U.S. Olympian Guenter Seidel has secured the ride on two new Leatherdale Farms mounts.
German native Guenter Seidel has taken over the rides on two new mounts for Leatherdale Farms. Seidel, who has a long-standing relationship with Louise Leatherdale and her own, Leatherdale Farms, has taken over the ride on her new Grand Prix hopeful, Jack a Rhinelander gelding, as well as Louise’s home-bred Hanoverian Bogart, who is the offspring of one of Seidel’s previous Leatherdale Farms rides, Beltano.
Seidel’s partnership with Leatherdale Farms began in February 2018 with Leatherdale Farm’s Hanoverian gelding Beltano (by Belissimo M x Hohenstein). Following the duo success, Seidel became part of Team Leatherdale, riding and training a handful of their top mounts including the Dutch warmblood mare, Equirelle W (by Florett As x Donnerhall). The pair’s success includes wins in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4* at Adequan Global Dressage Festival and the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special CDI3* at Golden State Dressage Festival.
Seidel and Jack made their national show debut in the Intermediaire II at the CDN Thermal scoring 73.971%, and has since showed him in three more Inter II tests.
Seidel and Bogart appear to have the makings of a fantastic partnership, taking home a win in the CDI1* FEI Prix St. Georges at HITS Del Mar Dressage Affaire in the spring of 2024.
Seidel, who now resides in California, moved to the U.S. in 1985 and has since left a lasting legacy on U.S. dressage. He aided the U.S. in winning the team bronze medal at three consecutive Olympic Games with different horses: with Graf George at the 1996 Atlanta Games, with Foltaire at the 2000 Sydney Games, and with Aragon at the 2004 Athens Games. He was also a member of the U.S. teams for the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2002 and 2006 where the teams won silver and bronze, respectively.
Seidel also has represented the U.S. at numerous FEI Nations Cup competitions, including in 2011 in the CDIO5* at Aachen with U II and in 2013 at the CDIO3* at Hickstead with Coral Reef Wylea.
