Gunter Seidel and Coral Reef Wylea

Formerly known as “Winci”, the 13-year-old mare, acquired for Seidel to ride by Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer and her Coral Reef Ranch of Rancho Santa Fe, had been owned and trained by Klaus Balkenhol, the German Olympic gold medalist and former U.S. team coach. Winci was ridden by Balkenhol’s daughter, Anabel, at national shows and at Grand Prix at two CDIs in Germany last year — Lingen in June and Aachen in July.

The Westfalen (Weinberg x St. Jolie x Saluut) arrived in California in December, and published reports say plans are a first CDI for the partnership at the Mid Winter Dressage Fair CDI-3* at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center Feb. 22-24.

Seidel said it’s too early to announce long-term goals.

“It’s a bit premature,” he said. “But it would be nice to try for the World Equestrian Games in 2014 and maybe the Olympics after that. It certainly will be a goal if things work out well.”

Seidel won Bronze Medals on U.S. teams at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.