American Owned Grand Prix Horse Cardeur Passed Away

Dressage

U.S.A.

The retired internationally competed Grand Prix horse Cardeur has passed away suddenly in Wellington, Florida. He was 23 years old.

Cardeur was a 2000 born Danish warmblood gelding by Caprilli out of Randeur (by Rasant x Locarno x Saskibard II). He was bred by Lis and Preben Jorgensen.

Denmark

Cardeur was born in Denmark and that is where his sport career started.

He was first competed by Camilla Lunderskov in May 2005. The pair was long listed for Danish team selection for the 2005 and 2006 World Young Horse Championships and in 2007 finished 6th in the 7-year old classes at the Falsterbo international horse show. Lunderskov last showed him in September 2008.

Owned by Lisbeth Hornball, Cardeur went on to Helgstrand for further training. In November 2010 he returned to the national show scene under Thomas Sigtenbjerggard at Grand Prix level.

Sweden - Germany

Cardeur sold to Swedish rider Caroline Bonde and the pair competed in Sweden at Inter II and Grand Prix level in the spring and summer of 2012.

The horse then returned to Sigtenbjerggaard in Denmark, who showed him two more times in February 2013.

Emma Kanerva and Cardeur at the
201'4 CDN Munster

In 2014, he went to Hubertus Schmidt to be sold. Under Schmidt's assistant rider, Finnish Emma Kanerva, he competed in his first international in Mannheim in May 2014, scoring 68.080% in the Grand Prix and 65;980% in the Special.

U.S.A.

A month later, Cardeur sold to Americans Elizabeth Armstrong and James Powers.

In 2016 Cardeur returned to the international arena under student Jennifer Marchand at the Global Dressage Festival. The pair posted a 62.167% Grand Prix best score. In April 2016 Elizabeth rode the gelding in their's first and only CDI, also in Wellington.

Cardeur moved on as a schoolmaster for Elizabeth's students. In 2018 Alyse Schuver rode him at national Inter I and II level. in 2019 the 18-year old Caroline Baum piloted Cardeur at age 18 in his last competition test at Third level.

Active Pensioner

Cardeur continued to teach more riders at home and was showing off his Grand Prix moves the day that he passed.

"He had a remarkably long career of almost two decades on both sides of the Atlantic," said Elizabeth Armstrong Powers. "He kept giving and winning for at least 10 different riders. He was a high performer on the big stage and backstage, in the stable, he was a top entertainer. He had a legendary forelock and a bad boy look that made the girls swoon."

Armstrong continued, "although gelded at 3, he was truly a stallion in his own mind. At times, in the stable, he was more gorilla than horse and then could turn on the charm and be sweet “Fidgy”. He was the first horse we ever met who liked sausage. When he arrived in the USA, he was a terror on wheels and it took a long time to learn ground manners. Once under saddle, he was always a team player and on his A game."