Mazy Klovenhoj, A Blend of Dressage and Steeple Racing, Premiers at 2023 World Cup Finals

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F.O.C.U.S.

Sweden will be represented at the 2023 World Cup Finals in Omaha (USA) by a truly Swedish duo, Johanna Due Boje and Mazy Klovenhoj.

The pair has been slowly working their way up to the top. The liver chestnut mare was the 2019 Swedish Developing Grand Prix champion and in 2020 and 2022 they won silver at the Swedish Grand Prix Championships. They were the non travelling reserves for the 2021 Olympic Games. Due Boje has often come close to getting team selected, but never got that shot. This is about to change this week as she made it to the 2023 World Cup Finals.

Her mare, Mazy Klovenhoj, is a Swedish warmblood out of a Thoroughbred dam. The SWB association posted this article about her:

Dressage Meets Steeple Racing

Mazy is the daughter of a steepleracer and was inconspicuous as a young horse, but there is no stopping Mazy Klövenhöj from competing in the World Cup final in dressage.

Many people think she is Danish, but the fact is that Mazy Klövenhöj is very Swedish. She was born outside Nyköping, bred by Annette Karlsson and Aksel Primdahl (who is admittedly Danish). Her dam is the Swedish born steepleracer Manzana xx (by National Zenith xx) and her sire is Bocelli SWB, bred and owned by Gränsbo Stud.

"I have a friend who works with racing horses. As I was driving to her home, I spotted a mare with a conformation that I thought would be perfect for SWB breeding. "You won't sell her before you've talked to me," I said to my friend, Annette Karlsson explained.

The mare, Manzana xx, had a career with wins and placings in both flat races and steeple. As a six-year-old, she sustained a tendon injury which forced her to retire from the racing tracks. Then Annette's friend called.

"I bought her immediately in and it turned out that she had a good pedigree for SWB breeding, her sire National Zenith xx has been both popular and successful in warmblood breeding," said Annette.

All Round Breeder

Annette, who is a level 3 riding instructor and has, among other things, been operations manager of Katrineholms riding club describes herself as an all-round breeder with an interest in both jumping and dressage. She covered Manzana with, among others, Lancier, Szkopul and Magini.

"My daughter Pernille went to the national sports high school in Strömsholm and they were on a study visit to Gränsbo. She was very impressed by Bocelli and said, "please mom, can't we cover with him next time", so we did," Annette reminisced.

The result was Mazy Klövenhöj. Klövenhöj after the farm where the family previously lived in Denmark.

Inconspicuous

"She was fantastically beautiful as a foal, but as a young horse she was quite inconspicuous. We were about to sell her but Pernille's dressage trainer, Camilla Larsson told us to keep her. She already considered this to be a future Grand Prix and championship horse."

Pernille competed Mazy up to M-dressage, but to make a proper FEI effort there was a lack of funds. The family began to look around for a new rider. A couple of successful riders declined.

"For us, it was important to have a rider who put the horse's welfare first. We wanted her to have a good horse life, to go in the paddock and be ridden. Mazy is a horse that needs to have a good time and not be trimmed all the time," says Annette.

Through mutual friends, Mazy ended up with Johanna Due Boje. They were both, among other things, the best Swedish athletes in the 2023 CDI-W Gothenburg and will start the World Cup final in Omaha.

Omaha Dream

Annette will be Mazy's groom in Omaha. Husband Aksel gets to stay at home and take care of the horses on the farm and daughter Pernille finds it difficult to travel with studies and a small son at home.

"It's funny. I've had 40-45 foals over the years and in most cases you've really gone long and hard thinking about how to match," Annette smiled "Mazy was a random pick. I liked the dam and Pernille the sire. It turned out very well."