Triple Olympic Champion Anky van Grunsven has a new dressage horse, the ten year old IPS Upido (Ferro x Amethyst x Pretendent), bred by C. van Laak from Heelsum, The Netherlands. IPS Upido arrives at the Anky Education Center in Erp this Thursday.
IPS Upido was bought by a syndicate, consisting of Jan Kelders (IPS), Stud Station van Uytert and Equestrian International BV. Anky is very glad with IPS Upido. “I am very happy that this horse is at my barn and I would like to thank the new owners. I am very enthusiastic about IPS Upido and it is very exciting to have a real goal again with this new horse, after the sale of Painted Black,” says Anky van Grunsven. The first few months the pair will stay home for training.
IPS Upido was shown at both national and international shows in Spain by Carlos Torrell from the Barcelona area. He found Upido in The Netherlands as a one and a half year old and trained him up to Grand Prix level. As a six year old, Upido won the Spanish Championships for Young Horses. The pair won a silver medal in the Spanish Championships at Small Tour level three years ago. Last year, they made a debut in the Grand Prix during the Sunshine Tour. With only four international Grand Prix tests in his career, IPS Upido is relatively unexperienced.