Nanna Skodborg Merrald has decided on the next chapter in her professional dressage career. She has returned to her roots, her family's stable, and gone independent.
Nanna and her life partner Daniel Kristensen has purchased the farm of her parents, stable Lykkesholm, in Sjaelland.
Nanna Merrald
The 32-year old Nanna Merrald began her international career on pony Centrum and then horse Millibar. She won the 2011 European Junior Riders Championships and she made her international Grand Prix debut in 2013 as a 20-year old young rider on Millibar.
Nanna began working as a professional rider at Blue Hors at the start of 2018 and worked her way up to head rider. In 2021 she took over the ride on Blue Hors Zack from Daniel Bachmann Andersen and rode him at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. They won team gold at the 2022 World Championships. She piloted Atterupgaards Orthilia to team bronze at the 2021 European Championships and Blue hors Touch of Olympic to silver at the 2021 World Young horse Championships.
In 2023 Blue Hors Zepter took her to team bronze and GP special silver at the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck and a second place at the 2023 World Cup Finals. In 2024 she was second again at the World Cup Finals on Don Olymbrio, while at the 2024 Olympics she and Zepter got team silver and finished 9th in the Kur.
Sudden Change
In June 2026 employer Blue Hors suddenly announced that they were parting ways with Nanna, which left the rider looking for a re-start in her career.
Merrald, who had given birth to her first child in March 2026, decided on returning home.
"We have bought Lykkesholm where I am born and raised. From here we will be running Merrald Dressage and we can’t wait to see what the future will bring," she made public.
The last few days and weeks they have been getting the place ready, installing new boxes, cleaning and re-painting buildings.
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