DressageDaily: Lisa Wilcox' Relevant to Marlies van Baalen

Wednesday September 21, 2005

Lisa Wilcox' Relevant to Marlies van Baalen

Lisa Wilcox at the Olympic Games The ride on the Oldenburg stallion Relevant, the chestnut beauty that made American rider Lisa Wilcox a world dressage star, has been given to the Dutch Marlies van Baalen. Relevant's owner Gestut Vorwerk agreed to a proposal Johann Hinnemann made to have young Van Baalen show the Rubinstein x Goldlöwe x Venator xx offspring.

After Wilcox' departure from Gestut Vorwerk in December 2004, Relevant no longer had a competition rider to show him. He did demo's at stallion shows under Canadian Leonie Bramall, but the two stable riders at Vorwerk (Tanja Lammers and Johanna Bergstrom) did not ride at Grand Prix level. Owner Gudula Vorwerk put her best stallions in training with Johan Hinnemann in Vorde, Germany, who then suggested Marlies van Baalen to campaign "Relli".

"It's a very nice opportunity for me to compete such an experienced and successful Grand Prix horse," Marlies van Baalen said. "I don't know yet when I will show him for the first time. I will only take him to shows when we are really ready for it."

Lisa Wilcox and Relevant were key players on the American dressage team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera and the 2003 CDIO Aachen. In 2004, they were again members of the American squad at the Olympic Games in Athens.

by Astrid Appels/Eurodressage.com