Proud Team Blue Hors at Le Mans after a very successful weekend - grooms Gitte Fabrin Hansen and Elin Glinvad Nielsen together with rider Nanna Skodborg Merrald. Private photo.
Impressive weekend for Nanna Merrald with 4 horses
5 victories out of 6 starts at the international event at Le Mans this weekend must be approved.
Nanna made her international debut at Grand Prix level with 10 yr old Blue Hors St. Schufro by St. Moritz Jr / Blue Hors Don Schufro, unfortunately this time with to many mistakes but still a lot of top qualities for the future, so we can´t wait to see them next time. Nanna produced St. Schufro herself from small tour level to Grand Prix level.
The successful 17 yr old Blue Hors Zack by Rousseau / Jazz was also out for the first time together with Nanna this weekend. Nanna really nailed it and showed her own top skills taking over the successful stallion from former Blue Hors rider Daniel Bachmann Andersen, and she not just took over, she really managed to show the experienced stallion in a very positive and effortless way. They really suit each other in the arena and look like that they already built up a great partnership.
H2R comments during the Grand Prix Special:
Blue Hors Zack - 74,362% - Good halt, power diagonal, super nice side picture, supple half pass with flow to left uphill, good transition to passage at C, nice smooth in and out passage/extensions, supple half pass right uphill nice carriage, nice contact steady foaming mouth, extended walk lack bit more energy, good collected walk, good 1st piaffe tiny forward trend, good transitions, good rhythm could show bit more activity off the ground, good into canter, supple half passes well balanced, error end 2 times with a 1 time, 15 or 17 one times? good extended canter, good quality pirouettes bit big, nice one times, good into trot, very nice and smooth final centerline. Great GPS debut!
Common for both Nanna´s Grand Prix performances at Le Mans is that she now obtained the first out of two required minimum qualifications for the Olympics, like she back in January at Salzburg showed Atterupgaards Orthilia for the first time and also here she obtained her first Olympic qualification.
The Olympic qualification rules:
A minimum 66% must be attributed twice to the Athlete/Horse combination by both a 5* star judge and as an average from all judges in the competition, and the score must be achieved in a Grand Prix test at two different CDI3*/CDI4*/CDI5*/CDI-W/CDIO events. The two 5* judges must be of a nationality other than of the Athlete.
CDI2 Medium Tour and Small Tour
For the CDI2 Medium Tour Nanna brought her long time partner 12 yr old gelding Gørklintgårds Quater Boy by Quaterback / Blue Hors Don Schufro and successfully won both Intermediaire B and Intermediaire II.
Together with 10 yr old stallion Blue Hors Farrell by Fürstenball / Dacaprio Nanna won the Prix St. Georg an unfortunately Farrell kicked himself at the warm up for today’s Intermediaire I, and Nanna had to withdraw him.
Bit early for the freestyle
As it was Nanna´s first ever competition together with Blue Hors Zack and her international Grand Prix debut with Blue Hors St. Schufro she did not fell that she was ready for bringing either of them for the freestyle, so therefore today Saturday was their final day at Le Mans.
No doubt the way back to Denmark will be kind of an easy trip with such a successful weekend.