Blue Hors Cavan Passed Away

Dressage

Danish Dressage News

Lars Petersen's and Andreas Helgstrand's former international Grand Prix horse Blue Hors Cavan has passed away at age 25 at his home Blue Hors stud in Randboel, Denmark, where he was enjoying his retirement in the field.

The Hanoverian bred Cavan (by Cavalier x Damnatz x Lombard) was the first dressage stallion - at the time - which Lego mogul Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen and Poul Erik Fugmann, his jumper partner of Stuteri Ask, bought together for the Blue Hors project. Cavan was acquired as a recently licensed 2,5 year old stallion at the 1992 Hanoverian Stallion Licensing in Verden.

The stallion did his Performance Test with mediocre results, but turned into a brilliant sport horse under Mette and Lars Petersen. The dark bay made his Grand Prix debut at age 8 and won the National Championships that same year. He became a member of the Danish team and competed at the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome.

While in the running for the 2000 Olympic Games, Cavan suffered from inguinal hernia right before departure to Sydney. The duo went on to win the 2001 Stockholm World Cup qualifier but in February 2001 his hernia relapsed and the horse was gelded.

Cavan spending his retirement in the field at Blue Hors When Lars Petersen moved to the United States, Andreas Helgstrand took over the ride. The pair finished second in the 2002 World Cup Finals behind Ulla Salzgeber and they competed at the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2002 World Equestrian Games and 2005 European Championships. The bay was retired from competition in 2007

Cavan was never a very popular breeding stallion but with only 89 registered get he still was able to produced five licensed sons! Jonas Elvebakk and Astrid Rikheim's Cartier and Michael Sogaard's Pari Cash Foldager are his most successful Grand Prix dressage offspring.