Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Connelly-Hoefs Dressage Horses
Importing Sales Horses for Florida 2007 Season

Editor's note: Ten years ago during our first trip to the Netherlands with Jodie and Laurie Kelly, we visited with their good friends Toine and Ingrid Hoefs, in Erp, the same hometown of Anky Van Grunsven and Jos Severiens. While drinking coffee in their kitchen a group of Americans including Kathy Connelly and Diana (Miller) Howard had stopped over to look at some sale horses Toine had on his farm. It would be the beginning of a long and successful friendship and partneship between Kathy and Toine, two of the most honest, kind and caring and knowledgable people I have come to know in the horse business. We congratulate Toine and Ingrid on the purchase of a condo in Wellington and look forward to being able to spend more time with them this winter. MPH

Toine Hoefs and Kathy Connelly have been a very successful partnership for nine years. Hoefs is a breeder and judge for the KWPN and Connelly is an international rider, trainer and coach. They have paired many winning horse-rider combinations in the US. Among them, Sagacious and Lauren Sammis, Milennium and Silke Rembacz, Maksymilian and Jane Hannigan, Manhattan and Jodie Kelly, Felicki and Tami Hoag, Juventus and Iron Spring Farm, Saigon and Margot McAllister, as well as Victor who Margot recently purchased; and many, many others.

At Devon 2006, Toine was judging the breed show and Kathy was coaching riders in the FEI levels. “We want to congratulate Lauren Sammis on Sagacious and Silke Rembacz on Milennium for their excellent riding and presentation” Hoefs said. In a class of 45 horses at the PSG level, Sagacious-Sammis were 2nd and Milennium-Rembacz were 5th. Milennium-Rembacz also won the Iron Spring award for Highest Score at Devon for a Dutch horse. “Both riders masterfully rode their horses through the tests. It was a very competitive class. We were proud of them and happy for the horse owners as well as the riders” Connelly commented.

Hoefs and Connelly are excited about the sales horses that are coming to Florida. There will be both young horses as well as horses with advanced training.

Hoefs and Connelly also breed, buy and raise foals along with business partners as stallion prospects for the Dutch Stallion Show in Holland each February.

One of their stallions is Uptown, also owned by Hyperion Farm. Uptown has won:

• 2004 Dutch Stallion Show Champion
• 2005 Champion 4 year-old Pavo Cup
• 2005-2006 Winner of all Stallion Competitions Holland
• 2006 Future Stallion Dressage Championship Holland
• 2006 Young Horse World Championship - 5th place
• 2006 Reserve Champion 5 year-old Pavo Cup

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Connelly-Hoefs Dressage Horses