Bohemian Sold to USA for Endel Ots to Compete
8 months ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Bohemian Sold to USA for Endel Ots to Compete
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Dec. 21, 2023–Bohemian, the 13-year-old Westfalen gelding that Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour competed at the Tokyo Olympics, has been sold to the United States to be ridden by Endel Ots.
Bohemian, ranked as high as No. 2 in the world with Cathrine, was bought by Heidi Humphries the owner of Zen Elite Equestrian Center in Southwest Ranches, about 42 miles south of Wellington, where the horse is currently located. Bohemian was bought from Korea’s Dong Seon Kim who competed the horse at last winter’s Global Dressage Festival in Wellington.
Endel, 38 years old and also based in Wellington. was selected to compete for the U.S. at the 2019 Pan American Games but his Lucky Strike was injured in transit and had to be withdrawn. He competed Lucky Strike as a five-year-old at the World Young Horse Championships.
This is the second Big Tour horse purchased by Heidi, a Florida businesswoman, in recent weeks.
She bought Fleau de Baian, a 13-year-old KWPN stallion that Adelinde Cornelissen developed from a youngster to a Dutch team horse and will be competed for USA by the 21-year-old Christian Simonson. Christian, based in Wellington, was named the 2023 FEI Rising Star and was on this year’s Pan American Games gold medal team.
“It’s a week of exciting announcements here at Zen Elite,” Zen said in a statement. “We are so happy to welcome Bohemian to the Zen family.
“Bohemian is a 2010 Westfalen gelding by Bordeax out of Sunshine and will be campaigned by the USA’s Endel Ots. We are looking forward to watching this partnership blossom and are wishing them the best of luck.”
In addition to the Tokyo Olympics and Danish team and two individual bronze medals at the 2021 European Championships on Bohemian, other performances by Cathrine include the 2016 Olympics on Cassidy, leading Denmark to gold on Vamos Amigos at the 2022 World Championships and numerous medals in senior and youth championships.
Cathrine on Bohemian also became one of only 11 combinations in history to achieve a Freestyle score of at least 90%, and at least 80% in seven Grand Prix.
Bohemian was sold to Dong Seon Kim and after Florida’s Global circuit he put the horse up for sale and it was competed for almost three months by Patrik Kittel of Sweden.
The purchases of Bohemian and Fleau de Baian could change the outlook for the United States in the midst of qualifying for the Paris Olympics at the end of July.
Steffen Peters of San Diego, California riding Suppenkasper that he partnered for the U.S. silver medal teams at the 2018 Tryon World Equestrian Games and the Tokyo Olympics is atop the current standings followed by Sarah Tubman of Wellington on First Apple the horse she rode to individual gold and team silver at the 2019 Pan American Games and team gold at this year’s Pan Ams.
