Le Noir, Uta Gräf's Career Making Grand Prix Horse, Passed Away

Wed, 10/01/2025 - 10:07
Germany
Uta Gräf and Le Noir at the 2011 CDIO Aachen :: Photo © Astrid Appels

Le Noir, Uta Gräf's career-making international Grand Prix horse, has passed away. He was 25 years old.

Le Noir was a Holsteiner stallion by Leandro out of Caletta (by Caletto I x Carneval). He was bred by Carola Gross-Seibel and sold as a foal to his life long owners, Hans and Christiane Herzog.

Licensed Stallion

Le Noir was first licensed as a breeding stallion for ZfDP in 2002. He started his 30-day performance test in Munster-Handorf in April 2003 but didn't finish, instead he did the 70-day testing in Neustadt/Dosse in April 2006 and scored 116.63 points with a dressage index of 128.46 (2nd) and a jumping index of 88.03 (15th).

He was approved for Rhineland in 2008, for Holstein in February 2012 and for Hanover in July 2012.

Le Noir only bred to a small amount of mares. Forty-five of his offspring are registered in Germany as competition horses. He has sired one licensed son, Le Docteur.

Rise to Grand Prix

Uta schooling Le Noir at home in 2010
The black was first competed as a 3-year old in 2003. Bryndis Trienekens trained and showed him up to M-level until January 2008. Alexander Döhler competed him twice in those years.

As of the early spring of 2008, Uta Gräf took over the ride on the stallion. She premiered him at a local show in Zweibrucken in March 2008 at M** level. In 2009 she established him at small tour level and qualified for the Nurnberger Burgpokal finals and finished 6th in the finals in Frankfurt.

In 2010 they made the leap to Grand Prix and first did the developing Grand Prix horse tests (Medien Cup) before their international CDI debut in Lipica in May 2010 where they won the Grand Prix and Special.

Crowd Favourite

The sympathetic black stallion and the ever-smiling Gräf with her bleached blond cropped hair and beautiful way of riding became crowd favourites and Le Noir made Gräf's name on the international scene.

At the 2012 CDI-W Mechelen
In 2010 they rode at the CDI Strassen for another win and from their they did the CDI Verden.  In 2011 the pair gained momentum in Wiesbaden, Aachen Donaueschingen, and Stuttgart. They finished 8th in the Kur at the 2011 German Grand Prix Championships.

Their highlight year was 2012. After the CDI's in Neumunster, Dortmund and Mannheim, they scored a double win in Wiesbaden, placed 7th at the German Grand Prix Championships, and were nominated on the German team for the FEI Nations Cup in Rotterdam. They were short-listed for the German Team for the Olympics in London. After Aachen they did not get picked, but they continued with bravura in Perl, Stuttgart and Mechelen. In 2012 Le Noir was the sixth best ranked dressage horse in Germany. 

Crowd favourites
As of 2013 their rhythm slowed down with only two CDI's that year (Munich and Donaueschingen). Their last year in the ring was 2014 where they flew to Doha, followed by Mannheim. Their last CDI. Their last competition was in August 2014 at the regional show in Mainz-Bretzenheim where they finished third in the Intermediaire II.

Le Noir scored more than 60 victories at S-level in his career. The stallion won over 100,000 euro in prize money.

Retirement

Le Noir was retired from sport in the spring of 2015 with a ceremony planned in Wiesbaden, not too far from Gräf's stable, Gut Rothenkircher Hof, in Kirchheimbolanden (GER). The stallion spent his retirement out in the field.

Yesterday, Uta announced the passing of "Leo" on social media. 

"The dearest horse you can imagine has died," Graäf stated. "Sad, but especially grateful for the time we had to say goodbye to our heart horse Le Noir after 17 years together. Having been allowed to spend the past years his retirement life - still as a stallion - here with us on the yard, now at the age of 25."

Uta and Leo at home
Uta continued, "the Herzog family resisted all lucrative purchase offers and so it happened that he was allowed to stay with us until today. After his active dressage career, Le Noir has still thrilled thousands of spectators - in his efforts on the long rein with Stefan, e.g. at Equitana or other big events, as well as in our free trainings at the Rothenkircherhof."

Uta concluded, "Leo has changed my life and my riding completely. He has shown me how to ride finely and has inspired not only me but also his environment."

Photos © Astrid Appels - Silke Rottermann - Barbara Schnell

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