By Sally Reid
Photography: Take The Moment; Private collections
As winter approaches in the southern hemisphere, the NZ competition season is all but over. Among the last of the breeding titles to be contested were the Young Horse Dressage Championships, which were held at the Taupo National Equestrian Centre (NEC).
All three winners and the three reserve champions have super pedigrees – and one very special broodmare was represented not just once but twice.
SWE Furstin Light: first among 4yos
Once upon a time, “tripping the light fantastic” meant dancing lightly, nimbly, and with an element of joy. The well-named NZ Hanoverian mare Furstin Light (Fürsten-Look - SWE Rascalina x Rascalino) showed all these qualities and more in both her four-year-old rounds. She was rewarded with high scores from FEI Level 4 (5*) judges Henning Lehrmann (Germany) and Linda Warren Davey (NZL): 80.40 in the warm-up, and 79.80 in the final. The lovely chestnut was bred by Janelle Sangster-Ward and her mother Helen Sangster at SWEquestrian in the Marlborough region of the South Island. She is owned by Judith Jane of Auckland and was ridden by Zoie Gray.
SWE Furstin Light also won the ESNZ’s Glenvar Trophy for Janelle and Helen. This important award is given to the breeder(s) of the top-placed young New Zealand-bred at the champs. It was donated by the late horseman, judge and breeder Kevin Cholmondeley-Smith to ‘recognize the contribution of sport horse breeding to the Olympic discipline of dressage’. Janelle and Helen have won many awards in the past, but this is their first Glenvar Trophy. The pair also bred Furstin Light’s dam, SWE Rascalina (Rascalino x Gymnastik Star x Weltmeyer). “Rascalina was started under saddle and lightly competed before becoming a broodmare,” says Janelle. “We have a strong focus on breeding for temperament; horses that can be enjoyed by normal riders or professionals, move well and are also pretty.
“Rascalina has such a super, genuine nature along with a super canter, so she was the perfect mare for us to breed with. She has now retired and we have started breeding with her first foal, SWE Furstinberri, who is by Fürstenball.”
Born in 2012, SWE Furstinberri was the winner of four-year-old and six-year-old South Island Young Dressage Horse Championships ridden by Janelle, and then went on to compete at level 3 with Helen. “She was a little too laid back for me,” says Janelle.
“Rascalina had five foals, four of which we have retained, and who are or will be ridden by Helen. SWE Bellagio was 2025 SI Novice open and bronze champion, and the younger siblings of Furstin Light haven’t yet been started under saddle. All of Rascalina’s foals can be hacking at the beach or farm one day then dressage the next.
“We only breed one or, maximum, two foals every second year, so it was very special to have Furstin Light win the four-year-old championship, and also champion NZ-bred young horse of all ages. And, adding to this we bred SWE Dempsey, the sire of the five-year-old champion, so we had a small part in that group’s breeding too.
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