BY SALLY REID
PHOTOGRAPHY: TAKE THE MOMENT PHOTOGRAPHY, AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS OF DR DEBRA BROMILEY; WENDI WILLIAMSON

The Burkner Medal is awarded to the winner of the CDI-3* at New Zealand’s National Dressage Championships. It was first contested in 1956 and has just been won for the fourth time by the NZ Hanoverian gelding Don Vito MH (Don Frederico - Adelheid x Anamour).

He was bred by Judith Matthews at Matthews Hanoverians; it’s a stud which has turned out many a winner over many decades, and the super-handsome Don Vito is one of the very best. He is now 13 and seemingly invincible in New Zealand’s GP dressage arenas. Don Vito MH belongs to and is ridden by Wendi Williamson.
The Championships were held at the National Equestrian Centre in Taupo. The judging panel included FEI-5* judges Henning Lehrmann from Germany and Australia’s Maria Schwennesen, as well as Jane Ventura (FEI 4*), who is also from Australia.
A star from the outset
Don Vito MH began his public life as the gold-medal winning star of the NZ Hanoverian Society’s 2013 classification tour. The Verband representative and classifier that year was Dr Ludwig Christmann, who commented after the tour: “I saw a really pleasing collection of foals with very interesting pedigrees and good qualities, and there was a nice group of really outstanding foals. The top colt – very clearly – was one by Don Frederico out of the Anamour/Weltmeyer daughter Adelheid, bred by Matthews Hanoverians.
“I saw this colt on my first day of the inspection and I thought ‘Wow! That is a good start!’ Don Frederico has the reputation that he produces top quality dressage horses, but they do not always show off already at foal age. But this one is different. A colt with a lot of presence, typey but also with substance, a really good top line and excellent at the trot as well as at the walk.”
Wendi Williamson, who already owned his very successful full brother, Don Amour MH, bought Don Vito MH as a foal and has guided him through every part of his education. Incidentally, Don Amour MH was Zealand’s Dressage Horse of the Year in 2019, and finished second at the Sydney CDI that year...

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