Scandic Passed Away

Dressage

Sweden

Scandic, a Swedish Olympic team horse and Patrik Kittel's first medal winning Grand Prix horse, has passed away. He was 25 years old.

Scandic was a KWPN bred stallion by Solos Carex out of Noraline (by Flyinge Amiral x Michelangelo). He was bred by Ineke Mosman-Rohe in The Netherlands.

Licensed Stallion

Scandic was owned by Dutch veterinarian Jan Greve who owns equine clinic and stallion station De Watermolen (Watermill) in The Netherlands. He recommended breeder Mosman-Rohe to use Amiral on gand dam Joline and as she liked Scandinavian blood, she then opted for Solos Carex on Noraline.

Jan Greve came to see newborn Scandic as a days-old foal and bought it for 12.500 euro. "He was a strong foal with a good Bach. He was very level headed as a foal and trotted straight away with power and ground cover," Jan Green said in an 2014 interview. "I had to have him and bought him for 25,000 Dutch guilders. It was a heap of money at the time but I believed in him."

Greve got offers on Scandic as a yearling. "I had clients one day and pulled Scandic from the field. He immediately trotted away in three strides and then thought to myself, I'll quickly throw him back in the field, otherwise he'll be sold."

Scandic was licensed at the 2002 KWPN Stallion Licensing, the year the totally disappeared Symfonie became champion and Sir Sinclair auction price highlight. Jan Schep bought half ownership at the licensing from Greve which secured the stallion's residence in The Netherlands. He was approved for ZfDP in Germany in 2002, for Oldenburg in 2004 and for Westfalen and Brandenburg in 2009.

Remy Bastings

With Bastings at the 2004 WCYH in Verden

Scandic stook at stud at De Watermolen where Remy Bastings was the head rider at the time. He started Scandic in sport.

They were second in the 2003 Pavo Cup Finals and won the 2004 and 2005 KWPN Stallion Competition Finals. He competed the horse at the 2004 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden. After winning the consolation finals they ended up 10th in the finals for 5-year olds. In the 2004 Pavo Cup Finals they were fifth.

In 2006 Annemiek van der Vorm briefly took over the ride but when she left De Watermolen, Greve had to go in search of a new rider.

Patrik Kittel

Greve decided on the German based Swede Patrik Kittel after a tip from an employee who worked at Greve's equine clinic. "Patrik came to try Scandic here and it clicked well," Greve said.

As of November 2007 Scandic and Kittel were a pair. The pair made its show debut at small tour level at the CDN Munster in January 2008 where they were second in the Prix St Georges and Inter I. By March they moved up to Intermediaire II level at the local show in Wartenberg and the rest of the spring they contested the Developing Grand Prix horse classes in Mannheim and Donaueschingen (Louisdor Cup/Medien Cup).

Their first international show at Grand Prix level was in January 2009 at the CDI Bremen, where they scored 65.450% in the Grand Prix. From there they went to Hagen (70.383%), Wiesbaden, Lingen, Falsterbo and Hansbeke.

Break Out Year 2009

2009 became the break through year for Kittel and Scandic and they were nominated on the Swedish team. The previous year Kittel had ridden his first Olympics on Floresco, but Scandic quickly took over the torch as the number one in the barn.

At the 2009 European Championships in Windsor they were 8th in the special (73.958%) and 13th in the Kur (%).

2009 did not end on a high note because in November the British Horse Society demanded an investigation into Epona TV's video footage of Kittel riding Scandic in rollkur and with blue tongue out of the mouth at the CDI-W Odense. The pair finished fourth in the Grand Prix and third in the Kur there. It led to several petitions against the rollkur as well as in favour of Kittel. The FEI first released a statement a few days after the show and concluded its investigation into Kittel's training methods in January 2010. The FEI exonerated the rider.

Swedish Team Horse

At the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington

The pair continued its partnership and became a fixture for Sweden at a string of World Cup Finals and major FEI Championships.

In 2010 they competed in the World Cup Finals in Den Bosch and placed 5th (76.550%). There were no CDI's in between but got selected for the team for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, where they could not continue their upward scoring trend. They were 42nd in the Grand Prix (66.255%)

2011 became their highlight year. They qualified for the 2011 World Cup Finals in Leipzig via Stockholm, Amsterdam and Gothenburg. At the Finals they were 6th (76.375%). Kittel and Scandic's Depeche Mode freestyle became one of the catchiest on the circuit and at the 2011 European Championships in Rotterdam, they were 5th in the Special (76.771%) and they won bronze in the Kur (83.429%). The pair was trained by Sjef Janssen at the time.

Highs and Lows

Career highlight: Kur bronze at the 2011 Euros

Scandic began 2012 being sidelined with a small injury, missing the World Cup season. They returned at the CDI Lingen, where they won the Grand Prix and Kur. After winning the Special at the CDIO Rotterdam and Kur in Falsterbo they were selected on the Swedish team for the 2012 Olympics in London. They made it into the freestyle final and were 14th (78.732%).

After London they continued strongly through the winter, competing at the World Cup qualifiers in Lyon and Stockholm and even flying to Florida for the qualifier in West Palm Beach and Gold Coast Opener, where they won three times. Then 's Hertogenbosch followed before the 2013 World Cup Finals in Gothenburg, where they were 7th (77.775%). There was no stopping to their season, and they showed in Munich three weeks later, followed by Falsterbo. An injury flared up in Herning and Scandic was swapped last-minute for Toy Story for the 2013 European Championships in Herning.

Scandic returned to fitness and after an eight month show break made a come back at the 2014 CDI Vidauban in France, where they won the Grand Prix (76.780%) and Kur. They confirmed form in Munich and Falsterbo and represented Sweden again at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, where they were 17th in the Special (74.860%) not making it into the Kur.

As of 2015 they competed at a few select shows in Doha, Munich, Rotterdam and Stockholm. Swedish mare Deja had taken over the baton as "primus inter pares" in the barn and she went to the Europeans that summer.

Scandic finished his career on a high note by qualifying for his fourth World Cup Finals on home turf in Gothenburg. The stallion competed there in his last show on 27 March 2016, finishing fourth in the Kur (78.946%)

Retirement

Scandic was retired from sport at age 17 with a special ceremony at the CDIO Falsterbo on 8 July 2016.

"Scandiman" spent the rest of his retirement with Patrik Kittel and Lyndal Oatley, first at their base in Haus Gausking and then at their forever home, Gestut Eulenhof, in Dulmen, Germany.

Kittel announced on Boxing Day that Scandic, his "horse of a lifetime", has passed away.

"I never forget the first time I saw you the spark in your eyes, you had the same spark when I had to said goodbye," Kittel stated. "We (have) done so much together, so many memories I don’t even know where to start, but I know one thing, you never let me down.. you always lifted me up and you where always there when I needed a friend to hug out my own insecurities."

Scandic with his 2011 Euros Rotterdam ribbon

Scandic's legacy will also live on through his offspring. He sired just one licensed son for KWPN (Zambuka) and three in Germany (Sir Scandic, Scando/Don Juan, Bolero). His most famous offspring in sport are international Grand Prix horses Zo What (Alexandre Ayache), Aramis (Christian Zimmermann/Bruehe), and Upgrade (Marina Aframeeva), as well as Annette Ballerina (Claire Gallimore), Alpha de Jeu (Mie Iversen), amongst others.