DENMARK (by Jean Llewellyn and Hillevi Brasch) A huge crowd of 60,089 enthusiastic fans visited the 39th edition of the Danish Warmblood Stallion Licensing in the MCH Messecenter Herning from March 7-11, 2018. They witnessed and enjoyed the selection of stallion prospects, the CDI and CSI show classes, the young-horse championships for the best five-year-old dressage and showjumping horses, an auction of stallion prospects and sport horses, dressage clinics, gala shows, tack fair etc. etc.
The stallion licensing, dressage and showjumping competitions took place in the three main arenas, framed by no fewer than five exhibition halls, while the remaining halls housed the stables and warm-up arenas.
During the first afternoon the licensing committee saw the showjumping prospects in free-jumping for the first time, as well as the five-year- old dressage horses and jumpers. Plus, the first CSI and national showjumping classes also took place.
Dressage rider and horse dealer Andreas Helgstrand was certain a busy man as he and his team presented 45 horses, and virtually every second dressage stallion prospect was presented by Helgstrand Dressage. Helgstrand himself has been showing at the stallion licensing since he was a teenager and, today, as a successful businessman he describes the event as highly important for ever y professional to brand themselves and show what their business has to offer: “This is a very unique event and a fantastic set-up. There is nothing like the stallion licensing in Herning. I have been to many horse shows all around the world, and I must say that this is the best and the biggest. All our foreign guests are simply stunned by the magnificent set-up”.
Zhaplin is back
The five-year-old gelding Zhaplin Langholt (Zonik x Stedinger), bred by Bente Graasbøll and Ole Magnus Jensen, qualified for the Blue Hors Young Horse Championship in Herning last November with the highest dressage score of all the contestants. Shortly after the qualification he was shipped to the US to help promote Helgstrand Dressage. However, the horse was shipped back to Europe to participate in Herning. Unfortunately, his regular rider, Australian Simone Pearce, accidentally fractured her arm and hand one week earlier and, consequently, Andreas Helgstrand had to take over the reins. “I have kept the horse in shape for Simone but she is not well enough to ride in Herning”, he explained. It seems that Helgstrand doesn’t mind taking over Zhaplin Langholt for a while, as during the first round of judging the jorse scored 10 for canter, 10 for trot and 8.50 for walk due to some tension.
Thirty-one youngsters approved for testing
During the Danish Warmblood stallion licensing, the judges found the quality to be extremely high and, therefore, 21 dressage and 10 showjumping stallions in the group of untested stallions were approved – with 11 (seven dressage and four showjumpers) awarded Premium stallion status...
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