Danish Grand Prix rider Nanna Skodborg Merrald has announced that she has said goodbye to her 2016 Olympic dream and is aiming her number one Grand Prix horse Millibar for the 2016-2017 World Cup season.
Skodborg Merrald and Millibar made their international show come back at the 2016 CDI Hagen in April after a two-year break from competition due to a severe injury which took a year to heal with full rest and then another year for the horse to make a slow come back to fitness under the saddle.
The CDI Hagen was meant to be a first step and beginning towards 2016 Danish Olympic team selection as in 2014 Merrald and Millibar were one of the country's strongest performing Grand Prix pairs on the senior circuit. Hagen unfortunately did not go as well as hoped for with Millibar (by Milan) refusing to piaffe. Merrald decided to go back to the drawing board.
"It did not go so well when we were in Germany," Merrald told the Danish equestrian publication Hestemagasinet. "When we got home we found out that he was sore in the back and we decided to give him time recover properly instead of chasing an Olympic qualification and risk having an injured horse after a heavy program to get to the Olympics. So instead we decided to prepare him for the World Cup season."
Photo © Astrid Appels
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