During the recent championship finals at the JBK-show in Odense, it became obvious to everyone that the Spanish rider, Severo Jurado Lopez, is a rider in a league of his own.

Severo is not a person attracting a lot of attention when he is competing at shows in Denmark with horses from Helgstrand Dressage. The calm Spaniard is minding his own business, however, as soon as he starts riding, you cannot help noticing him. He sits perfectly and influences the horse in the correct manner; and the horses look comfortable and at ease under him.

As announced on our homepage on October 3, it was quite a loss for Helgstrand Dressage that Severo had chosen to quit his position and go back to Van Olst Horses in Holland.

However, Severo has now reconsidered his decision to move back to Holland. He enjoys being part of the team at Helgstrand Dressage, and loves working with the talented horses. He has, therefore, decided to say no to the job in Holland and stay with Helgstrand Dressage.

- I am, of course, very happy that Severo has decided to stay with us. We are very pleased with Severo as a rider and a trainer of our horses, moreover, we appreciate his personal qualifications, and the energy and positivity he brings to the team, says Andreas Helgstrand.

Helgstrand Dressage put a significant mark on this year's championship finals. Especially, in the class for 4-year-olds, as 10 out of 16 horses represented Helgstrand Dressage. Severo and Fiontina won a clear victory with 9.50 points with e.g. remarkable 9.8 for trot and 9.5 for walk and canter. Rikke and Romanova placed 2nd with 8.88 points with e.g. 9.7 for trot and 9.6 for rideability. Ditte and Zermillo came third with 8.86 points, e.g. impressive 9.5 for rideability. Emma and Tørveslettens Fifty-Fifty finished 4th with 8.74 points.

In the class for 5-year-olds, our riders also made a very good impression, placing 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Once again, Severo finished in the top, this time he was 2nd with Hot Shot W with 8.84 points, and in addition he placed 4th with Zgander with a score of 8.52 points. Marianne and Super Mario Finished 3rd with 8.60 points.

In the class for 6-year-olds, Daniel and Prima Donna finished third, scoring 8.70 points

Yet another day with terrific results. Severo and Zgander delivered an almost flawless performance, and the judges awarded them 9.66 points, and consequently, they earned the victory in the class. Marianne and Super Mario obtained 9.0 points for everything. Severo and Hot Shot W placed 6th with 8.28 points. All our three 5-year-old horses are, therefore, on to the finals on Friday.

In the class for 6-year-olds, Daniel and Prima Donna placed 6th with 8.54 points, and they are, therefore, also on to the finals on Friday. Emma and Delicious received 7.22 points, and they will start the 2nd qualifier tomorrow.

Our 4-year-old stallion Danciano, whom we own together with Schockemöhle, has been sold to France. Danciano won his performance test last year, and this year as a 4-year-old, he has also obtained very good results, e.g. at the Hanoverian Championship in Verden for 4-year-olds, where he won the class with 9.10 points. 

Danciano will still be available for breeding through Schockemöhle.

Today, our eleven 4-year-old horses started the qualifier for the finals at this year's dressage championship. We have 8 out of 12 equipages, who have qualified directly to the finals on Friday. Severo and Fiontina won the class with an impressive score of 9.52 points. The placings were as follows:

1. Fiontina and Severo 9.52 points

3. Franklin and Andreas 9.40 points

4. Romanova and Rikke 9.28 points

5. Tørveslettens Fifty-Fifty and Emma 9.24 points

6. Fleetwood and Andreas 9.14 points

7. Vincent Maranello and Thomas 9.08 points

8. Forlan and Daniel 8.80 points

10. Straight Horse Zackonik and Emma 8.62 points

We are extremely proud of the great results. So far, it looks like more than 50% of the horses and riders in the finals for 4-year-olds on Friday will be from Helgstrand Dressage. Quite an exceptional achievement.

Today, one of our young stallions was selected at the preselection for the German Oldenburger Verband. It is catalogue number 86; he is sired by Foundation, has Fürst Heinrich as dam sire and Verdenas/T in 3rd generation. He did really well at the presentation, showing superior quality in type as well as gaits.

We look forward to seeing him again at the licensing, which takes place on 19 november in Vechta.

Tomorrow is the first day of this year's JBK show, and we have 16 horses in the championship finals. At 9 o'clock tomorrow morning, our eleven 4-year-old horses will have vet check. At 3 p.m., the 4-year-olds will start the competition, and all 5- and 6-year-old horses will have vet check tomorrow evening, so that they are ready for the show Wednesday afternoon. 

We are very excited about the competitions tomorrow; and the majority of our 4-year-old horses have been inside the arena tonight to familiarize themselves with the new surroundings. 

Unfortunately, Evander, who won the second round for 5-year-olds in Middelfart with 9.16 points, will not compete in Odense. He has been sold to the USA in the intervening period. It would have been great to participate with him at the JBK show, however, we are obviously also pleased that we have sold yet another talented horse.

We are looking forward to an exciting week in Odense, with lots of great young horses and good sport.

Last week we had the pleasure of announcing that Mads and Maik are back on our team at Helgstrand Dressage. Yet another rider will soon join our team of riders. Our new rider is Betina Jæger, who, just like many of our other riders, has several years of experience in training horses all the way to Grand Prix. We look forward to welcoming Betina on the team. 

During the next couple of months we will unfortunately have to say goodbye to Daniel and Severo. Daniel will start a new job at Blue Hors, whereas Severo is going back to Van Olst Horses in Holland; this will among other things enable him to spend more time with his girlfriend Annika. We are of course sad that Daniel and Severo will no longer be part of our team, as we have been very pleased with our co-operation with both of them. We wish Daniel and Severo all the best for the future.

"When one door closes another opens", this quote applies to the present situation at Helgstrand.

We are proud to welcome Mads Rom and Maik Kohlschmidt back on our team. Mads and Maik have previously been part of our team, and after a couple of years in other jobs, they have chosen to come back to work for us. Mads has already started his job as stable manager, and he is e.g. responsible for our grooms and ”handymen” as well as the daily operation of the stable.

Maik will be part of our team of riders, and he will be training our young as well as older horses. In addition to Mads and Maik, we have also signed a contract with a female rider, who wil also become part of our team of riders. However, we cannot publish her name until next week. Maik and our new rider have several years' experience with training horses to Grand Prix level.

Everyone is looking forward to working together with the new members of our team.

Goldfinger V.D.T. has now started Danish Warmblood's 35-day performance test. Goldfinger did well on the first day and made a good performance under rider. We hope for a good result, when the test ends.

Galaxy Win T has also started his performance test, however, his test is taking place a little further south, as he is completing the 50-day performance test in Holland in KWPN.

Goldfinger V.D.T.