The Holsteiner of the Month for July is stabled in the same yard as the Holsteiner of the previous month. Specifically in Dagobertshausen near Marburg in Hesse. We are referring to C-Vier by Cardento-Concorde-Contender-Cor de la Bryere. With David Will in the saddle, the bay won the Grand Prix of the traditional five-star Nations Cup show on the Piazza di Siena in Rome at the end of May.
C-Vier, who had been the reliable sport partner of his owner Janine Rijkens for many years, has been with David Will since the summer of 2020. "My daughter has hung up her riding boots – at least for now," laments Tjeert Rijkens, who discovered the then 13-year-old gelding as a foal in Holland. "I've always been a bit crazy about Cardento offspring," recalls Rijkens. "When I bought him, I made it a condition that the dam be registered in Holstein and that the foal receive the Holsteiner brand." Said and done – and so the breeder, W. Wolters from Groningen in the Netherlands, had the mare and foal registered in Holstein. Janine Rijkens produced C-Vier and celebrated a multitude of great successes with him up to 1.60-metre level. When the corona pandemic brought competition sport to a halt last year, the female rider from Dortmund returned home and dedicated herself fully to her job. Since then, David has taken over the ride. "The victory in Rome was without doubt my greatest sporting success so far, even though C-Vier and I are still relatively at the beginning of our time together, so hopefully there is still a lot to come," David Will is delighted about his current top riding horse. Now attention is turning towards Tokyo – national coach Otto Becker has nominated him for the Olympic longlist.

Photo: Stefan Lafrentz