Pictured: My Vitality and Eric Martinez from winning the Danish Championships last year.

Breeder, stallion owner, and Grand Prix rider Cathrine Rasmussen is a well-known name in the equestrian sport with her ownership of some of the best dressage horses. Cathrine has for a long time been a co-owner of our breeding stallion My Vitality, full brother to Vitalis, but has now bought full ownership of this talented young stallion who has made quite impressive headlines recently.

The chestnut has developed impressively and made a particularly good impression at shows under Helgstrand's Spanish rider, Eric Martinez. The pair qualified with top marks for the Danish Equestrian Federation's Young Horse Championships and took the win with all marks above 9. But he has also made a name for himself in terms of breeding, most recently winning the 35-day test with an overall score of 902.5, after being appointed a premium stallion in Danish Warmblood. His first crop of foals does not disappoint, and he passes on his harmonious paces, excellent type, and fantastic temper to his offspring.

- It was love at first sight the first time I saw My Vitality. And the excitement has only grown over the few years I've co-owned him. Last year I got an offspring by him and I’m so happy with it that I am expecting 3 more this year! I really appreciate my collaboration with Helgstrand and enjoy being part of the journey and following our horses and their success. When you are also a rider, the ultimate dream is to have the opportunity to work with a horse of such quality yourself. So, I’m very grateful that Helgstrand gave me the opportunity to acquire full ownership of My Vitality. I'm really looking forward to bringing him home and getting started on his further training. And I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Eric for the fantastic training of him, says Cathrine Rasmussen.

- We have had a very good cooperation with Cathrine for many years now. She has a flair for selecting good horses and is very passionate about everything she does. A combination that has now ended in full ownership of My Vitality. We are delighted that he will continue his training, as he is clearly a candidate for the top sport, says Andreas Helgstrand.

My Vitality is moving to Kristiansand, Norway this weekend, but he will still be available for breeding (frozen semen) if you would like to secure a promising foal from this magnificent young stallion. Please contact Lene Birkemose on +45 22 57 44 11 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

After revealing new identities and ambitions for Global Equestrian Group brands like Beerbaum Stables and Riesenbeck International earlier this year, it is now time to reveal new plans for Helgstrand Event and Equitour.

Helgstrand Event and Equitour will be extending the use of the showground, increasing focus on hosting national and international competitions in jumping and dressage, but also focusing on events outside the equestrian sport. The new plans for the showground will be visual during the 2022 season, whilst the new website can already be visited for more information.

Helgstrand Event will be the brand of all events at Helgstrand, and Equitour will remain as the equestrian mark for the national and international equestrian shows at the venue.

Andreas Helgstrand, CEO of Helgstrand Dressage is excited about having more shows at the showground. “We want to support equestrian sport in Denmark by focussing on more competitions welcoming both amateur- and professional riders. “With more youth classes in jumping and dressage, Helgstrand Event and Equitour will also support the youth with opportunities to compete.

Equitour

In the summer of 2017, the first edition of ‘Equitour’, also known as the CSI/CDI Uggerhalne took place at the showground right across the road from Helgstrand Dressage. The show has been a great success ever since, attracting world-class riders from both the jumping and dressage sport and making the showground well-known internationally.

Equitour has been the perfect fitting for the Danish Dressage Championships for the past three years and has secured hosting for another three years. Also, the Longines EEF Series have a fixed come back every year where the world’s best show jumping riders travel to the Northern part of Denmark to compete.

Events 2022

In 2022 the event organization plans more exciting events. In May the Longines EEF Series™ Aalborg 2022 Presented by Radisson will take place including CSIO3* Nations Cup, CSIO2*, and European Youth League brining the top tier of the jumping sport to the showground.

In June the National Danish Dressage Championships for seniors, U25 and para grades will take place. Together with international Young Rider, Junior, and pony classes and the Bundgaard Byg/Trolle Cup 2nd Qualifier including the selection for the World Championships for young dressage horses. It promises to be an exciting show for dressage fanatics. Additionally, several national dressage and jumping shows have been added to the calendar.

The shows are a great opportunity to see some world-class riding. Tickets are already available, get yours here

Increased business opportunities

Helgstrand Event and Equitour offers multiple opportunities for hospitality, VIP experiences and exhibitions for selected events across the year. “We are so excited to launch our new platform for an extended use of the facilities around Helgstrand Dressage. The intentions of utilizing the space and inviting professional and amateur riders to Helgstrand has been received very well, and we can already now welcome a broad range of partners and sponsors to the events across the year” states Head of Event and Partnership Martin Thorbøll Pedersen.

More information

About Helgstrand Event and Equitour

Helgstrand Event is the brand of an exceptional showground in the North of Denmark hosting unique and engaging equestrian events during the outdoor season. Both national and international, jumping and dressage shows are organized under the name of Equitour.

But not only the world’s best dressage and jumping riders travel to Northern Denmark to compete at the fantastic facilities. Ambitious amateurs and upcoming young riders are also welcomed to enjoy competing at the same quality environment.

In case of any questions, please direct them to:
Martin Thorbøll Pedersen
Head of Events and Partnerships
M: +45 22 89 31 45
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Helgstrand has recently entered several new partnerships with brands in the equestrian sport, which not only creates great benefits for Helgstrand's employees and the development of the company but also helps the partners to achieve greater visibility in the sport. Most recently, Helgstrand can now welcome KASK, which specializes in exclusive and innovative riding helmets.

- KASK has designed some phenomenal products, where innovation, quality and safety go hand in hand. Of course, safety must be paramount when riding horses – there is no doubt about that. But what KASK early saw, was that the demand for unique products rises. A trend that they meet with at large selection of products, which can be tailor-made to the individual in terms of comfort and design, says Andreas Helgstrand, CEO and founder of Helgstrand Dressage, who welcomes the new partnership.

KASK is a leading Italian helmet manufacturer which since 2004, the year KASK was founded, has as mission to balance technological innovation, functionality, safety, comfort and their exclusive ‘Made in Italy’ design, always looking for ways to go beyond and improve the quality of KASK helmets even further. But like Helgstrand’s other partners, KASK sees great synergies in branding itself with the world´s leading dressage sales stable.

- This new collaboration with one of the most important dressage stables in the world represents a source of great pride and satisfaction for our company and we expect it will continue in the years to come. As a new partner of Helgstrand Dressage we look forward to accompanying their athletes during competitions both at national and international level, guaranteeing maximum safety and comfort - said Diego Zambon, General Director of KASK.

- We welcome the new collaboration, and personally I am looking forward to seeing when everyone is wearing a KASK helmet. Because it is just more accomplished when we all wear the same equipment across our divisions – and not least when we go to competitions and welcome customers. And having said that, I am sure we can make a positive contribution to KASK's continued development into a reputable international brand in the equestrian sport, Andreas adds.

- KASK has big visions, and it fits in perfectly with Helgstrand. They have a range of fantastic products that we can help brand across our platforms. The process with KASK has been very professional, and I am pleased with the result and the further development, says Martin Thorbøll Pedersen, Head of Event & Partnership at Helgstrand Dressage.

From May, you will be able to see Helgstrand's riders wearing the new riding helmets.

Wellington, FL – March 16th, 2022 – Global Equestrian Group announced on March 16th that it has acquired two new companies in the United States to expand and support their U.S. market operations.

Located in Wellington, FL, Gold Coast Feed is the official feed and bedding supplier of Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). Servicing those at the Winter Equestrian Festival and Adequan® Global Dressage Festival showgrounds in the winter, Gold Coast Feed also distributes year-round to farms in Wellington and the surrounding areas.

“We see tremendous potential in Gold Coast Feed,” said Global Equestrian Group CEO Andreas Helgstrand. “The company has a prime location and good range of quality products. Gold Coast Feed already supplies PBIEC, so we are familiar with the company and their services. By adding this company to our group, we can enhance both service level and our great outreach to the equestrian market in Florida.”

ShowGrounds, LLC (aka showgroundslive.com)is located in Shelburne Falls, MA, and operates as the show management and streaming provider for equestrian events across the United States & Canada. The company currently assists 17 major showgrounds in operating their results, schedules, orders, videos, and more. Show Grounds Live has a considerable content library with over 1 million videos and accommodates more than 200,000 unique streaming users. The organization employs more than 25 people, including seasonal video operators.

“The ShowGrounds platform fits perfectly with our group,” said Helgstrand. “We have already started an extensive journey on digitalization and acquiring Show Grounds will allow us to take another huge step on this path. With the combined efforts of Show Grounds Live and Global Equestrian Group, we can lift the equestrian event experience to a completely new level.”

In the coming months, the two new companies will be integrated into the group and all companies look forward to serving both existing and new customers.

Pictured: Ole Hummelshøj and his wife, Laila Wittendorff.

Over time, Helgstrand Dressage has attracted some of the most skilled equestrians, and soon the team will be expanded again. Master rider Ole Hummelshøj takes over for the responsibility of managing Helgstrand Academy, which in addition to housing 180 horses also provides the perfect setting for national and international competitions. 

Master rider Maria Anita Andersen has so far been responsible for Helgstrand Academy, but in the future, she will dedicate more of her time to the training part in addition to continuing to be responsible for Helgstrand's skilled master student riders. 

- Maria has done a terrific job, where in addition to putting a team of talented people together, she has raised the level of our horses significantly. Maria has competed in national as well as world young horse championships and all the way to the international Grand Prix, and of course, we want to put those competencies more into play. Together, we have decided that she should dedicate more of her time to educating our horses so that we can see her even more in the show arena. Therefore, we have been looking for someone able to replace her and continue at the same high level. And we are sure Ole will be able to do so with his background and many years of experience, states Andreas Helgstrand.

Ole Hummelshøj is an educated master rider, has trained horses up to the international Grand Prix, and has for the past 10 years been managing Grindsted Rideklub with great success. In parallel, he has judged young horse championships. An experience that will be of great value to Helgstrand, which from the beginning has had a strong focus on training young horses for the world elite. 

- The demand for good dressage horses is greater than what the market can saturate. Therefore, we acquired Helgstrand Youngsters in 2018, and now we are starting to see the horses under the saddle. We have always focused on the education of the best horses, which the many World Championship medals also support, and here I definitely see Ole's competencies come into play at great value for the place as a whole, Andreas adds.

- I look forward to being a part of the team and contributing to the continued positive development. I am inspired by working with talented people, and I look forward to contributing with new inspiration, lots of energy and good leadership. I am especially looking forward to helping the riders in the daily training, says Ole Hummelshøj. 

Both Ole Hummelshøj and his wife, Laila Wittendorff, will be part of the team and take up their new positions at Helgstrand in mid-July 2022
.

Pictured: Be Sure by Benicio/Scuderia – Champion Stallion in DWB.

The following 5 stallions were appointed Premium Stallions in Danish Warmblood 2022:

Pictured: Åtoftens Springtime by Springbank II VH / Zalando for the inspection of DWB´s 10-day test. 

Pictured: Opoque by All At Once / Davino – Premium Stallion in DWB.

Pictured: Elastic by Escolar / Dimaggio / Wolkentanz II - Premium Stallion in DWB.

Pictured: Fifty-Fifty by Fürst Toto / Royal Classic / Fürst Piccolo - Premium Stallion in DWB.

Even though the selection part fills a lot, there is much else on the program when Danish Warmblood occupies the exhibition centre in Herning for 5 days with experiences in a class of their own. Read on and hear about all the many results from Saturday during the stallion selection.

Pictured: From the presentation of the 3-year-olds in the lounge. Experienced Christian Springborg makes sure that the stallions show themselves in the best way.  

3-year-old stallions in the spotlight 

Let us start with the 3-year-old stallions, which all have to go through three inspections. On Thursday, they were shown on hard surface in front of the judging committee, while being shown in the lounge and in the free presentation on Friday. On the basis of the stallions' performance and a number of other parameters, the judges assess whether the 3-year-olds are allowed one year of breeding approval in Danish Warmblood. To get the final approval, they must be presented as 4-year-olds if they pass their 35-day test in the fall. All the 3-year-olds have presented themselves in a very nice frame, especially our premium- and reserve champion stallions did an outstanding job. Moreover, we are incredibly proud that several stallions sired by current and former Helgstrand stallions had found their way to the licensing, among others offspring by Jovian, Franklin, Janeiro Platinum and Springbank II VH. Saturday is a rest day for the colts, and then the decision falls Sunday.

 Pictured: Be Sure by Benicio/Scuderia and Mette Sejbjerg Jensen.

As many as 9 four-year-olds with final breeding approval in DWB

For the 4-year-olds, the program is less crowded, although they have the opportunity to join the presentation classes with the older stallions. Although it was a bit overwhelming to step into Boxen for some, others took it with exalted calm. And the older stallions could truly show how far they have come in their training. True to tradition, Bjarne Nielsen commented and here it turned into funny comments, anecdotes and good tips for the dressage riders. Bjarne is a tributary piece, and with good energy and mood he makes the stallion presentations a real party.

Sunday is results day with the appointment of the 4-year-old Champion stallion, 3-year-old Premium stallions and so on.

Picture: Gandhi SS after Grand Galaxy Win/Florencio and Merita Hagrén.

Merita and Gandhi in the lead 

Last year, the 4-year-old Danish Warmblood bred horses competed for the prestigious places for this year's young horse championship. A total of 47 now 5-year-old horses had found their way to Herning, and here Gandhi SS (Grand Galaxy Win / Florencio) won both preliminary tests. The third and final test is with a test rider, and Gandhi made a very good impression on test rider Daniel Bachmann Andersen. Daniel shared out words of praise, where he for example commented on the trot as being energetic and powerful as well as the canter being nice uphill. A horse he could just keep cantering on because it gave such a good feeling. Daniel also highlighted how well-prepared he seemed, as a beautiful recognition to his rider, Finnish Merita Hagrén. Gandhi got two 9s and is thus in second place, just one point from first place.

Worth mentioning is also, that the list of candidates consisted of several horses sired by current and former Helgstrand stallions. Actually, Revolution stood out in particular with as many as 22% of the participating young horses. This testifies to the great rideability and impressive paces he manages to pass on to his offspring.

In the class, we also brought Francisca-D, sired by Franklin. She was acquired by Louise Grønhøj, who has an agreement with our rider, Lovisa Wessblad about the continued training. 



Pictured: Eric Martinez and Indigo by Dream Boy/Kennedy. 

Eric with a double victory on Indigo

Indigo is 9 years old and sired by Dream Boy / Kennedy. Indigo and Eric won both the 3-star Prix St. George as well as the Intermediare I. Moreover, Marianne also participated with Elverhøj’s Raccolto, which is by Sezuan / Sandro Hit as well as Alexander and his relatively new partner, Belantis, which is by Benetton Dream / Expo. 

Gala show with the headline "The Show must go on"

In Friday's and Saturday's gala show with the headline "The show must go on", Helgstrand joined with several horses and riders. We had the opportunity to show some of our breeding stallions, Alexander Helgstrand was part of the show "Men in the Equestrian sport", father and son - Hesselhøj Donkey Boy and his son, Downtown rode together, while Andreas finished the show on respectively Queenpark's Wendy and Jovian Saturday and Sunday. Another festive show with some important messages along the way as well as a flashback at some of last year's impressive results in the Danish Warmblood.

 

Pictured: Alexander Helgstrand and Quarton.



Pictured: Iron by Ibiza/Hohenstein and Mette Sejbjerg Jensen.

Yesterday marked the beginning of this year's Danish Warmblood Stallion Licensing. While the 3-year-old stallions already have been presented on hard surface, the time has come to show the 4-year-old and older stallions under the saddle at the Danish Stallion Licensing in Herning, Denmark. Last year, the 4yo received one year of breeding approval and finished the DWB 35-days test with great results.

Today, Helgstrand presented a total of 9 stallions and all of them received their final approval in Danish Warmblood.

Fortunate by Foundation/Quaterback
Be Sure By Benicio/Scuderia
Bonjour by Bon Coeur/Fürst Nympenburg
Straight Horse Finest Hour by Franklin/Zack
For Real by Farrell/Lord Loxley I
Franzé by Franklin/Sezuan
Rosebank VH by Revolution/Dalwhinnie
Zanetti by Zoom/Fürst Romancier
Vitalos by Vitalis/De Niro

Tomorrow, the 3-year-olds will be presented in the lounge followed by the free presentation. Sunday we are looking forward to receiving the final result of this year's stallion licensing.



Pictured: Be Sure By Benicio/Scuderia and Mette Sejbjerg Jensen.




Pictured: Bonjour by Bon Coeur/Fürst Nympenburg and Eric Guardia Martinez.




Pictured: For Real by Farrell/Lord Loxley I and Jeanna Högberg.




Pictured: Fortunate by Foundation/Quaterback and Michael Grønne Christensen.




Pictured: Franzé by Franklin/Sezuan and Moisés Jover Azuar.

Pictured: So Unique and Eva Möller earning the Bundeschampion title in Warendorf. 

The picture-perfect and highly impressive So Unique lives up to his name with the success he has already achieved. Double premium stallion, stallion performance test winner, Bundeschampion, winner of the 4-year-old class at the World Championship for young dressage horses in Ermelo are just some of the highlights from the career of the only 7-year-old Sezuan son. And now one of the world’s most successful dressage riders of all time will have the pleasure of further training this charismatic horse to hopefully enter the big arena one day.

 - I’m very very happy and grateful that Madeleine bought this great, unique horse for me, Isabell Werth said after So Unique arrived at her stable.

- We spotted his potential at a very young age and he has proven himself to be one of the best. Among his greatest sporting achievements so far count Bundeschampion as a 3-year-old in Warendorf and winner of the 4-year-old class at the World Championship for young dressage horses in Ermelo. Two impressive achievements among young horses. We have been extremely happy with him and can only express our gratitude to Eva Möller for educating such an exceptional horse. Now we look forward to seeing Isabell take him on to international dressage, says a proud Andreas Helgstrand.

Not long ago, Isabell's sponsor, Madeleine Winter-Schulze, acquired Majestic Taongo by Toto Jr./Jazz from Helgstrand, and now Isabell can add another talented young horse from Helgstrand to her stable, which already includes the Sezuan son, Joshua.

So Unique is by the three-time World Champion, Sezuan, who is now successful under Patrik Kittel in international Grand Prix. The damsire Donnerhall belongs to one of the most influential breeding stallions of all time.

So Unique has already settled in well at Isabell’s place. He was co-owned by Stald Kleppenhus by Cathrine Rasmussen and Helgstrand Dressage.

Pictured: Grevens Sa'Va' and Alexander Helgstrand together with Sa'Va's new owner, Olga Fischer.

Since 2018, Grevens Sa'Va' (by Soprano/Romancier) has been paired with 18-year-old Alexander Helgstrand, helping him make a successful transition from pony to horse thanks to her experience in sport. With great results at the Danish Dressage Championships, the Danish ECCO Cup tournament and internationally at junior level, the time has come for Sa'Va' to face a quieter life in Sweden with Olga Fischer at Hunneberga Gård near Flyinge, Sweden.

- Sa'Va' is just one of a kind, and she has taught me so much. It's always a big step to go from pony to horse, but I've hardly felt it. I've had so many great experiences with her and I know Olga will take good care of her, says Alexander.

- Sa'Va' has already settled in well with her new owner, where she continues to get plenty of time in the field, but is still kept busy. Because like many horses that have been competing at advanced level, they don't just thrive on being put in a field. Olga will look after her and I'm sure Sa'Va' can teach her a thing or two as well. That's why we know we've found the perfect match for Sa'Va', which was really important to us, adds Andreas.

Alexander has recently taken over the reins of Isabell Werth's Grand Prix horse, Belantis, and an exciting future now awaits the new pair, who are well on their way to getting to know each other.