Helgstrand Dressage has been involved in several hundred successful deals with high-quality horses and remains part of several long-term and professional partnerships with satisfied co-owners.

It is both regrettable and untenable when mistakes have been made in specific cases, or when misunderstandings or disagreements have occurred concerning the contractual basis, prices, costs and guarantee to buyers in connection with resale.

We have therefore decided to tighten several processes and our business practices to professionalize operations and ensure that Helgstrand Dressage lives up to its position as market leader. We will set new standards for transparency in Helgstrand Dressage and hope that the industry will follow our example and introduce the same new and improved standards.

Background

Based on both unsubstantiated and specific allegations and accusations made as part of the critical and one-sided press coverage in Danish regional media outlet NORDJYSKE in May-June 2022, the Board of Directors of Global Equestrian Group Holding on 31 May engaged one of Denmark's largest law firms to conduct a thorough legal investigation of the company's business practices.

The investigation has taken been carried out over the course of 3 weeks and is based on extensive material, which includes:

• Audit reports of the financial years 2018/2019 – 2020/2021
• Detailed inventory lists of fully and co-owned horses stabled with Helgstrand Dressage
• All co-ownership agreements
• Invoices from co-owners to Helgstrand Dressage
• Contracts for the sale of horses from Helgstrand Dressage
• Information concerning payment of commission
• Information concerning guarantees offered to buyers

The investigation concludes that incomplete documentation and lack of written information on co-ownership of and trading with horses in several cases pose a risk of conflicts of interest and disagreement between partners and Helgstrand Dressage.


Actions

Based on the legal investigation and a closer examination of several individual cases – which are treated confidentially a matter of principle – Helgstrand Dressage's day-to-day management immediately initiates a tightening of the company's procedures.

The measures include, among other things:

• Preparation of a detailed and transparent co-ownership agreement by an external lawyer with deep insight into the industry
• Presentation of the new and improved co-ownership agreement to all current partners
• Full transparency for co-owners regarding all costs and calculation of guarantee amount before settlement of horse sales
• Introduction of improved written purchase agreements that fully regulate and describe the terms of all purchases of horses
• Reviewing and updating sales contracts as needed and emphasizing the requirement of documenting agreements in writing and ensuring that all contracts are signed before executing deals
• Strengthening the ongoing efforts to clarify the overview of costs per horse through the roll-out of a new ERP system that was implemented in January 2022 and is being commissioned
• Implementing an internal procedure ensuring that Global Equestrian Group Holding’s Board of Directors is informed upon receipt of any allegations of dishonest business practices in Helgstrand Dressage
  
  

Timeline and other conditions

The measures are expected to be implemented as soon as possible and communicated directly to all partners and employees of Helgstrand Dressage, and they will be reviewed by day-to-day management in personal conversations with all employees directly involved in the trade of horses.

The above initiatives complement the ongoing efforts to professionalize operations in Helgstrand Dressage, which also includes the employment of a HR Manager in 2022 and a sharpened focus on continuously improving working conditions.

Andreas Helgstrand
CEO

Pictured: Alexander Helgstrand and Belantis at the 2022 Future Champions.

Future Champions in Hagen, Germany is a recurring event that attracts young talented riders from all over the world. Again this year Alexander Helgstrand participated and this time he brought his new partner, Belantis by Benetton Dream/Expo'se - former ridden by Isabell Werth, but we also had the pleasure of watching several former Helgstrand horses again, all of whom performed phenomenally with their new riders.

New partnerships develop over time, and Alexander and Belantis' recent performances truly show that they are on the right path. In the first two youngrider classes, they placed second scoring 72.696% and 73.137% respectively, while in the freestyle took the lead with a whopping 79.65%. Two out of the three judges even rated their freestyle at 80+%.

Pictured: Martha Raupach and Jack Sparrow at the 2022 Future Champions.

Successful horses at Future Champions

Every year, horses are leaving Helgstrand to match with new upcoming talents - and we love to follow them on their journey as their new partnerships grow. Once again, we had the pleasure of watching strong performances, which makes us very proud.

German Martha Raupach brought both Jack Sparrow by Expression/Vivaldi and Francis Drake OLD by Franklin/Don Schufro. On both horses she had some good rides and especially Jack Sparrow managed to put himself in the top league winning all his classes with results above 80%.



Pictured: Martha Raupach and Francis Drake OLD at the 2022 Future Champions.

On the impressive Franklin son, Francis Drake, she managed to place at the top of the junior classes. Francis Drake was former ridden by our German rider, Leonie Richter - among many unmentioned highlights, they placed 8th at the prestigious World Championship for 5-year-olds in Verden last year.



Pictured: Annabella Pidgley and Espe at the 2022 Future Champions.

We also had the pleasure of watching the British junior rider, Annabella Pidgley, who reaped great success with both her horses from Helgstrand. Despite her young age, she already has an impressive CV and this week she was able to add further top results. On the 8-year-old Espe by Escolar/Dimaggio she rode a total of three wins out of three, each time with a score of above 75%. In addition, she brought the 8-year-old Sultan des Paluds FRH by Soliman de Hus/De Niro, which she also rode to top placings throughout the show. Annabella is currently trained by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, who is part of the Helgstrand team.



Pictured: Annabella Pidgley and Sultan des Paluds FRH at the 2022 Future Champions.

We also had the opportunity to watch Danish Thilde Rude Hare performing on Fred the Red by Franziskus/Florestan. They ended up as runner-up in the Junior Freestyle Small Final.



Pictured: Hubertus Stallmeister and Adriano B. at the 2022 Future Champions.

Not only the horses did well, we also had the pleasure of seeing Adrino B by De Angelo/Flying Dream, ridden by his new rider, the only 13-year-old Hubertus Stallmeister. Adriano B., who Alexander Helgstrand rode to several medals in his pony years, achieved top placings every day with Hubertus in the saddle.

Congratulations to you all!

Pictures by ll-foto.de

Pictured: Andreas Helgstrand and Jovian from the lap of honour after winning the CDI3* Grand Prix at the 2022 Aachen Dressage Days in Hagen, Germany.

Recently, Andreas debuted our double World Champion for young dressage horses, Jovian by Apache/Tango in the Grand Prix, and now Andreas can add additional two Grand Prix victories at the Aachen Dressage Days in Hagen, Germany.

The impressive Apache son attracts everyone's attention the moment he steps into the arena. By nature, he is equipped with three sublime gaits where he shows tremendous power, suppleness, self-carriage, and balance. Not to mention his amazing temperament and rideability.

Yesterday in the Grand Prix, they were awarded a massive 76.348% for the win, followed by another victory in the Special earning 76.319%. Because of the amazing performances in Hagen, they received an invitation to the prestigious CHIO Aachen, which takes place from June 24th to July 3rd. In the Grand Prix, Andreas also took home a second-place on Danish Warmblood gold medal mare Queenpark's Wendy (Sezuan/Soprano), finishing just after Jovian with 74,370%.

Fingers crossed for another successful show in Aachen and a ticket to the upcoming World Championships in Herning on 6-14 August.

Springbank II VH and Yara Reichert win Intermediare I

In Hagen, we also had the pleasure of watching the former Helgstrand horse Springbank II VH by Skoven's Rafael/De Niro, who has had a great start under his new rider, German Yara Reichert. Together, they earned lots of success at the 2022 Aachen Dressage Days winning the Intermediare I with 72.7%.




Pictured: Andreas Helgstrand and Queenpark's Wendy, who placed second after Jovian at the 2022 Aachen Dressage Days in Hagen.

Pictured: Camilla and Zun Dance from the Danish National Championships this weekend.

The Danish Equestrian Federation has announced the list of selected combinations to participate at the Nordic Championships as well as long-listed the candidates for the European Championships and World Championships. From Helgstrand we are proud to announce, that two of our riders have been selected for these big events.

Our Master Student rider, Camilla Lærke Stubberup and her horse Zun Dance have been selected to represent Denmark at the Nordic Championship for U25, which takes place in Flyinge, Sweden on 26-30 June as well as for the long list of the European Championships in Hungary on 24-28 August.

- I’m so happy, everything has gone so fast this past year and I just feel so grateful to have a horse like Zunny. I am so lucky to get so much support from the people around me and especially from Maria (red. manager at Helgstrand Academy). It's because of her that we have achieved so much. I'm really looking forward to representing Denmark and gaining even more experience. Being selected for this with Zunny is something special because I have trained him myself. Next week, I have my final exam and of course, he will be with me. After that I’m looking very much forward to the competitions this summer, says Camilla.

Andreas and Jovian in the running for a team selection for the World Championships

Pictured: Andreas on Jovian from the 2021 World Championships in Verden.

- I’m really happy to be on the long list with Jovian. It’s of course very special as he is only 8 years old. But everything just seems so easy to him, and he has so much potential. For the time coming, I will compete in Hagen and later in Aachen – and then I just hope for a spot on the team. And of course, I will be proud to represent Denmark once again, says Andreas.

The 2022 World Championships take place in Herning from 6-14 August.

Pictured: Patrik Kittel and Andreas Helgstrand.

Swedish Patrik Kittel is one of the world's most successful dressage riders and has certainly made his mark on the international dressage scene. In his career, he has trained more than 60 horses for Grand Prix, won more than most, and is now ready to take the next step in his career as a part of Global Equestrian Group.

- For many years we have been working together with Patrik and we wanted to include him in the team. Germany is one of our biggest markets and together with Patrik we can now exclusively offer some of our sales horses from Patrik's facilities at Eulenhof in Dülmen, Westphalia. In addition, Patrik will continue to be active in the sport which give us the unique opportunity to offer our clients help at shows to achieve even greater success. And he is just one of the best riders in the world, which is great branding for us, states Andreas Helgstrand.

- It has been an exciting journey and I've enjoyed the freedom of being self-employed. But I miss being part of something bigger, and I'm more than ready to start a new chapter as part of Global Equestrian Group with all the benefits that come with it. I am sure that I can contribute new ideas and offer an exclusive service from my home in Dülmen, where I will continue to stay with my family. And I'm delighted that I can carry on my riding career and compete actively both my own and Helgstrand's horses, says Patrik Kittel.

Patrik Kittel has competed at the European Championships, World Championships, World Cup Finals, Olympic Games as many as three times in addition to achieving numerous victories and placings at national as well as international competitions on horses such as Touchdown, Well Done de La Roche, Scandic, Delaunay, not to mention the three-time World Champion, Fiontini, whom Patrik rode to a victory in his Grand Prix debut after a short period of partnership.

- Patrik is one of the most successful riders and we look forward to strengthening the group with his skills and experience. He brings good business know-how and can add knowledge and ideas that can give another boost to Global Equestrian Group's activities - and he just has a great personality, Andreas adds.

Patrik has bought into Global Equestrian Group, which is jointly owned by Ludger Beerbaum, Waterland Private Equity, the owners of Wellington International (former Palm Beach International Equestrian Center), and Andreas Helgstrand.

In the video below, Patrik Kittel tells more about the new collaboration:

Pictured: Dynamic Heart by Dynamic Dream/Zack - sold for 90,000 euros.

On Saturday evening during the Danish National Dressage Championships, 17 hand-picked foals were up for auction at Helgstrand-Schockemöhle's live foal auction. The foals derived from performance pedigrees only sired by stallions from the two stations. A total of 16 Danish bred foals and one from Germany went under the hammer. The average prices were good, with several foals also changing owners abroad. The first foal, Dynamic Heart by Dynamic Dream/Zack - out of a very exciting and successful dam line – became the price highlight of the auction, sold for impressive 90,000 euros, bred by Lena and Rasmus Dalsgaard from Vinderup, Denmark. While the second most expensive was Brix So Special by So Perfect/Fürstenball, bred by Stutteri Brix, Nibe and sold for 65,000 euro. The half-brother of Brix So Special, Brix Falcon was himself sold for impressive 80,000 euros at his auction. The third most expensive was HP Vivienne, the beautiful filly by Vitalis/Bonds, daughter of Be My Beauty Queen, Champion Foal in Lienen, Germany and acquired for 160,000 euro at auction. She was sold for 34,000 euros.

A total of 14 out of 17 foals were sold at tonight’s auction with an average price of 30,000 euros.

More info about the foals here

Pictured: Brix So Special by So Perfect/Fürstenball - sold for 65,000 euros.



Pictured: HP Vivienne by Vitalis/Bonds - sold for 34,000 euros.

Pictured: Marshall-Bell and Daniel Bachmann Andersen from competing at the 2022 Horses & Dreams, Germany.

The 10-year-old Marshall-Bell (Don Romantic/Michellino) has been trained by Danish Grand Prix rider Daniel Bachmann Andersen for a long time, and together they have earned great international success, most recently with placings at the prestigious Horses & Dreams in Germany, including a 3rd place in the freestyle with over 80%. The owners of CVL Horses, Vivi Vang-Lauridsen and Christian Vang-Lauridsen from Denmark, who own Marshall-Bell, offered Helgstrand co-ownership of the horse, who will now join the stable of the talented U25 rider, Austrian Nicola Ahorner.

- Daniel is a competent rider who has trained many horses for the Grand Prix. Both Christian and Daniel have done a phenomenal job and we are sure that Marshall-Bell with his experience can help Nicola further in her career and not least give her a good start at international level. It is our mission to help new talents on their way with good horses, and it is just fantastic when it all comes together, states Andreas Helgstrand.

Nicola Ahorner is a successful U25 rider who had a magnificent career at pony level. And it’s not her first time visiting Helgstrand as she bought several horses here, including Foco Loco W, on which Helgstrand's rider, Anne-Mette Strandby Hansen won the European Championship and Danish Championship for U25, Ludwig der Sonnenkönig, who former Helgstrand rider, Victoria Vallentin, achieved great success with, and not least Belstaff, who Helgstrand's rider, Betina Jæger competed at the World Championships in Tryon.

A horse with a great personality and enormous potential

Vivi and Christian Vang-Lauridsen, the owners of CVL Horses at Græsted, Denmark bought Marshall-Bell when he was quite young. They trained the horse themselves before entering a partnership with Daniel with the purpose of selling. Together Daniel and Marshall-Bell have competed at the Danish and European Championships and were also a promising combination for the upcoming World Championships in Herning, Denmark, in addition to several national and international wins.

- He is just one of a kind! You might say about all your horses, but there are just some horses that make a special impression on you. And Marshall-Bell just has so much personality. He's a horse that will go far for his rider - and that's taken us a long way. I'm very grateful to Vivi and Christian for letting me share so many amazing moments and experiences with him. I think he is the perfect match for Nicola because he is so strong in the exercises and at the same time has so much potential to help her on her way in the sport, states Daniel Bachmann Andersen.

- It has been a fantastic collaboration with Daniel, who has managed to present Marshall-Bell in the best possible way and secured him experience at international level. And with the help of Helgstrand and their network, we have found a good match with Nicola. We are looking forward to following them on their path to success, states Christian Vang-Lauridsen.

Picture: Faretti II by Franklin/Don Frederico, breeder: HH Horses - sold for 102,000 euro at the 2018 Nordic International Sales during Equitour. Faretti II is the full sister of Faretti DWB, which was sold for 150.000 euros the year before.

The last online auction hosted by Helgstrand-Schockemöhle takes place on September 13th and the collection will be online already on September 7th. We are looking very much forward yet again to presenting a top-quality collection with hand-picked offspring sired by the much-coveted stallions from Helgstrand Dressage and Deckstation Paul Schockemöhle from foal inspections held in Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands. 

This is a unique chance to secure a future top sports horse, breeding stallion or a broodmare.

This collection will be online on September 7th here

Video: Andreas Helgstrand and the two-time world champion, Jovian from his international Grand Prix Special debut at Aalborg Dressage Event this past weekend. 

Recently, Andreas debuted both the two-time world champion, Jovian by Apache/Tango, and the gold medal mare, Queenpark's Wendy (Sezuan/Soprano) in the Grand Prix at the national show at Vilhelmsborg with two victories. This weekend, he took home another two wins at the international show at Aalborg Dressage Event. Both horses delivered top performances, but Jovian is just in a class of his own. It was hard to put a finger on anything because every exercise was performed to the utmost precision with enormous power and suppleness. With a very convincing Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special, he managed to put himself at the top of the leaderboard and won supremely with 77,13% in the Grand Prix and 77,915% in the Grand Prix Special.



Video: Andreas Helgstrand and the two-time world champion, Jovian from his international Grand Prix debut at Aalborg Dressage Event this past weekend. 

Pictured: Eva Möller and Danciero from winning a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses. 

Recently we announced that the 6-year-old Danciero by Dancier/Floriscount will focus more on the sport. And now we can add that the internationally successful dressage rider and daily manager of Future Dressage, Anna Kasprzak, will take over the reins from Eva Möller, who has been very successful with this young stallion.

Danciero has developed quite exceptionally under our German rider, Eva Möller. Most recently in 2021, they took home two silver medals, one at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses followed by the Bundeschampionate. Moreover, they won the Hanoverian Championship no less than three times in a row. Danciero was appointed Westphalian Champion Stallion, and despite being only 6 years old, we have already seen an impressive number of offspring from him. Strong of type, expressive, and with three good paces.

- I visited Helgstrand after their open house to look for a new horse. Andreas thought Danciero would be a perfect match. And he was right! He is close to being the perfect horse, in my opinion, because besides his impressive paces he has a wonderful mind with an excellent rideability, and a beautiful appearance as well. He has the perfect combination of power and sense - two success criteria to go far in the sport, states Anna Kasprzak, who is grateful for Eva's competent training of Danciero.

Anna Kasprzak has been at the top of Danish and international dressage for many years and has had great success at all levels with horses like Donnperignon, Hønnerup’s Driver and Rock Star.

- Danciero is an amazing stallion with impressive qualities, and he suits Anna so well. She can give him every possible opportunity to go far in the sport, and we are really looking forward to following and not least helping them on their way, says Andreas Helgstrand, who has been Anna Kasprzak's trainer for many years.

Danciero is very popular in terms of breeding, and fortunately it is also Future Dressage's wish that he continues to be available to breeders.

- My focus will of course be his further education, but we want him to continue being available in breeding and pass on his fantastic qualities, adds Anna, who hopes to qualify him for the Young Horse World Championships in September as their first goal to achieve.

In terms of breeding, Danciero will be available on frozen semen after May 15th. Future Dressage also adds that a few months each year he will be available with fresh semen as well.

Semen orders can still be made by contacting Lene Birkemose at +45 22 57 44 11 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. And please don’t hesitate to contact Lene if you have any questions.