Blue Hors Zepter Returns Home to Denmark

Dressage

Denmark

The partnership between Patrik Kittel and Blue Hors Zepter has come to an end. The 14-year old gelding has returned home to Blue Hors stud in Denmark.

Blue Hors Zepter (by Zack out of Who's Sunlight (by Wolkentanz II) is bred in Germany by Bernhard Sieverding. He has had a string of riders compete him at Grand Prix level.

Grand Prix Riders

Under Daniel Bachmann Andersen he made his Grand Prix debut in 2017 and competed at CDI's in 2018 but Bachmann's Blue Hors Zack became the team horse. Zepter was briefly sidelined by an injury in 2019 and returned at the CDI Randboel in November 2019, where they scored 78.717% in the Grand Prix. At the 2020 CDI Herning they were immediately promoted to the 2020 Danish Olympic team candidates with another 78.745% Grand Prix Special score, but then Bachmann left Blue Hors.

Zepter was sent to Andreas Helgstrand to be sold, but a sale never happened. Zepter returned to Blue Hors, where Spaniard Cristian Tudela Ruiz took on the ride. They had their international show debut at the CDI Herzlake in July 2021.

In December 2021 Zepter was sent to Patrik Kittel to be sold. He first competed the horse at the 2022 CDI-W Neumunster and thanks to a last-minute (corona) rule change by the FEI Dressage Committee, of which Kittel is a member, the horse was allowed to compete at the 2022 World Cup Finals, where they finished 8th. The pair also started in three Nations Cups in Compiegne, Rotterdam, and Falsterbo, every time with good results, but Zepter did not sell.

Home Coming

Zepter has now returned home to Blue Hors.

"From the start it was the plan to have good results and try to sell (him)," Blue Hors sport director Ulrik Sorensen told Eurodressage. "The deadline was mid July. He is still for sale and will stand in a box at Blue Hors."

Kittel added that, "I will truly miss watching your (his) happy ears and smile checking out our garden. I want to point out that Blue Hors has been absolutely great to me trusting me with Zepi, honouring every single part of our agreement, and I am truly thankful for the trust they put in me and the support they gave me in our few months together."