyuk (UKR), was the winner of the Furusiyya Round of the Day  award in Rome yesterday. The Furusiyya Round of the Day award is presented to the horse & rider combination who is judged to have best displayed qualities such as harmony, partnership, balance and skill throughout their two rounds; values represented and embodied by Furusiyya. Oleg Krasyuk, riding Nobylis, was judged to have ridden beautifully to produce two double-clear rounds on the day, which helped his team into the jump-off and ultimately the winner's podium.

A good start for France this year. Here we see Penelope Leprevost after the French victory in the Nations Cup in Aachen last year. After two legs France is in the lead of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Europe Division 1. The French have picked up a total of 157.76 points at two legs, while rank two is Great Britain at 143.67 points. Both countries have picked up points in La Baule and Rome, where they were eligible for points. Rank three is the winning team from Rome – Ukraine – at 100 points. Then follows Switzerland at 90 as rank four.

The winning team in Rome! Cassio Rivetti, Oleg Krasyuk, Ulrich Kirchoff and Kathi Offel. Ukraine’s Cassio Rivetti, Oleg Krasyuk, Ulrich Kirchoff and Katharina Offel took home the win in the second leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Europe Division 1 in Rome. It took two exciting rounds and a jump-off to get a winner, and in the end it was Germany, France and Ukraine that battled it out in the beautiful ring at Piazza di Siena. As last to go Cassio Rivetti and Temple Road did it for Ukraine, as Ludger Beerbaum and Patrice Delaveau left the door open with one fence down each. With the best time of the two, Ludger secured second for Germany leaving France at third.

Jessica Newman and Kevin Staut prepare for their interview with Equidia.An equestrian's focus can become isolated on their horses and competitions when at the highest level of the sport, but world-class rider Kevin Staut has never allowed his focus to falter from the good he can provide in the community as an equestrian icon. Since 2007, the French rider has been a long-term Rider Ambassador for JustWorld International, a charitable organization that raises funds within the global equestrian community to help provide education, nutrition, healthcare and vocational training programs to underprivileged children in impoverished communities around the world.

Jur Vrieling and Zirocco Blue VDL had the only double clear in Copenhagen. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Friday afternoon it was time for yet another leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Europe Division 2 - this time in Copenhagen. The Dutch team was in the lead after the first round, and managed to hold on to their lead. Jur Vrieling with Zirocco Blue VDL had the only double clear in the class, while the other team riders Hendrik-Jan Schuttert on Up to date HS, Suzanne Tepper on Km Wish and Willem Greve on Carambole did one clear round each.

Gerco still works for Ger Visser, but has the possibility to take on horses from other owners as well. The approved stallion owned by Stoeterij Van de Helle  has now been in  Gerco's  stable for a couple of days and the plan is to take him to a smaller show next weekend before entering the bigger classes.

Cian will ride Blue Loyd in St. Gallen. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Ireland's team manager Robert Splaine has revealed that Cian O'Connor's Olympic bronze medal horse Blue Loyd will return with him to the Irish team for the vital Nations' Cup competition at St. Gallen in Switzerland next Friday, May 31st.

Though sold late last year, Blue Loyd's new Canadian owner Nicole Walker has offered O'Connor his former London mount to jump as part of the Irish squad competing at the country's second fixture of the Furusiyya FEI series.

Robert Splaine said this morning: "This is an exceptionally generous gesture by Nicole, as there is no doubt Blue Loyd will greatly enhance Ireland's competitiveness at St. Gallen. Under the 2013 rules we have just four venues where we can gain world series points, so we need the very best horsepower available to us, and they don't come much better than Blue Loyd.

David and Colorit will miss the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Rome. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.David Will's Colorit is recovering well after getting a fever in Wiesbaden. The plan was for the approved stallion to compete for the German team in Rome this weekend, but Ludger Beerbaum got a last minute call and is going instead of David.

Now Colorit is doing much better. According to Reitturniere.de the German Championship, that takes place in Balve the second weekend in June, will be his next show.

Scott Brash with Bon Ami. Photo by Piazza di Siena.Britain's Scott Brash and Bon Ami rode to a win in the opening international speed class at Piazza di Siena Thursday. Going in at the halfway stage in a starting field of 56, he cut all the corners in this 1.50 class to set the target at 61.96 seconds, and, despite their best efforts, the rest just couldn't catch him.

Steve Guerdat. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Steve Guerdat has bought the seven year old Kavalier (Kannan x Alligator Fontaine). Steve says to Stud for life that it was love at first sight when he tried Kavalier, that has the same sire as Steve's Olympic Champion Nino des Buissonnet and is out of a mare by Alligator Fontaine - the stallion that is the sire of Steve's super mare Jalisca Solier.

Source: www.studforlife.com

Dirk Demeersman.Dirk Demeersman has got a new ride in the BWP stallion Charles de Gaulle (Clinton x Rebel II Z), a horse owned by Haras de Hus. According to Stud for life Dirk is of the opinion that the horse has a lot of potential.

This is the third son of Clinton that Dirk has gotten to his stable during the last months, and he says to studforlife.com that he is happy to ride the offspring of his former top horse. Demeersman and Clinton won the individual bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

Gregory Wathelet. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The eight year old Holsteiner stallion Conrad de Hus (Con Air x Locato) will in the future be seen under the Belgian rider Gregory Wathelet. It is Xavier Marie from Haras de Hus that owns the stallion that has been educated by Gilles Botton.

Gregory says to Stud for life that Conrad de Hus has a lot of quality and a huge potential. The goal for Wathelet is to prepare Conrad so that he will be ready to do the bigger classes at the end of the year or in the beginning of next year.

Source: www.studforlife.com

Eight teams will compete in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Rome. France, Great Britain, Spain and Ukraine are the nations that can collect point at this leg.

The staring order tomorrow will be as follows:

1. Italy, 2. Sweden, 3. Great Britain, 4. Germany, 5. France, 6. Switzerland, 7. Spain, 8. Ukraine