Swedish Kristian von Krusenstierna had landed his first big tour victories aboard the 12-year old Languedoc at the 2015 CDI Oslo on 15 - 17 October 2015. Making their debut at Grand Prix this autumn, Kristian and Languedoc were in the groove at the Oslo Horse Show and scored winning marks of 69.290% and 72.050%.
Kristian knows this is the start of a very bright future aboard the Westfalian gelding Languedoc (by Laomedon x Francisco).
"In Oslo there was a very nice arena to compete in. However it was a little bit tricky having the warm up, the exhibition place, and the competition arena all in the the same area," Kristian told Eurodressage. “This meant there was a lot of noise but it was of course very good practice for my horse.”
With only three international shows recorded so far (Neumunster, Rotterdam, Hamburg) at small and medium tour level, Languedoc is still quite inexperienced in the show ring. Kristian was very happy with the horse's performance, and says he tried his best on all days of competition.
“He worked very well during the tes, and he is not a horse that likes to make a mistake. I got him just two years ago and I loved him from the first day. I hoped we could do Grand Prix this autumn but I did not believe half a year ago that it would really be possible," von Krusenstierna admitted.
Gifted with three good gaits, Languedoc is described as an easy horse, that really only gets tricky when he doesn’t understand something.
“I found him in Germany but his owners, Bo Eriksson and Anna Edling, are Swedish. To my great fortune they offered me this horse to train and compete," he said.
Kristian and his family manage one of the biggest riding schools in Sweden. With his team he manages 60 horses and around 900 pupils every week. To fulfil his own riding aspirations Kristian has been coached by Nicole Werner in The Netherlands for the past four years. The Swede has set the 2016 Rio Olympics as his goal.
“It is a big ask for a horse so new to the Grand Prix but if we continue to progress as we have done over the last year then I believe he will be ready. It feels like he still hasn’t reached even half of his potential, and that is nice!”
by Sarah Warne - Photo © Oslo Horse Show
Related Links
Scores: 2015 CDI Oslo
Languedoc, Rio Hopeful for Kristian von Krusenstierna
Kristian von Krusenstierna and Biggles Find Their Stride at the 2012 CDI-W Stockholm