Lars Petersen “Happily Surprised” to Have Blue Hors’s Gredstedgards Casmir as Olympic Hopeful
13 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Lars Petersen “Happily Surprised” to Have Blue Hors’s Gredstedgards Casmir as Olympic Hopeful
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
Lars Petersen, still a Danish citizen but one of the most prominent trainers in the United States, said he was “happily surprised” to be offered Gredstedgårds Casmir to ride for Blue Hors stud for whom he competed their horses in an Olympics, three world championships and two Wortld Cup Finals.
Blue Hors chose Lars, 46, who is based an Wellington, Florida, and operates a training facility with up to 50 horses in nearby Loxahatchee, to train and compete Gredstedgårds Casmir while Edward Gal of the Netherlands will compete Blue Hors Romanov.
Blue Hors farmed out the horses after firing Sune Hansen following a disappointing performance at the European Championships in Rotterdam.
Gredstedgårds Casmir is a 12-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Continue x Lisette x Rastell) that was first competed Grand Prix by Andreas Helgstrand in 2007 and was on the Danish team at the European Championships the same year and the World Cup Final in 2008.
Sune took over the ride in 2009 and rode the horse at the European Championships in 2009 and the World Equestrian Games in 2010.
Lars told dressage-news.com that Gredstedgårds Casmir is scheduled to arrive at his barn in mid-November.
The horse has recovered from an injury, he said, and he will spend the nex few months developing fitness and preparing for the Florida winter circuit.
“The plan is to take it nice and easy,” he said. “During the season we will start showing a little bit and in the spring we will probably go to Europe for about 10 weeks to campaign the horse with the aim of qualifying for the Danish team for the Olympics at the end of July.
“I’m excited as I haven’t done this in a while. The way we have it planned is a nice way of doing it.”
Lars has done some business with Blue Hors in recent years and they have been a sponsor of some high performance shows he stages at Equestrian Estates near the barn he operates with Grand Prix rider Melissa Taylor, with whom he has had a personal and business relationship for several years.
He said that he “was a little surprised, but happily so” to receive the offer from Blue Hors.
