British team rider Emile Faurie no longer has the ride on his World Equestrian Games horse Hof Kasselmann’s Dono Di Maggio.
Emile helped Britain secure team bronze with the 12-year-old Dimaggio gelding at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon last year, but Dono has now moved to Switzerland to be ridden by 18-year-old Greek dressage rider Theodora Livanos.
“It’s sad but it’s life,” Emile told H&H. “It didn’t come as a surprise; it was always the agreement between Kasselmann and I that he would be sold. It is their business after all, and he has gone to a really wonderful home with a very talented young rider. It’s wonderful for the horse.”
As well as their success at WEG, Emile and Dono earned plenty of high scores internationally during 2018, including posting more than 75% to finish second to Isabell Werth and her triple WEG gold medallist Bella Rose in the grand prix special at Fritzens CDI4*.
They also won both the grand prix and the special at the Aachen CDI3* and finished third in the grand prix special at Bolesworth CDI3*.
But even without Dono Emile boasts an enviable string of up-and-coming grand prix horses, including Café’s Caletta, a 10-year-old mare by Café Au Lait, with whom he finished third in the prix st georges championship at the British Dressage nationals in 2018. The mare has since made her international debut at big tour — scoring plus-70% in both the grand prix and the freestyle at Keysoe CDI3* in March — and is heading to Hagen CDI4* with Emile next weekend.
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He is also excited about the 10-year-old Sir Oldenberg son Shilo, who recently made a successful grand prix debut.
“Shilo is brilliant; he has been slightly over-ambitious at times so he might just take a little longer, but he has showed he can do everything for very high marks,” said Emile, who plans to campaign the gelding at more national shows this year before making his international debut.
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