worldofshowjumping.com

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.

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.

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.

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

Cristallo & ego r pretty tired.... Or just relaxing.....#csiorome#mat This weekend Richard Spooner's groom Mathieu Mougeot is back as our guest tweeter. Mathieu is in Rome for the Nations Cup with the Spooner-horses Cristallo, Billy Bianca, Let's Dance & Careto, and here is a small selection of Mathieu's first tweets. You can follow Mathieu's guest tweets live on the WoSJ Twitter-account, and look for his tweets marked #mathieu.

Svante Johansson with Saint Amour in Gothenburg 2011. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Janne-Friederike Meyer now has the ride on Saint Amour (Stakkato x Sherlock Holmes). The 14 year old stallion that previously has been competed by Sweden’s Svante Johansson, has been moved to Meyer by his current owners that plan to sell the horse. Up until a sale takes place, Janne has Saint Amour as an addition to her current string of horses.

Source: tidningenridsport.se

Rodrigo Pessoa and HH Rebozo in action at the WEG in 2010. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Double H Farm and Rodrigo Pessoa announce that after a seven-year relationship, they will be going in different directions. Rodrigo Pessoa will no longer be the principal rider for Double H Farm. After an extremely successful partnership, Rodrigo will move on and Double H Farm will focus on other aspects of their business. “We have had a great relationship and friendship with Rodrigo and have enjoyed being able to support him,” said Double H Farm owner Hunter Harrison.

Pessoa stated, “I have learned a lot and been lucky enough to work with Hunter through this time. His experience as a leader and as a partner is a unique and special situation, and I'm extremely appreciative for what he has done for me. We will remain good friends and look back fondly on the great success that we have had together.” He continued, “Moving forward on good terms is really important to us. To that end, I will keep Let's Fly in my own string. I think that shows the good will and respect that we have for each other.”

Mathieu and Cristallo.This weekend Richard Spooner’s groom Mathieu Mougeot returns as our guest tweeter. Mathieu is in Rome for the Nations Cup with the Spooner-horses Cristallo, Billy Bianca, Let's Dance & Careto, 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.

Carthago Z has been put to sleep at the age of 26. The famous stallion was for many years one of the best showjumpers in the world under Jos Lansink, and competed at the Olympic Games both in1996 and 2000 – in addition to winning some of the world’s biggest Grand Prix classes and Nations Cups. Carthago Z is also known for his many famous offspring which today can be seen competing at top level.

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Billy Twomey. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Billy Twomey has a new ride in the 10 year old Diaghilev (Vangelis S x Handstreich). The gelding has previously been competed by Britain’s Anna Edwards, who has had great success with the horse – competing him up to five star level and winning the 3* Millstreet Grand Prix in 2012. Billy has already done his first big show with Diaghilev; the pair had two clear first rounds in La Baule this past weekend and they are also on the entry list for Rome the coming weekend.

Bosty has added Colombo to his string of horses. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.According to studforlife.com Roger-Yves Bost has a new ride in Colombo van den Blauwaert. The 11 year old gelding by Nabab de Reve x Skippy II has previously been competed internationally by Eric Navet, and the pair also won the bronze medal at the French Championship in 2012. Bosty says to studforlife that he believes that Colombo will be a good addition to his current string of horses.

Source: studforlife.com

Top Gun 79 with Holger Wenz in the saddle. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Christina Liebherr has got a new ride in the 9 year old Top Gun 79 (Limotas x Corofino). Top Gun 79 has up until now been competed by German rider Holger Wenz, who has showed the Holsteiner gelding up to four star level.

Source: horseweb.de

Wisconsin 111 with Sergio Alvarez Moya. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Alexander Onischenko has secured yet another top horse for Ukraine. This time it’s Sergio Alvarez Moya’s Wisconsin 111 that has been bought up by the Ukrainian. Wisconsin – an 14 year old gelding by Darco x Coriolan – has had some great results under Moya, winning big classes in Bordeaux, Gijon, Aachen and Hamburg to mention some.

Rodrigo has a new ride in Tinkabell. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The eight year old KWPN mare Tinkabell (Casco x Ekstein) has been purchased by Rodrigo Pessoa. The mare has previously been ridden by the German rider Felix Schneider, and Rodrigo bought her from Lisa Huep through Sergio Neuppmann.

Click on Read more to watch a video of Tinkabell.

André Schröder with Bario van't Martendonkerf in Hamburg. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The 23 year old German showjumper André Schröder is now riding for Azerbaijan. Schröder's change of nationality happened a few months ago, and with this change he follows in the footsteps of the previous Belgian rider Patrick Mc Entee who has competed for Azerbaijan since the beginning of 2010. The Italian rider Francesco Franco has also recently become a rider for Azerbaijan.

According to horses.nl Schröder got an offer he could not refuse. If he will get any new horses to ride is not yet known.

Jörg Naeve with Calado at Falsterbo Horse Show last year. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The 12 year old Calado (Calando I x Landgraf I) can now be found in Ludger Beerbaum's stable. It is Marco Kutscher that has been riding the gelding, that previously was ridden by Jörg Naeve. As Marco currently is injured Henrik von Eckermann will compete Calado at this weekend's Longines Global Champions Tour in Wiesbaden.

Source: www.ridsport.se

Marco Kutscher. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Marco Kutscher is unfortunately forced out of action due to an injury. The German rider has injured a thigh muscle, and will be out for the next few weeks.

We wish Marco a speedy recovery!

Source: ludger-beerbaum.de

Ludo Philippaerts with Tauber van het Kapelhof at their last show in Bordeaux. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Ludo Philippaerts' 17 year old Tauber van het Kapelhof (Darco x Pinkus) will be retired. Philippaerts announced Tauber's pension on the stallion's seventeenth birthday. Last year Tauber went through colic surgery, and the last time he was seen at a show was in Bordeaux in February 2013.

Ludo says to Horses.nl that Tauber van het Kapelhof is the best speedhorse he ever had. The pair won 53 international classes together and  were among the top three no less than 108 times.

Johannes Ehning has a new ride. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Judith Goelkel, the owner of Salvador, Sabrina, Sandro Boy and Quintana Roo, has purchased the nine year old Lorca V for Johannes Ehning to ride. Lorca V (Louvre S x Pablo) was previously owned by Schou & Skouboe and has been seen under both Christian and Andreas Schou.

The plan for Johannes and the approved stallion is  make their first international appearance in Nörten-Hardenberg next week.

Gilbert de Roock. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Gilbert de Roock has bought three new "van Klapscheut" horses. The new additions consist of the eight year olds Fenia van Klapscheut (Cicero Z van Paemel x Ahorn Z) and Farah van Klapscheut (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Heartbreaker) as well as the seven year old Goriana van Klapscheut (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Darco).

Goriana is a daughter of Pilar Cordon's ride Coriana van Klapscheut and the mother of Farah - Uriana - is in her turn the mother of Coriana.

Maria Gretzer with Singular LS La Silla at the World Championships for six year olds last year. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Marcus Ehning has gotten the ride on  Maria Gretzer's Singular LS La Silla. The seven year old by Chapultepec La Silla x Stakkato is bred by Club Hipico La Silla and owned by Maria. The plan is for Marcus to bring Singular to the Youngster Tour in Nörten-Hardenberg as their first show together. 

Maria has posted a You Tube video of Marcus trying Singular LS La Silla for the first time - click on the Read more-button to see it.

Gilbert Tillmann in today's Hamburg Derby. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.After two legs of the DKB-Riders Tour, John Whitaker and Gilbert Tillmann top the overall standings. Both have 20 points following their wins, while Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Carsten-Otto Nagel both are rank three on 17 points. Hilmar Meyer and Luciana Diniz are ranked as number five – both on 15 points.

Click here for the full standing.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson.The Holsteiner stallion Quarz (Quintero x Caretino) has been sold to the Danish Ask Stud. As the new sponsor of Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, the stud will add the 7 year old to the Swedish rider’s string of horses. "Quarz will be a very interesting addition to my stable," says the Swede to the Holsteiner Verband. "He has a lot of potential, and I have had him in mind for a long time."

Source: Holsteiner Verband

Effect vd Bisschop. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Dirk Demeersman has a new ride in the 9 year old Effect vd Bisschop (Clinton x Landetto). According to galop.be the new pair make their debut in Lommel this weekend. Dirk describes Effect as ‘a careful horse with potential’. Effect vd Bisschop has previously been ridden by Mike van Olst and Thiago Ribas da Costa – jumping at international Grand Prix level.

Source: galop.be

Balouska and luke little morning kiss.. #laisThis week we have Gerco Schröder’s head girl Lais van Deventer guest tweeting for WoSJ! Lais is in Hamburg, and with her she has London, Urban Hero and Balouska. Below you will find a selection of Lais' great snapshots and tweets. If you want to follow Lais’ guest tweets, go into our Twitter account and look for her tweets signed with #lais.

Athina and Doda have bought Den Ham Blue R. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.According to dehoefslag.nl Athina and Alvaro de Miranda have bought the approved stallion Den Ham Blue R (Mr. Blue x Calando I) from Stal Roelofs. The five year old approved stallion finished his KWPN performance test with a total of 85 points (canter 8, reflexes 8,5, form 8,5, scope 9, rideability and willingness 8,5, jumping talent 8,5). The stallion will now be trained for top sport in the stables of AD Sport Horses.

The promising Cooper and Cian in action in Magna Racino.Cian O’Connor has high hopes for his new ride Cooper (Colman x Corrado I). The Olympic bronze medalist from London says to WoSJ that the 9 year old gelding – that is owned by The Serendipity Group – is the best horse he has ever ridden. “I’ve had Cooper for a couple of weeks now. Before he came to me he had been very gently produced up to 2* level by his former rider. I brought him with me to the spring tour in Magna Racino, and he jumped clear in 1.40, 1.45 and 1.50 classes – so I was very pleased with him. His next outing will be Wiesbaden,” O’Connor explains to WoSJ of his new partner which he is aiming for the World Equestrian Games next year.

Diamanthina van’t Ruytershof will in the future be seen under a new rider. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Based on a mutual agreement between Stal Bruynseels and Stoeterij van de Helle, the stallion Castelino van de Helle (Cassini I x Landgraf I) and the mare Diamanthina van’t Ruytershof (Diamant de Semilly x Carthago) will move to another stable to continue their development at the highest level of the international sport.

Niels Bruynseels started riding Castelino van de Helle, owned by Paul Mais, as a 6 year old and has produced him to a Grand Prix horse. Last year the stallion won an international class in Lummen and was 4th in the Poznan World Cup qualifier, but over the last period of  time the results have stayed away. Also Diamanthina van’t Ruytershof is owned by Paul Maïs and will continue her career under a different rider. She finished 4th in the 2012 CSIO Grand Prix of Lummen and was 4th this year in the Ghent Masters.

Lais is our guest tweeter this week!This week we have made a real catch, and will have Gerco Schröder’s head girl Lais van Deventer guest tweeting for WoSJ! Lais is currently on the road to the five star show in Hamburg, and with her she brings super star London, Urban Hero and Balouska. To follow Lais’ guest tweets, go into our Twitter account and look for her tweets signed with #lais.

If you want to know more about Lais you can read our WoSJ Exclusive with her here.

Victoria Gulliksen will compete at home soil this weekend. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.It will be Sweden, Russia, Belarus, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway that will take part of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Drammen this weekend. France and the Netherlands will not be able to pick up points in Drammen, while the rest of the teams can and hopefully will fight hard for som needed points. Norway was unlucky last weekend in Lummen ending eight while  Sweden was placed as number five - a rank both teams probably would like to improve in Drammen.

Sterrehof's Tamino is now number one in the world. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.This month sees Sterrehof’s Tamino (Numero Uno x Farmer) all alone on top of the FEI WBFSH World Ranking. Last month the 13 year old gelding shared the top spot with London (Nabab de Reve x Chin Chin), but the chestnut stallion is now down to rank six. Silvana HDC (Corland x Widor) is now rank two in the world, after being number eight on last month’s ranking. Number three in the world is Carlo 273 (Contender x Cascavelle), who was eleven last month – while Lennox (Lifestyle x Grannus) is ranked as number four and Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois (Dollar du Murier x Grand Veneur) is rank five.

Click here for the jumping horse ranking.

KWPN has taken over the top of the studbook ranking this month, pushing BWP down to rank two. KWPN’s top representatives are Sterrehof’s Tamino, Silvana HDC, Chaman (Baloubet du Rouet x I Love You), Verdi III (Hors La Loi x Cantus), Simon (Mr. Blue x Polydox) and Uceko (Celano x Koriander). BWP has London, West Side V Meerputhoeve (Baloubet du Rouet x Apollonios) and Cylana (Skippy II x Darco) as their top three horses. The studbook Français du Cheval Selle Français follows as rank three, with their top three contributors being Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois, Nino des Buissonnets (Kannan x Narcos II) and Cevo Itot du Chateau (Le Tot de Semilly x Galoubet A).

Reed Kessler is now rank 28 in the world. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Last week the Longines Ranking nr. 148 was released, and it’s about time to find out who has been climbing it for the last month. Moving out of the Top 10, but within the top 50 America’s super talented Reed Kessler has jumped from rank 41 to rank 28 – while Emanuele Gaudiano has gone up to 33 from 43. Meredith-Michaels Beerbaum has also been moving upwards, and is now rank 38 after being on rank 47 last month.

The 2013 edition of the “Vincenzo Muccioli Challenge” international show jumping event, originally programmed from 19 to 21 July at Coriano near Rimini, has been cancelled. Behind the decision taken by the San Patrignano Community lies the consideration that, to date, the confirmed financial contributions from sponsors are not sufficient to cover the costs involved in the organization of the event. This makes it therefore impossible to achieve the priority objective underlying the origins of the show in 1996, namely that of sustaining the social and career training projects that are part of the rehabilitation programmes of the community’s over 1300 residents.

Steve Guerdat. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Olympic Champion Steve Guerdat has received a Honoris Causa Degree from the European University. The degree awards Steve’s extraordinary journey in the equestrian sport, particularly the Swiss rider’s Olympic title from 2012. Guerdat was invited by the president of the European University to receive his honorary degree at a special event that was held on the 20th of April, and you can see photos and read all about it on Steve’s website.

On the list for Hamburg; Michael and GIG Amai. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.A star studded field of riders is heading for Hamburg the coming weekend. The show hosts the second leg of the Global Champions Tour and the Hamburg Derby. Big names such as Christian Ahlmann, Ludger Beerbaum, Marcus Ehning, Michael Whitaker, Kevin Staut, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Gerco Schröder, Marc Houtzager, Steve Guerdat, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Katharina Offel will all ride at the event.

Click here for the full riders list.

Nice trophy for the second place yesterday #laura kraut #gct madrid #mathieuThis weekend we have had Richard Spooner's groom Mathieu Mougeot guest tweeting for WoSJ. Mathieu has spent the weekend at the opening leg of the Global Champions Tour in Madrid, and here are Mathieu's last snapshots and tweets from the lovely show.

Cyber had a beautiful clear this morning!!! Now, he s watching the other ones going on the ring!!! #gct #mathieu Mathieu Mougeot - Richard Spooner's head groom - is guest tweeting for us from the first leg of the Global Champions Tour in Madrid this weekend. Here is a fine selection of his tweets from Saturday. If you want to follow him live, join us on Twitter and look for the tweets marked with #mathieu.

Galou van de Schemmersberg to Doda. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Alvaro de Miranda has purchased the seven year old Galou van de Schemmersberg (Balou du Rouet x Randel Z). The gelding has previously been ridden by Shane Breen, and after some good rounds at Spring Tour Lummen Doda showed interest in the horse.

To Studforlife.com Shane is explaining that his plan was not to sell, but then Doda tried Galou van de Schemmersberg and they made a good match right away. Shane is now pleased that the horse has come to a stable where he has the potential to move to the top.

Dame Blanche van Arenberg to Penelope Leprevost. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Dame Blanche van Arenberg (Clinton x Codexco) has been purchased by Haras de Clarbecq for Penelope Leprevost to ride. The 10 year old mare started off her career with the Spanish rider Pascal Levy and has since the end of 2012 been ridden by Marc Dilasser.

According to Studforlife.com the new owner has been following the development of Dame Blanche van Arenberg for a while and they have no doubt in her qualities.

Well, spooner team is ready!!!! Enjoying the nice sun #gct madrid #mathieuMathieu Mougeot - Richard Spooner's head groom - is back guest tweeting for us. Here is a fine selection of his first tweets. If you want to follow him live, join us on Twitter here and look for the tweets marked with #mathieu.

Marquis de la Lande HDC and Franck Schillewaert. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Marquis de la Lande HDC (Quito de Baussy x Starter) has sadly passed away. The only thirteen year old stallion died suddenly this weekend during a show in Fontainebleau where he was together with his long time rider Franck Schillewaert. In May last year Haras des Coudrettes bought Marquis de la Lande to secure him for Franck Schillewaert as they thought that Marquis was the horse of a lifetime for Franck.

Our thoughts go to Franck, HDC and the whole team around the horse.

Christian Ahlmann is still on top of the Longines Ranking. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Christian Ahlmann holds on to rank number one on the latest Longines Ranking. Gerco Schröder stays put as rank two, while Kevin Staut has climbed all the way from rank six to rank three. Steve Guerdat has fallen one spot down to number four - while Marcus Ehning, who was number seven last month has made a jump up to rank five.

Rolex FEI World Cup winner Beezie Madden has made the biggest climb among the Top 10 as she has taken over rank six, leaving her rank as number ten from last month to Pius Schwizer. Edwina Tops-Alexander has fallen two spots to number seven, while Rolf-Göran Bengtsson is back among the Top 10 as number eight ahead of Nick Skelton who is rank nine this month.

The total prize money for this season's Longines Global Champions Tour will be over €8 million, a new record for the premier championship series. The significant prize money on offer is announced as the first Longines Global Champions Tour event of 2013 gets underway in Madrid, with a high calibre turn out of the world's best riders and horses.

Andreas Schou and Diamant de Revel. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Absolute Horses in Denmark report that they have sold their eight year old stallion Diamant de Revel (Diamant de Semilly x Quidam de Revel) to Florida. The promising stallion has been approved in both the Danish Warmblood Society and the Swedish Warmblood Association. Diamant de Revel has produced good results in the international youngster classes under  Christian and Andreas Schou, but will now continue his career in the US.

Hopefully we will see more of this in the years to come. Nina celebrating another victory. Here seen in Gothenburg in 2011. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The Finnish fighter Nina Fagerström is these days packing her bags and leaving for Eric Levallois’ Haras de Beaufour in Normandy, France together with her partner Alexander Rohling. Last year the former Stephex-rider took a big step and decided to set up on her own, and together with Alex she established Finca Horses. They started off with a few of Alex’ horses, in addition to some horses from different owners. The competitive rider wanted more though, and during the year they purchased horses more suitable for Nina and with potential for the top sport. 

Nina and Alex are now taking the Finca-horses to France, where Nina will get the ride on two promising nine year olds owned by Eric’s sister and brother. In addition to this she will be riding Eric’s very promising horses of his own breeding. Eric has brought up many talented horses over the years, and is also the former rider of Penelope Leprevost’s world cup-horse, Nayana, and the popular French stallion Diamant de Semilly.

Jörg Naeve has been injured. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Jörg Naeve had a bad fall on Tuesday morning and broke his collarbone. Due to his injury Naeve unfortunately has had to cancel his planned competitions in Redefin and Hamburg, and at the moment he doesn't know when he will be back in the saddle.

We wish Jörg a speedy recovery! 

Source: www.pferdenachrichten.de

CHI Geneva sticks with Rolex! Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.CHI Geneva – one of the three events included in the newly launched Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping – will no longer host a World Cup qualifier, as they have done since its creation in the late seventies. The World Cup's main sponsor will as of the 2013/2014 season be Longines, and with Rolex being the main sponsor of the CHI Geneva the organizers have had to drop the World Cup. “As we wanted to be faithful to our main sponsor, that has helped us over the past 17 years – which has included sponsorship of two World Cup Finals and nine Top 10 Finals – there was no question. We had to forget the World Cup. That being said, it was not an easy choice and we asked the FEI for a compromise as we didn’t want to cancel our existing and running contracts,” says Alban Poudret – Sports Director at the event.

David Will has a new sponsor. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.David Will has a new sponsor; Juwelieren Banki & Sohn. Following the sponsorship, the World Cup winner from Den Bosch will in the future be seen in a new outfit and the show Mannheimer Maimarkt will be David's first show for the new sponsor. "I took riding lessons for David's mother when he was a small kid. So I have been following his development for several years. During David's time at Dietmar Gugler's he has not only develop his riding skills, he has also grown as a person," says Shadi Banki, the owner of Juwelieren Banki & Sohn. "I'm impressed by David's persistence when it comes to working, and that he is such a hard worker with such a discipline. I think that such a talent needs to be supported and as David has had some of my horses over the last years I'm happy that I now can support him like this," Banki says.

Ludger will make it a double this weekend - Madrid and Mannheim. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.It is a big German troop that will participate at the CSI3* show in Mannheim the coming weekend. Christian Ahlmann, Hans-Dieter Dreher, Philipp Weishaupt and David Will are just some of the riders that will be present. Both Ludger Beerbaum and Marco Kutscher will make a double this weekend - first compete at the GCT in Madrid and then go straight on to compete in Mannheim.

Of course there will also be others than the German riders going to Mannheim - Abdel Said, Angelica Augustsson, Pius Schwizer, Daniel Etter, Beat Mändli and Gert-Jan Bruggink will all be there.

Mathieu is already set in Madrid and has found the shuttle service.This weekend we welcome back Mathieu Mougeot – who works for Richard Spooner – as our guest tweeter. Mathieu is in Madrid for the Global Champions Tour 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 already follow Mathieu’s guest tweets live on the WoSJ Twitter-account, and look for his tweets marked #mathieu.

Max Kühner has two new horses to ride. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.German rider Max Kühner has two new horses added to his string; the Bavarian State Stud’s Acajou and Carriculo. Acajou is a 13 year old stallion by Asti Spumante x Furioso, who has already shown some good international Grand Prix results under his co-owner and former rider Kristian Kniha. Carriculo is a 7 year old stallion by Contendro I x Stakkato which by his new rider is describes as “a very modern, smart horse with great jumping ability."

Madeleine Winter-Schulze. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Madeleine Winter-Schulze has been honored with the award Meteor-Preis in Germany. It is the Holsteiner Masters that has awarded Winter-Schulze for her outstanding commitment to the sport. Madeleine Winter-Schulze is the most important patron of German equestrianism; within the world of showjumping she is most known as Ludger Beerbaum’s long time supporter and horse owner. On her award Winter-Schulze said; “It is amazing that you can still get a prize for something that gives you so much fun and enriches your life in such a way!”

Source: holsteiner-masters.de

Ninja leaves for Mexico tomorrow. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. Rolf-Göran Bengtsson’s Ninja La Silla – who was officially retired in Gothenburg the past weekend – has already left Rolf’s stable in Breitenburg, Germany. Ninja will fly to Mexico tomorrow together with his long-time groom Celia. Once there the medal winning gelding will enjoy life in the huge fields of the La Silla stud.

Source:Stall Bengtsson & Kristoffersen

Take a look at what Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Eric Lamaze, Steve Guerdat, representatives from Aachen, Spruce Meadows and Geneva - as well as the title sponsor - had to say about the new Rolex Grand Slam of showjumping last weekend!

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Rolf-Göran Bengtsson's fantastic partner Ninja La Silla was thanked off in Gothenburg today. In front of his home crowds the lovely gelding got all the attention he deserves and a bit more. Thank you for giving us amazing memories, Ninja!

All smiles as the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping was revealed today. Photos by Jenny Abrahamsson.The Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping was revealed at a media reception in Gothenburg today. The Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping will consist of three of the world’s most prestigious Grand Prix classes; the Grand Prix in Aachen, the Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows and the Grand Prix in Geneva. The three Rolex Grand Prix classes alone have prize-money totaling 2.5 million Euros – with Aachen and Spruce Meadows having 1 million Euros apiece, and Geneva 500,000 Euros. With the Grand Slam being launched there is now a chance to win a bonus on top.

Any rider who wins three shows in a row, receives 1 million Euros on top of the prize-money of each show. Any rider who wins two out of the three shows, also receives a bonus.  If two shows are won in succession, the bonus is 500,000 Euros. If the rider is successful in qualifying for the “two out of three mode”, but doesn’t claim the victories at two consecutive shows, the bonus total 250,000 Euros.  It will only be the rider that counts, not the horse and it will be possible to claim the bonus riding different horses. The Grand Slam will without doubt bring the sport to a whole new level.

I'm Special de Muze. Photo provided by Team Nijhof.The super talent I’m Special de Muze will in the future be seen under Willem Greve. I’m Special de Muze is five years old, and what is quite special are his exceptional bloodlines. The stallion is by Harrie Smolder’s amazing Z-Tour Grand Prix winner Emerald (Diamant de Semilly x Carthago) and out of another one of Harrie’s top horses Walnut de Muze (Nabab de Reve x Chin Chin). The promising stallion was Reserve BWP Champion in 2011.

Mathijs van Asten and Credence Z in Valkenswaard last summer. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Mathijs van Asten has according to dehoefslag.nl sold his top horse Credence Z. The buyer of the 13-year old Catango Z-son is reportedly from China. Together with van Asten, Credence Z has produced some good results – the pair won the 2* Grand Prix in Neeroeteren in 2012, and have several other top Grand Prix results.

Source: dehoefslag.nl

It is with great anticipation and enthusiasm that Stutteri Ask (Martofte, Denmark) and Sweden's Rolf-Göran Bengtsson of Stall Bengtsson & Kristoffersen (Breitenburg, Germany) announce their future cooperation. The cooperation between the Danish stud farm and Bengtsson and his team will see its beginning on Monday 29th of April following Bengtsson's participation at the World Cup Final in Gothenburg. Bengtsson will in the future be riding the stud farm's horses, but investments in new, talented showjumpers will also be done. The successful cooperation with the Holsteiner Verband will remain, and the stallions Casall and Quintero will in the future change names to Casall Ask and Quintero Ask.

Marlon Zanotelli is one of the riders that can be found at Jumping Antwerpen. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Jumping Antwerpen will be welcoming some great riders for their lovely four star event the coming weekend. Some big Belgian names will of course be present, and in addition Scott Brash, Michael Whitaker, Eric Lamaze, Gerco Schröder, Kathi Offel, Lauren Hough and Laura Kraut can be found on the list of riders.

Click here to see the full entry list.

Lisen and Peder have bought Canvas Plus. The Swedish bred stallion Canvas Plus, has been bought by Lisen Bratt Fredricson and Peder Fredricson as a long term investment. The 5 year old is by Cardento-Cortez-Leuhten I, and approved in Oldenburg International. Canvas Plus is bred by Erik Möyland Andersen, who also sold the horse to Lisen and Peder. “We are really happy to include Canvas Plus in our stable, we believe he has all the qualities necessary for a future Grand Prix horse. As a stallion for breeding, he has an excellent combination of talent for jumping, bloodline and a very good exterior, earning him a 9 for type. We think he is an upcoming star both as a breeding stallion and as a competing horse. We are very much looking forward to work with him,” Lisen and Peder says in a press release.

Nice and new colors for Team Beerbaum! Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Team Beerbaum has some new colors on their show outfits. The color change on Ludger Beerbaum, Marco Kutscher, Philipp Weishaupt and Henrik von Eckermann’s show clothing is due to the fact that they are no longer flying the DZ Bank's colors. Team Beerbaum’s new outfits are grey and green – looking very fresh indeed! A color change can also be seen on Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, who also was a part of the DZ Bank team.

Ludger Beerbaum. Photo by Longines Equestrian Masters.Ludger Beerbaum is currently in China, where he has been involved in the Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters – both as a competitor and as organizer. As an ambassador for the horse sport in China, Ludger speaks about the globalization of the sport in an interview with the Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters. Below you can read an extract of what Ludger had to say.

Henrik is part of the Swedish top-group. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Sweden’s national team for 2013 has been announced. The team has been divided into two groups, a top-group and a b-group. The top group consists of Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, Henrik von Eckermann, Jens Fredricson and Peder Fredricson. Angelica Augustsson is currently out of the group as her best horses have been out with injuries, but they are now on their way back.

The b-group consists of Niklas Arvidsson, Emma Emanuelsson, Douglas Lindelöw and Royne Zetterman.

Ben Maher and Quiet Easy 4 winning the $33,000 G&C Farm 1.45m class at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo by Sportfot.Ben Maher’s ride Quiet Easy 4 will in the future be seen under Chloe Aston. According to Horse & Hound, Ben has passed on Quainton Stud’s 9 year old gelding by Quidams Rubin to Chloe, as he now has a huge string of horses for the international shows and Ben was of the opinion that there might not be space for Quiet Easy 4 – who now will benefit from being Chloe’s number one horse. Quiet Easy 4 has had some good results under Ben, and won the G&C Farm 1.45m class at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) in March as well as the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series in February. Chloe, who is only 18, has been has been riding for Quainton Stud for two years.

Source: Horseandhound.co.uk

Geoff Billington and his Fiat 500 from Hertz! Photo © Manfred Leitgeb.Geoff Billington has braved two broken ribs, and is despite his injuries riding at the Spring Tour in Magna Racino. A riding ban from the doctor does not stop the 53 year old Brit – much favored for his humor – who loves the Austrian event so much, that the trip there was a “must”. Billington has been well cared for by the organizers though, and has been supplied with a chic little Fiat 500 from event sponsor Hertz. Our guess is that pedestrians and fellow drivers on the road from the riders' hotel to Magna Racino should watch out for Geoff in this little racing car!

Gerco will not take part in the World Cup Final. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Gerco Schröder, ranked as number two in the world, will not be riding the Rolex FEI World Cup Final. The Dutch rider, who ended 14th in the Western European League was supposed to take the 14 year old gelding New Orleans to Gothenburg – but now there has been a change of plans and Gerco is not on the riders list. Next on the list in the league is Nick Skelton, who is ranked ahead of Jeroen Dubbeldam and Ben Maher – so the question is if Nick will want to go indoors again after spending the winter in Florida.

Barrichello will in the future be seen under Emilie Martinsen. Photo by Hervé Bonnaud - www.1clicphoto.com.Danish rider Emilie Martinsen has a new ride in the 7 year old Barrichello. The KWPN stallion by Heartbreaker x Karandasj was acquired by Emilie from Enda Carroll of Ashford Farm in Lasne, Belgium. Barrichello has recently been competed by Canadian rider Courtney Vince, who showed him at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour in Oliva, Spain, where he jumped many clear rounds in the 7 years old classes.

Ulrich Kirchhoff will ride for Ukraine in the future. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Ulrich Kirchhoff will in the future ride for Ukraine. As already reported back in March, Kirchhoff has been out competing on Alexander Onischenko’s Cabachon (Casall x Concerto) on the Toscana Tour – and also on other horses belonging to the Ukrainian billionaire, such as Verdi (Andiamo x Libero H) and Canevaro (Cellestial x Capriol). A change of nationality has now been confirmed by Kirchhoff himself, and the former Olympic champion from 1996 will now be seen flying the Ukrainian flag instead of the German. It is expected that Kirchhoff will ride Pius Schwizer’s former top horse Carlina (Carvallo x Landgraf I), which was sold to Onischenko in the end of March.

Daniel Bluman partners up with Hermès.Colombian born Olympic rider Daniel Bluman has been chosen by Hermès to represent the prestigious brand. The collaboration between the talented rider, who was a finalist at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Hermès covers both horse’s and rider’s equipment. “I feel honored to have been chosen by Hermès. I will be a proud ambassador of this prestigious brand. The beauty and the quality of their products is purely amazing,” says Daniel Bluman. Bluman joins a group of talented riders also supported by Hermès, such as Simon Delestre and Pilar Cordon. Daniel Bluman is based in Wisbeq, Belgium, and trains with showjumping all-times legend Nelson Pessoa.

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Clarissa Crotta has developed a new website which was launched on Monday. Clarissa and her partner Sören Kühl have established a sales and training stable in Borgholzhausen in the north-east part of Westfalia, Germany. To know more about Clarissa, her horses and the business you can visit www.clarissacrotta.com.

Quality Time TN - one of Team Nijhof's stallions. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.On Saturday Team Nijhof held their yearly stallion presentation in Geesteren. The popular show was sold out, and if you did not get the chance to watch the stallions live - or if you want a replay - you can click here to watch.

Photo GCT.In a landmark agreement Longines and Global Champions Tour have joined forces in a new long-term title partnership agreement, it is announced today.

The Swiss watchmaker will be Title Partner and Official Timekeeper of the LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR, opening an exciting new chapter in equestrian sport.

David Will with Juvina in Dortmund. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Together with a few sponsors Dietmar Gugler has bought the 12 year old mare Juvina (Cassini I x Grannus). It will thus be David Will that will continue to ride Juvina in the nearest future. The plan is for them to compete in Mannheim, Hamburg and Wiesbaden to begin with and then the future will depend on how long Juvina will stay in Gugler's stable.

"I had a good feeling with her from the first moment. She has a lot of scope and she is really careful. She is a big horse, but as she is so competitive she can be very fast. Juvina is a joy to ride," David Will says to World of Showjumping.

Teun van Riel Horse Supplements is doing a survey researching how riders search online for information about bits. Please take the time to answer the questions.

These are the links to the survey:

Dutch version

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Janika Sprunger will be in Hagen. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The coming weekend it is time for the CSI4* show Horses & Dreams in Hagen, Germany. The show will be crowded with top riders! The Germans are well represented with Marcus Ehning, Philipp Weishaupt, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, David Will, Carsten-Otto Nagel, Daniel Deusser, Mario Stevens and Janne-Friederike Meyer present. They will compete against Judy Ann Melchior, John Whitaker, Simon Delestre, Luciana Diniz, Janika Sprunger, Roger Yves Bost, Peter Charles, Pius Schwizer and Henrik von Eckermann to mention some.

Ben and Robin Hood W before his injury. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. According to Horse&Hound Ben Maher’s top ride Robin Hood W (Animo x Libero H) is finally back in full training. The 15 year old gelding got a tiny ligament injury at the beginning of 2011 and has not been competing since Gothenburg two years ago. Ben explains to Horse & Hound that many other horses would be able to compete with the same injury, but Robin Hood is obviously a sensible horse. “He’s one who lets you know if he’s feeling any pain,” Ben explains. There will still be some time before we can expect to find Robin Hood back in the ring though. Ben says that the plan is to start jumping him next month and then slowly increase the jumping during the summer.

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has today unveiled the eight ambassadors of its global sport development programme, FEI Solidarity, in a specially commissioned composite portrait.

The FEI Solidarity Ambassadors who include Olympic, Paralympic, world champions and national heroes, have formed a unique partnership to promote and develop the global equestrian disciplines governed by the FEI.

Daniel Deusser will continue to ride Cornet d'Amour. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Double H Farm has bought half of Cornet d'Amour (Cornet Obolensky x Damiani). According to studforlife.com the wonderful 10 year old gelding will be in joint ownership, as Stephex Stables keeps the other half. Cornet d'Amour remains with his current rider Daniel Deusser, who has been riding the horse since the summer of 2012. The pair has had great success together; they were on the winning Nations Cup team at Spruce Meadows last year, won the Grand Prix in Vienna in November 2012, and the World Cup qualifier in Wellington in March this year.

Incredibly sad; it seems like the amazing Valentina van't Heike's career comes to and end. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The fantastic Valentina van't Heike (Nabab de Reve x Lys de Davaney) has sustained a serious injury. According to studforlife.com the chestnut mare has broken a leg, and thus gone through surgery. The surgery went well, but resulted in the mare ending up with six screws in her leg. The website reports that the injury unfortunately also means that Valentina's career has come to an end.

Jos Lansink says to studforlife.com that the most important thing right now is that Valentina will get well enough to enjoy a happy retirement, as she has given him so much. The Belgian rider also hopes Valentina will recover to such an extent that they will be able to breed a little from her. Valentina van't Heike already has two offspring; Boomer van't Heike by Grandeur and Epleasure van't Heike by For Pleasure.

Peter Wylde will move to Winley Farm. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.According to chronofhorse.com American rider Peter Wylde will move to Winley Farm in Millbrook, New York. The farm is owned by Judith Goelkel, who owns several top showjumpers. Wylde moved back to the States in December after living in Germany for over a decade, and at that time it was announced that he would join Missy Clark’s team at North Run. Plans have now changed though, as Wylde was presented with the opportunity to move to Winley Farm – which stood basically empty. To chronofhorse.com Peter Wylde says that the move will give him the chance to recreate what he had in Germany, and that this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

The Jumping Round Table was the final session at the two-day FEI Sports Forum, focusing on rules revision, the Event Classification System and CSI invitation rules.

John Madden, Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee, opened the session with a report on the Event Classification System (ECS) project, which is designed to evaluate FEI jumping events with the ultimate goal of using the ECS to grade events.

Reed Kessler. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The coming weekend WoSJ is lucky enough to have one of the hottest names in showjumping guest blogging for us, as Reed Kessler returns as our guest blogger. Reed will write from the amazing five star show Saut Hermès in Paris, where she flies in with her superstars Cylana and Ligist – fresh from her vice champion title with Mika at the American Invitational. Don’t miss out on Reed’s blog entries!

If you want to read our WoSJ Exclusive with Reed from the end of last year, click here.

Sami Al Duhami presented the new trophy to Ingmar De Vos. Photo by FEI/Edouard Curchod.The new trophy that will be presented annually to the winning team at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup jumping final was unveiled by the series sponsors, Saudi Equestrian Fund, at the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne today. The perpetual trophy, which will first be awarded at the 2013 series final in Barcelona at the end of September, was formally presented to FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos and Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee John Madden by Saudi Equestrian Team Director Sami Al Duhami at the start of today’s Jumping Round Table session at the Sports Forum. 

Read the full story at fei.org.

Sergio Alvarez Moya's Gentleman St has been sold to José Maria Larocca.Sergio Alvarez Moya has sold his very talented 7 year old Gentleman St to José Maria Larocca. Gentleman St is a son of Sergio’s top horse Action-Breaker (check out www.actionbreaker.com), and out of a Carthago Z-mare. Sergio has had Gentleman St since he was a foal, and has huge belief in the horse. "He is one of the best horses I have ever had," Sergio says to WoSJ. To have a look at Larocca’s fantastic new ride, click on Read more to view a video of Gentleman St. 

The World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses has announced its partnership with the Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre. At a ceremony taking place at the Berleburg Castle in the middle of March, the president of WBFSH – Jan Pedersen – and the director of Jaeger-LeCoultre – Jerome Lambert – signed a two year sponsor agreement for the benefit of WBFSH members.

For the next two years Jaeger-LeCoultre will support the WBFSH activities, and at the end of the year a prize-giving ceremony will be held and the most successful breeders of jumping, dressage and eventing horses will receive the WBFSH Breeding Prize – a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch, exclusively engraved with the WBFSH logo.

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, aboard Bella Donna, jumps her way to a win in the AIG Thermal Million, which will be the 2014 kick-off event to the Triple Crown Challenge of showjumping. Photo by Flying Horse Photography. With two $1 million grand prix scheduled for 2013, HITS, Inc. upped the ante for 2014 by announcing the addition of a third ground-breaking class. The Ocala $1 Million Grand Prix, to be held next March and will join the Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, New York and the AIG Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix in Thermal, California next year to form the Triple Crown Challenge of showjumping.

Wyeth, Jim and Penny Coulter with George H. Morris, Saer Coulter and Ronnie Beard at the Maxine Beard Award Presentation. Photo by V.Valenti - The Book LLC. The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is pleased to announce that 21-year-old Saer Coulter of San Francisco, CA, has been selected as the 2013 recipient of the Maxine Beard Show Jumping Rider Award. Coulter was presented with the Maxine Beard Award trophy at the American Invitational on April 6, 2013, at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.

Holiday By Solitur and Janne in Aachen in 2011. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Holiday by Solitur will in the future be seen under Carsten-Otto Nagel. The wonderful 12 year old gelding by Contendro x Cascavelle has performed very well under Meyer for the last five years; the pair won the Best of Champions in Aachen in 2011 and also the German Championship for ladies the same year in addition to notching up numerous Grand Prix placings.

On her website Janne states; "I have carefully built Holiday up and celebrated a lot of success with him. We had a very nice time together. As I had other thoughts about the planning of Holiday’s future tournaments, further cooperation was no longer possible. I am glad that I could recommend him for my team mate Carsten-Otto Nagel who is also in my neighbourhood, and wish them both the best of luck for the future."

Source: janne-meyer.de

Jur Vrieling gave away his Olympic silver medal yesterday. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.During yesterday’s VDL stallion show in Bears, Holland, Jur Vrieling gave away his Olympic silver medal to the van de Lageweg-family. The family runs the VDL Stud, and Wiepke van de Lageweg is both the breeder and owner of Vrieling’s Olympic partner VDL Bubalu – and Jur’s gesture was thus an emotional moment for all involved. The sympathetic Dutch rider seized the opportunity to express his gratefulness with beautiful words as well as handing over the Olympic medal. “It’s very nice that Jur gave us the medal, it means a lot to us,” Wiepke van de Lageweg said to horses.nl afterwards.

Libertina and Jessica Kürten. Photo by Jenny Abrahamson.According to studforlife.com Jessica Kürten’s former super star Libertina (Libero H x Polydor) will join the Haras de Brullemail for breeding purposes. In May 2011 it was known that the now 17 year old mare would be retired from the sport after fantastic achievements under Kürten; during their time together the pair won nine 5* Grand Prix classes. The pair was also victorious in the 2007 Rolex Top Ten Final in Geneva, and in the 2006 World Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur they finished second.   

Libertina will not be the only famous mare breeding at Brullemail; this is also were Patrice Delaveau’s former top horse Katchina Mail (Calvaro x Laudanum) is spending her time – producing future Mail-superstars.

The American Invitational will be available for viewing via live webcast tonight. The event takes place at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is often called the 'Super Bowl of Showjumping’. The webcast begins at 7 p.m. with pre-event entertainment and the first horse is on course at 8 p.m. The live webcast can be found at www.shownet.biz  and at www.shownetvision.com.

Click here for the start list.

The VDL stallion show that takes place tomorrow at 14:00 can be viewed live on clipmyhorse.de. Top stallions will be presented; Indoctro, Corland, Cardento, Indorado, Douglas, Emilion, Harley, Modesto and Quasimodo van de Molendreef will all be shown by hand. VDL Bubalu and Zirocco Blue will also make an appearance with Jur Vrieling in the saddle as will Zapatero and Arezzo with Jessica Kürten.

Westi and Clarissa in Zürich earlier this year. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.Clarissa Crotta’s top ride West Side V Meerputhoeve is out with injury. The 14 year old Baloubet du Rouet-gelding ended third in the Grand Prix in Doha last weekend, but immediately after the jump-off he showed clear signs of lameness. It’s now clear that Westi has sustained a injury in his right front leg, and that he will be out of action for the next four months. "After the flight and journey back Westi is now finally at home in his stable, and medically well-cared for. Westi will get a competition break until he is completely recovered, and then we hope to get him back in the same shape as he has been in lately – with fantastic performances in Braunschweig and Doha," Clarissa says.

Chips, here seen with Steve Guerdat in Mechelen in December. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson. Steve Guerdat's ride Chips (Come On x Cento) has been sold to Norwegian rider Marie Longem. The 10 year old Holsteiner gelding came to Steve about a year ago, and the two have had some good rounds together - in December 2012 the pair was second in the Land Rover Masters in Mechelen, and third in the Prijs KBC Bank at the same show. Marie, who is based with Gregory Wathelet in Belgium, tried the horse while competing on the Sunshine Tour and it is now confirmed that she will be Chips' new rider.

Related article: New horse for Steve Guerdat

Sterrehof's Tamino. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.The first WBSFH rankings for 2013 are out, and the jumping horse ranking sees two Olympic silver medalists on top. Sterrehof's Tamino (Numero Uno x Farmer) and London (Nabab de Reve x Chin Chin) - ridden by Marc Houtzager and Gerco Schröder - have both climbed up to the top, and share the number one spot. Ranked as number three is Clarissa Crotta's West Side v Meerputhoeve (Baloubet du Rouet x Apollonisos), while Castle Forbes Myrtille Palouis (Dollar du Murier x Grand Veneur) is rank four with Lacrimoso 3 HDC (Landjunge x Cascavelle) ranked as number five.

Reed Kessler is one of the riders on the list for the American Invitational.This year's edition of the $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farms, is less than a few days away – and the riders list is ready. America’s best riders are all in the line-up; McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Reed Kessler, Laura Kraut, Lauren Hough, Leslie Howard, and Margie Engle will be competing at the "Super Bowl of Showjumping" that takes place on Saturday night at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Click here to view the riders list.