Kiekeboe Picobello Z on the Grand Prix podium in Saint Lô

A three-star show was also on the programme on French soil last weekend, with the Normandie Horse Show taking place at the Pôle Hippique de Saint-Lô. During this atmospheric event, several Z-class horses also put in strong performances, culminating in a podium finish in the CSI3* Grand Prix.

The 1.50m-high CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon in Saint-Lô marked the culmination of four days of international show jumping and saw a total of sixty rider-horse pairs take to the arena. Of these, sixteen successfully completed the course designed by Yann Royant and his team, thereby securing a place in the decisive jump-off. One of those sixteen riders in the jump-off was local rider Hugo Breul and the 10-year-old chestnut stallion Kiekeboe Picobello Z, a son of the French sire Kannan and Indoctro, bred by the Ruant family of Picobello Horses. Breul and Kiekeboe Picobello Z once again produced a flawless performance in the jump-off and, with a finishing time of 38.98 seconds, secured a fine^second place.

Furthermore, his compatriot Megane Moissonnier also put in a fine performance in this Grand Prix with the equally 10-year-old gelding Kandoo Z, a breeding product of Hilary Parren that combines the bloodlines of Kannan with those of Level Z. Moissonnier and Kandoo Z finished in 40.25 seconds, ultimately finishing just off the podium in^fourth place.

In seventh place was the French rider Edouard Chauvet with the 14-year-old mare Zia Mia de la Bonn Z ( Zandor Z x Voltaire – breeder: Elise Bonnaud). In 39.05 seconds, they posted the^{third-fastest} time on the scoreboard, but a small mistake along the way ultimately kept them off the podium.

However, the final day on Sunday began in Saint Lô with a 1.40m class, and in that too a Z-class horse managed to break through to the top of the rankings. This was achieved by Belgian rider Jean-Christophe De Grande on the 9-year-old stallion Massimo Z, a son of Menko Vd Wellington and Caesar Ter Linden from the stud of Laura Vanhoutte. A clear round earned the pair^5th place in the rankings.

Finally, on Thursday, Irish rider Daniel Fitzgerald put in a stunning performance with the 9-year-old mare Fleuriske Z, a daughter of For Pleasure and Royal Bravour who was born in the Netherlands at breeder Max Verheij’s stud. Fitzgerald and Fleuriske Z were crowned winners of the 1.45m main class, where their dazzling round in 68.22 seconds gave them a lead of almost a full second over the competition.