Uta Gräf's number one Grand Prix horse Le Noir will be retired from competition at the 2015 CDI Wiesbaden next week. The 15-year old Holsteiner stallion will end his active show career at the venue where he achieved one of his career highlights.
The black Le Noir (by Leandro x Caletto I x Carneval) is bred by Carola Gross-Seibel and is owned by Hans Herzog.
Under the ever-smiling Uta Gräf, the stallion made a staggering rise on the German and international dressage scene in 2012 and became short listed for the German Olympic Team. He won the 2012 CDI Wiesbaden kur to Music. That same year he was the sixth best ranked dressage horse in Germany. The combination scored more than 60 victories at S-level in his career.
After competing quite extensively in 2013 the stallion started to struggle with some health issues and his competition career was slowed down. In 2014 he did only two international shows (Doha, Mannheim) and their last competition together was in August 2014 at the regional show in Mainz-Bretzenheim where they finished third in the Intermediaire II. The stallion has won over 100,000 euro in prize money in his career.
"It has always been our dream to retire him from sport in Wiesbaden," Uta Gräf commented. "I also believe Wiesbaden was the black's favourite show. Le Noir has changed my life; not only because he enabled me to refine my way of riding through his sensitive and honest being, but he also opened the doors to international competition for me. He was always able to win the hearts of the crowds through his unique character."
Le Noir is a licensed breeding stallion and has been bred to a limited amount of mares. Sixteen of his offspring are registered in Germany as competition horses. He has sired one licensed son, Le Docteur.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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