Blue Hors First Choice Passed Away

Dressage

Denmark

Blue Hors First Choice, a former licensed breeding stallion and international small tour horse, has passed away on 11 November 2023. He was 13 years old.

First Choice was a Dutch warmblood by Jazz out of Vurona (by Negro x Vincent). He was bred by Christiane De Feyter Seydlitz. Dam Vurona also produced licensed stallion High Five US (by Charmeur).

Blue Hors

Blue Hors stud bought First Choice as a foal at the 2010 Borculo Foal Auction in The Netherlands for 30,000 euro.

The stallion was first licensed at the 2013 KWPN Stallion Licensing in 's Hertogenbosch and was subsequently accepted at the 2013 Danish Warmblood Stallion Licensing in Herning.

He did his stallion performance test in Denmark in the autumn of 2013, scoring 834 points, and was approved for the Hanoverian society in December 2013.

First Choice sired a few licensed sons, including Furst Romanov and Fantini. Daughter, the British bred Newton Tiger, represented the U.K. at the 2021 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where she finished fourth in the 5-year old consolation class. She also win the 2021 British Young Horse Championships under Irish Alex Baker.

Sport Career

He was first competed by Alle Grøn in 2014 and finished 9th in the 4-year old finals at the 2014 Danish Young Horse Championships with 83.6 points. In 2015 the pair stranded in 10th place in the second round of the Danish Young horse Championships.

As of 2016 Daniel Bachmann Andersen was on board and with him First Choice finished fourth in the 6-year old finals at the Danish Young horse Championships. Bachmann rode the horse in his first Prix St Georges test in January 2017 after which a 2.5 year break from competition followed for First Choice.

He returned to the arena with Spaniard Cristian Tudela Ruiz in November 2019 and was shown at national small tour level through June 2021.

Laursen and Lunderskov

In July 2021 the horse sold, as a gelding, to Allan Bøgelund Laursen and Camilla Lunderskov for Camilla to ride. He was no longer competed.

Unfortunately this week First Choice suffered from a severe colic attack and was sent to the Hørsholm equine clinic. He was operated on but could not be saved.

"He had a twistet colon. They tried to operate but there where complications," Camilla told Eurodressage. When asked why she didn't compete the horse in their time together, Camilla replied, "to ride among other horses was very stressfull for First Choice, so we decided not to compete him. I rode him every day at home and he was a wonderful horse. He enjoyed the quiet life on the big field with his best friend Darco, an old gentle Grand prix horse."

Lunderskov also took to social media to announce the passing of her beloved horse.

"You stole our hearts with your little quirks and sensitive but incredibly loving mind," Camilla wrote. "We had hoped to give you many more years on the farm, where you would enjoy the big grass paddocks, with your best mate Darco, and gave us many more good and fun moments, as well as some absolutely fantastic rides. In the equestrian world, you were as famous as infamous. You were a breeding stallion and had countless mares, but you were also known for your sensitive and complicated mind. To us you were the best, special, funny and loving boy on earth."