Portrait of breeder Andreas Gregersen

Horse breeding as a collective project

Andreas Gregersen is one of the breeders who has been a regular visitor to Blue Hors’ mare stable for many years. But before that, it all started as a father and son duo, the foundation mare of the Flower damline and the stallion Gefion, who lived on a neighboring farm. Gefion became the sire of many of the first generations of foals until his death, after which something new had to happen.

At that time, Blue Hors Don Schufro had just arrived in Denmark, providing a natural transition for Blue Hors to become the duo’s new preferred stallion station. Since that decision, many foals have been born, several of which have become successful sport horses, shining at national and international level.

One of the mares that regularly visited the station was “Flæk–Øre” (Split–Ear), or more formally known as Gaio Flower by Resident. Flæk-Øre was a very special mare for the stud, and for several years, her distinctive split ear was associated with Andreas’ father’s nickname. When someone mentioned Flæk-Øre, everyone at Blue Hors knew exactly who was being referred to.

Andreas’ father had a close collaboration with the staff at Blue Hors, and when he unexpectedly passed away in 2002, the collaboration naturally shifted over to Andreas, along with Esben and Karsten. Since then, the key persons have changed names to Martin Klavsen and Lennart Lindberg, but the essence remains the same – much to the delight of both us and Andreas.

The wild ride with Zick Flower

Blue Hors Zick Flower, who is sired by Blue Hors Zack and out of “Flæk-Øre’s” Blue Hors Romanov daughter, Goldstar Flower, is bred by Andreas, and he is a very special horse, not only for Andreas but also for Blue Hors.

Zick Flower’s pedigree can be traced back to the foundation mare of the Flower line, namely Gilly Flower by Gold XX/Ferdinand, who was bred by the Juhl Hansen family. When he was a foal, he was purchased by Blue Hors after a run up and down the driveway. Already at that young age, the colt’s qualities shone through brilliantly.

4 years later, in 2013, Zick Flower’s competitive career began when Blue Hors rider Allan Grøn and the talented Zick Flower won the Danish Warmblood Young Horse Championship with two scores of 10 from test rider Hasse Hoffmann. On the first day of the championship, the judges from Danish Warmblood awarded Zick Flower with 8 for walk, 9 for trot, 9 for canter, 9 for rideability, and 9 for capacity. On the second day, it was Hasse Hoffmann’s turn to enjoy the ride on Zick Flower.

The following year, in 2014, Holstebro Sportsrideklub hosted the Danish Riding Federation’s Young Horse Championships in dressage, where Zick Flower won the 6-year-old qualification class with scores including a 10 for rideability, as well as 9 for trot and capacity, securing a direct spot in the final!

And Zick Flower continued to excel in the young horse classes!

As a 7-year-old in 2015, Allan and Zick Flower won the World Championships for Young Horses in Verden with an impressive score of 73.728%. This also meant that Andreas Gregersen was now the breeder of a world champion for 7-year-old dressage horses!

In 2016, Zick Flower showcased his talent once again, this time as a small tour horse. Zick Flower and Allan Grøn participated in the popular Bundgaard Byg Cup, which allows riders and horses at small tour level to compete against each other at selected shows, and to gather the best for the final. And of course, Allan and Zick secured a spot in the final! At the final show, they claimed another overall championship victory after winning both the first round’s Intermediaire and the final’s Intermediare Kür.

After the victory in the Bundgaard Byg Cup, it was clear that Zick Flower, with his energy and eagerness to perform, was ready for future plans in the big sport at national shows. As he was already well on his way in his training towards the Grand Prix level and excelled in the difficult movements, this plan proved to be successful. In the following years, Zick Flower and Allan made their debut in international small tour competitions, and later Nanna Skodborg Merrald took Zick Flower for his first Grand Prix ride at the national level.

Today, Zick Flower is ridden by Spanish rider Cristian Tudela Ruiz, who has debuted him in international Grand Prix competitions. Together, this experienced partnership has achieved several national and international victories!

Successful breeding with young stallions on multiple damlines

In addition to Zick Flower and the Flower–damline, Andreas has also bred numerous sport horses that have competed in dressage throughout the country, with several of them making impressive appearances at Danish Warmblood mare inspections. These horses carry the breeder name “Ankulgård” because they originate from another damline present in Andreas’ breeding program, namely the Ankulgård line.

The foundation mare of the Ankulgård line is Rhea (by Gefion/Bergsturm, breeder: Svend Aage Ovesen), a broodmare who has earned a bronze medal. Her descendants are many, and here are some of the Ankulgård offspring that have performed particularly well:

• Ankulgårds Ferria by Blue Hors Future Cup/Classic
  – Born in 2002
  – Dam is Ankulgårds Rubin
  – Competed in M-level dressage under Anja Henning
• Ankulgårds Rozitta by Blue Hors Hertug/Frühling
  – Born in 2003
  – Dam is Ankulgårds Rozann
  – A-level dressage horse
  – Competed in ECCO Cup and at the Danish Championships for junior and young riders under Trine Fisker
• Ankulgårds Rena by Blue Hors Hotline/Blue Hors Don Schufro
  – Born in 2008
  – Dam is Ankulgårds Rouce
  – Winner of the 5-year-old dressage championship qualification under rider Thomas Lassen
• Ankulgårds Ronja by Blue Hors Lodestar/Blue Hors Don Schufro
  – Born in 2009
  – Dam is Ankulgårds Rouce
  – Placed in L-level dressage under Lea Sandhøj Jørgensen
• Ankulgårds Touch by Blue Hors Touch Me/Blue Hors Don Schufro
  – Born in 2011
  – Dam is Ankulgårds Rouce
  – B-level dressage horse under Carina Jørgensen
• Ankelgårds Rhea by Blue Hors Don Olymbrio/Blue Hors Don Schufro
  – Born in 2012
  – Dam is Ankulgårds Rouce
  – Approved in RDH (Danish Warmblood registry)
  – Competed in ECCO Cup for junior and young riders under Ida Guldbrandsen

But it’s not just this line that can showcase good sport horses, as among the successful Flower offspring, we also find A-level dressage horses and successful championship participants.

Here is an overview of these:

• Herkules Flower by Blue Hors Hertug/Resident
  – Born in 2002
  – Dam is Gaio Flower
  – Finalist at the championships under Anna Blomgreen
  – Competed in ECCO Cup for junior and young riders under Pernille Koch Rasmussen
  – Competed up to Intermediare I dressage
  – A-level dressage horse
• Hero Flower by Blue Hors Hertug/Resident
  – Born in 2003
  – Dam is Gaio Flower
  – Placed in the Danish dressage championships with a score of 80.2 under Thomas Lassen
• Goldda Flower by Blue Hors Don Romantic/Cadillac
  – Born in 2008
  – Dam is Goldie Flower
  – Approved in DH (Danish Warmblood)
  – Placements in LA-level on C-level competitions under Cyrillia Sabroe and Anna Thorstein Davidsen
• Gofine Flower by Blue Hors Zack/Cadillac
  – Born in 2009
  – Dam is Goldie Flower
  – Approved in DH (Danish Warmblood)
  – Placements in LA-level on C-level competitions under Janni Hansen
• Zalando Flower by Blue Hors Zatchmo/Blue Hors Hotline
  – Born in 2014
  – Dam is G-Hit Flower
  – Placed in MB-level dressage on C-level competitions under Anne Cathrine Amtrup
• Sarenso Flower by Blue Hors St. Schufro/Blue Hors Hotline
  – Born in 2015
  – Dam is G-Hit Flower
  – Placed in MB-level dressage on C-level competitions with Sandra Holm Seiersen
• Sandro Flower by Blue Hors St. Schufro/Blue Hors Hotline
  – Born in 2016
  – Dam is G-Hit Flower
  – Winner of the Colt Foal Championship at Blue Hors
• Anastasia Flower by Blue Hors Zackerey/Blue Hors Armano
  – Born in 2018
  – Dam is Askepot Flower
  – Won LC-level dressage under Julie Nyholm Østergård

The keen eye may notice from the birth years and sire-stallions that Andreas is not afraid to use the younger stallions on his mares. This tactic is not without reason, and in recent years, it has resulted in foals sired by Blue Hors Monte Carlo, Blue Hors Santiano, and Blue Hors Feinstar coming into the world at Andreas’ stud.

Now it’s time for another generation change. So, with the exact same strategy in mind, this year’s stallion selection has also been made with a focus on using young stallions, with Blue Hors Bonfilio and Blue Hors Glamourville are in play. These two young stallions show great promise and Andreas finds them interesting based on their capacity and lineage.

Among the mares chosen for breeding this year is the latest addition to Andreas’ collection of mare lines, namely the mare behind the AG-line. The mare for the AG-line is the RDH mare Pink Horse Electrica, sired by Quaterback/Loudini and bred by Pink Horse by Christina and Steen Søndergård. Electrica, ridden by Josefine Hoffmann, achieved 80% and an impressive 7th place in the Danish Riding Federation’s 5-year-old championship qualifier in Billund. Electrica now serves as a broodmare at Andreas’ facility, where she will have a foal after Feinstar in 2023 and subsequently be inseminated with Blue Hors Bonfilio.

Pink Horse Electrica, along with the Blue Hors Zack daughter, Guti Flower RDH, are the two current active broodmares in Andreas’ breeding program. In 2023, Guti Flower gave birth to a filly by Monte Carlo, which has been showcased at both the Blue Hors Open House and Blue Hors Foal Evening. She will be inseminated with Glamourville in 2023, and Andreas is already looking forward to next year’s Glamourville/Zack offspring.