Patrik Kittel has announced that he will not be taking his number one Grand Prix horse and Olympic mount Deja to the 2017 European Dressage Championships in Gothenburg, but his second Grand Prix horse Delaunay.
The German based Kittel was nominated on the Swedish team by team captain Bo Jena with both Grand Prix horses.
Kittel and the Oatley family's 11-year old Oldenburg gelding Delaunay (by Dr Doolittle x Feinbrand) made their CDI Grand Prix debut in December 2014. This year the pair competed in three CDI's: Gothenburg, Hagen and Aachen. In Aachen the finished sixth in the Kur to Music.
Marie Haward's 13-year old Swedish warmblood mare Deja (by Silvano x Don Schufro) competed in four CDI's in 2017: Amsterdam, Doha, Compiegne and Falsterbo. In the latter show the pair won the Grand Prix and Freestyle.
Kittel has now opted to ride Delaunay at the Euros in Gothenburg instead of his 2016 Rio Olympic Games' mount Deja.
"Both Deja and Dude have been going very well but Dude is on a rising curve," Kittel told a Swedish television channel. "Dude went amazingly well in Aachen and feels very safe. I have not ridden a Grand Prix Special with Deja this year and we have to ride the Special. They were very close, but I'm picking Dude and Deja will do the World Cup this winter instead."
Photo © Astrid Appels
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2017 European Dressage Championships