Belgian Olympic Grand Prix rider Claudia Fassaert is forced to stay on the sideline as her top horse Donnerfee injured herself in training yesterday. The Belgian warmblood bred mare by De Niro x Rosenkavalier will be out for the rest of 2012.
Fassaert's Donnerfee stepped on her own coronet band during training and became unsound. The mare will be given some rest and has been withdrawn from competing in the World Cup Qualifiers of Stockholm and London.
"As soon as she's better we'll pick up training again for the World Cup Qualifiers of 2013," Fassaert explained. The combination did its first Western European League World Cup qualifier this season in Odense, Denmark, in October.
The Dutch born Belgian Claudia was Belgium's individual Olympic dressage rider after taking Jeroen Devroe's spot, who was forced to stay home due to an injured Apollo van het Vijvershof. At the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix Championships in August, Devroe made a winning comeback claiming gold ahead of a silver medal winning Claudia.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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