Birgit Popp

Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” got the 9,000 spectators in the Schleyer Hall into the right mood for the emotional highlight of the 27th Stuttgart German Masters: the good-bye ceremony for Isabell Werth’s World and Olympic Champion Satchmo.

The German Federation confirmed on Nov. 17 that Mr. Medicott, the Olympic mount of German 2008 Olympic team gold medalist Frank Ostholt, has been sold to top U.S. eventer Karen O'Connor.

Lauren Hough suffered a fall during the first qualifier of the Stuttgart German Masters on Nov. 17. Her 9-year-old mare Blue Angel got too close to a wall and attempted to jump anyway, crashing through the fence. In the fall, the mare stepped on her chest.

As Totilas and Matthias Rath cantered down centerline at the beginning of the Grand Prix Special test, a sudden and complete hush fell over the crowd. As the test concluded at the Nürnberger Insurance Company Dressage Festival in Munich, Germany, 6,000 spectators burst into frenzied applause.

The weekend of June 2-5 marked the long-awaited debut of the World Champion Dutch Warmblood stallion with his new rider, Germany’s Matthias Rath.

Two weeks ago, a press presentation of Totilas and his new partner Matthias Rath was canceled because the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games champion had a hoof abscess and inflammation in his leg. That’s now healed, and the 11-year-old stallion has worked in walk and trot since the Easter holidays.

But because of the medication he received, he’s been scratched from his first show appearance with his new rider at the CDI Hagen (Germany), May 6-8.

Ever since Paul Schockemöhle purchased Moorlands Totilas (Gribaldi x Glendale), the Dutch Warmblood stallion that swept the gold medals in dressage at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with rider Edward Gal, speculation has abounded as to who would get the ride on the horse.

Gal, who competes for the Netherlands, is willing to do just about anything to ride Totilas again, even switch nationalities.

Lawyers for the Jung family and Sabine Kreuter have reached an agreement that La Biosthetique-Sam FBW will be returned to rider Michael Jung’s barn in Horb, Germany, today, Nov. 18.

A tug-of-war for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games eventing champion began on Nov. 8, when Kreuter, his 60 percent-share owner, took the 10-year-old gelding from the Jungs’ stable in Baden-Württemburg, allegedly without their prior knowledge, to her home in Bavaria.

German owner Sabine Kreuter, the majority stakeholder in Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games eventing champion La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, promised to return the horse to his rider, Michael Jung, four days ago. The exchange has not taken place, but today, Nov. 16, a judge in Rottweil granted an interim order that "Sam" had to be returned.

He and Ravel celebrate the Fourth of July in Germany with a clean sweep of the Grand Prix CDIO.

Steffen Peters arrived in Aachen, Germany, as the reigning Rolex FEI World Cup Champion and left with another unprecedented victory—winning all three Grand Prix classes in the CDIO at the Aachen World Equestrian Festival, held June 26-July 5.

He steals the show from several repeat champions and takes his second victory at the World Equestrian Festival in Germany.

British-based Australian Boyd Exell is no stranger to the Aachen CHIO, having won the individual four-in-hand driving competition there in 2003. But even with that experience at the famed German venue, his chances of capturing victory again this year on July 1-5 seemed slim compared to those of 11-time winner Ijsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands.