Grandioso Achieves Personal Best Grand Prix at 2013 European Championships

The 2013 FEI European Dressage Championships were hosted by Denmark and held during the week of August 20-27 at a sports complex outside of Herning. 14 countries fielded teams of 3 or 4 horses, and several more countries—including Spain—were represented by individual riders.

Both of the Spanish pairs—Jose Daniel Martin Dockx with Grandioso and Jose Antonio Garcia Mena with Norte—achieved personal bests, representing Spain and the PRE breed with dignity and fine performances that placed both in the top 25 horses in Europe. But this outstanding achievement on their part was bittersweet, as the participation of Fuego and Juan Manuel Munoz was greatly missed as well as the opportunity to go to Herning as a team.

Daniel and Grandioso were in top form for the Grand Prix. They scored a personal best of 72.204%, ranking 17^th on the first day, in a field of 65 of the most competitive Dressage horses in the world.[nbsp] The Grand Prix Special was similarly ridden, receiving a conservative 71.220. In the end, Daniel and Grandioso finished the Championship ranked 22^nd.

These European Championships were sponsored by Blue Horse Stud and Performance Sales International (in addition to Ecco shoes), and the festivities, galas, stallion presentations, and marketing were strongly geared to the sponsors.[nbsp] This was truly a celebration of the horse and equestrian discipline as defined by Northern Europe. Dressage is alive and well in this part of the world, where the stands were full on the final day for the Kur, to see the Princess retire her lovely Digby, and to watch new world record scores be broken and reset with every class. We can only hope that the same attention will be made to the wonderful Iberian breeds if and when the Olympics come to Madrid in 2020…

What an amazing year it has been for Daniel and Grandioso, who in their second year at international Grand Prix, are now ranked within the top 22 horses in the world, and are still maintaining an upward trend.[nbsp] Grandioso made the long trip home again and will now rest and relax until the end of the year, reward for a job well-done.

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