Loulou M.p.s. Z scores silver in the CSI3* Grand Prix of Wellington

The acclaimed Winter Equestrian Festival has been over for several weeks now, but at Wellington International, international show jumping continues as usual with the Spring Series. Last weekend, the second Spring Horse Show of the year saw show jumping at three-star level and at the CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday, a Z-level horse coloured the podium with them.

That honour fell to the 10-year-old mare Loulou M.p.s. Z, a daughter of Böckmanns Lord Pezi Junior and Semper Fi 4 bred in Germany by Marc Pierzina. Together with American rider Lacey Gilbertson, LouLou M.p.s. Z was one of 11 combinations that managed to get through the 1.50m high basic round by Mexican course builder Ana Catalina "Catsy" Cruz unscathed. In that decisive jump-off, Gilbertson and Loulou M.p.s. Z sped to the finish in 37.77 seconds, which finally earned them a fine^2nd place in the standings.

However, Gilbertson and Loulou M.p.s. Z were not the only ones who managed to ensure blue/yellow success during this CSI3* Grand Prix, as we also saw two Z-horses a little further away at the top of the standings. So ^4th place went to Colombian rider Roberto Teran Tafur and the 10-year-old grey stallion Iron Maiden, a son of Clarimo ASK and Kashmir Van Schuttershof who was born Cadans van de Ijzervallei Z at breeder Titus Vereecke. Teran Tafur and Iron Maiden, also several successes at Wellington International during the Winter Equestrian Festival, also managed to ensure a clear jump-off, but they needed 38.78 seconds to complete their round.

Then there was another ^6th place for American rider Bliss Heers and the 12-year-old stallion Quality Star Z (Quality Time TN x Cash - B: Niels de Bruijn). They crossed the finishing line in 40.04 seconds after a flawless barrage round.

On Friday, Irish rider Shane Sweetnam managed to jump into the limelight with the 9-year-old chestnut stallion Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z, a son of Comme Il Faut and Lord Z bred by the Van Rossem family of Mivaro BVBA. In the 1.50m class with Winning Round, they were among the best 12 combinations who managed to qualify for the second and decisive round, in which they managed to secure ^4th place after a flawless round.