After nine successful editions of the Wolden Summer Sale, the number of international showjumpers sold at this auction continues to grow every year. And there could be an Olympic showjumper added to this list of sport horses! Canada’s Elizabeth Gingras and the Wolden Summer Sale-sold Zilversprings (Silverstone x Emilion) are in contention for a spot in the Canadian showjumping team for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month.

Back in 2010, the then 6-year-old Zilversprings was auctioned at the Wolden Summer Sale. The grey gelding, bred by D.M. Leistra, was spotted on an early age by Wolden Summer Sale organizers and selectors Jan Schep, Jan Broek and Wiepke van de Lageweg. In 2014, Zilversprings made his international breakthrough ridden by Switzerland’s Alain Jufer. Shortly after, Canada’s Elizabeth Gingras – student of former Olympic champion Eric Lamaze – took over the reins of Zilversprings. With great success, since it did not take long before the first international victories of the pair were a fact. In 2014, Zilversprings and Gingras won the Grand Prix of Calgary and in 2015, they were also victorious in the Grand Prix of Coapexpan. This year, the son of Silverstone already finished fourth in a prestigious 1.55m class at Spruce Meadows, Calgary.

But Zilversprings is not the only highly successful showjumper auctioned at the Wolden Summer Sale. Both the auction foals as the showjumpers are successful at every international level. Famous horses like Another Pleasure (Robert Vos and Peter Geerink), Benibantos (Alireza Famil Bakthiari), Bling Bling (Abdullah Al Sharbatly and Eoin McMahon), Valdato (Julia Kayser and Cara Reather) and Tatjan (Karim Fares) have been publicly well-known for a long time already, but some new exceptional sport horses have made their international appearances as well.
Take for instance the KWPN-approved Dantos HBC (Cantos x Numero Uno) who impresses under the saddle of Dutch rider Willem Greve, or Eurohill’s Alcatraz (Heartbreaker x Polydox), who won the Grand Prixs of Wierden, Hardenberg and Vragender with Great Britain’s Mark Bunting. Besides of those great showjumpers, we should also mention Adamo, sired by Lupicor, who performs at 1.60m Grand Prix level with USA’s Abigail Mc Ardle and earlier on was ridden by Syria’s Shady Ghrayeb. Also Coral Reef Aajee competes successfully at Grand Prix level with the American rider Ann Knight Karrasch. A remarkable horse as well is Balans Rv (Cardento x Emilion), who ridden by Hillary McNerney won international competitions in both Brussels and Los Angeles last year and also took a victory in Eindhoven this year.
Next to these successful showjumpers, we should also mention some promising talents, like Cicomein (Chacco Blue x Jus de Pomme) who performs at 1.50m level with Japan’s Taizo Sugitani, Biallon H (Indoctro x Wisconsin) who is making its international breakthrough with Tina Yates-Di Landri, Etos HBC (Cantos x Kroongraaf) who competes at 1.40m level with Yasser Al Sharif while he is only 7-years-old, Cavarola (Corland x Wellington) who delivers clear round after clear round at Spruce Meadows with Canada’s Chris Surbey, et cetera. Not only successful showjumpers were sold at the Wolden Summer Sale. The eventing horse Ardenco, sired by Cardento, won ridden by Belgium’s Vincent Martens the CIC2* of Helvoirt, finished econd in the CIC2* of Breda and third in the CIC2* of Barocca d’Alva, Portugal. As a 5-year-old, Ardenco became Belgian champion of the eventing horses. As a hunter, Bunistar (Unistar x Casimir) has been highly successful with Hugh Mutch. Earlier this year, Bunistar won the 100.000 US dollar ‘Handy Round’ at the international hunter Derby on HITS Thermal.

The percentage of successful showjumpers sold at the Wolden Summer Sale increases every year. Over 50 procent (!) of the 7-year-old or older sport horses sold through the auction are currently competing at 1.35m-level or higher! There is no doubt this year’s collection has included some future international superstars. On Saturday the 16th of July, the auction will take place from 7:00 PM at the show grounds of CSI De Wolden in Veeningen. Nine carefully selected showjumping foals and ten extremely talented, well educated showjumpers will be auctioned. On Thursday the 14th of July, the presentation of the sport horses will take place from 5:00 PM, while the presentation of the foals will be held on Saturday the 16th of July from 5:00 PM.

If you would like to get more information about the auction horses, please contact Jan Broek (+316-53418452), Janko van de Lageweg (+316-51815225) or HBC Stal (0561-421244).