Hannell's Deela Mae Winds Down Competition Career and Starts Breeding

Dressage

Sweden

Mathilde Hannell's Grand Prix schoolmaster Deela Mae will slowly be retired from competition sport this year and will continue her career as a broodmare. The dark bay mare is 19 years old.

Deela Mae is a Westfalian mare by De Niro out of La Be (by Landino) and bred by Sabine Steinkuhl.

The mare began her show career in Germany as a 4-year old under Peter Strässer, who took her up to Grand Prix level. They did their first Inter II test in 2006 and the combination's last show was in September 2007 at the CDR Einen.

The mare moved to Sweden in 2011 as she sold to Caroline Bonde Sandgaard. The new pair competed at Grand Prix level. They were 7th at the 2011 Swedish Championships, ninth at the 2012 Nationals, and won silver at the 2013 Nordic Baltic Championships. In 2014 the Hannell family purchased Deela Mae as a schoolmaster for Mathilde.

Mathilde and Deela Mae made their CDI debut in the Under 25 division at the 2015 CDI Falsterbo and finished sixth there. They represented Sweden at the 2016 and 2017 European Under 25 Championships. They scored the silver medal at the 2017 Swedish Under 25 Championships.

Deela Mae might do a few less heavy competitions as her sport career slowly winds down into retirement. She will be bred for the first time though this spring. As the mare has never had a foal before embryotransfer is the safer option considering her age. The Hannell family has picked their own Swedish warmblood licensed stallion Formalin (by Floricello) as sire.