Studfarm Zangersheide has today announced that the now 16-year-old stallion Darry Lou (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve x Nabab de Reve, breeder Roelof Bril) will be joining them in Lanaken, Belgium, for the 2025 breeding season.

“It has been a privilege to have Darry Lou as part of the Evergate Stables team, and we are honored to be able to transition him from a remarkable sport career to his next chapter as a breeding stallion,” said Jennifer Gates of Evergate Stables – the owner of Darry Lou – in a press release from Zangersheide. “His kind spirit and incredible ability bring joy to everyone who meets him. We are looking forward to seeing his legacy continue to evolve, and watching his progeny develop into the next generation of top sport horses.” 

Darry Lou has had a stellar sports career, and in 2019 he was honored with the USEF International Horse of the Year-award. With USA’s Beezie Madden in the saddle, Darry Lou won the $3 million CN ‘International’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex at Spruce Meadows back in 2019 and also secured a 6th place in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen in 2018. Furthermore, the pair helped USA to victories in the CSIO5* Nations Cups at Deeridge Farms in 2019, and at Spruce Meadows back in 2017.

In 2020, Darry Lou was sold to Evergate Stables, and in 2021 he returned to Spruce Meadows to triumph in the CSIO5* 1.55m CANA Cup – this time with Egypt’s Nayel Nassar in the saddle.

“It was a great joy and honor to campaign Darry Lou, despite our relatively short partnership,” Nassar said in the press release. “He has a remarkable personality, filled with a calm confidence and unwavering demeanor regardless of the task at hand. His unique mindset coupled with his athletic ability allowed him to truly thrive as a sport horse on some of the world’s biggest stages. I am very much looking forward to seeing him flourish in this next chapter of his career, and have no doubt he will continue to make us proud by passing on his exceptional genes to future generations.”

In 2022, Harrie Smolders took over the reins on the charming chestnut stallion. Together, the two finished 8th in the $3,000,000 CP 'International' Grand Prix presented by Rolex at Spruce Meadows back in 2022 and ended 7th in the CSIO5* 1.60m RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia in Aachen that same year.

“It has been a privilege to be one of Darry Lou's riders,” Smolders said in the press release. “To have him around and work with him every day was always a pleasure, his kindness but also his ability to listen to what the rider was trying to explain made him very unique and one of a kind. He will be missed by his fans all around the world for his empathy and particularly by our team as we felt a close bond and friendship with him. I will definitely remember his exuberance when we were out hacking - nothing could make him more happy, but he always behaved like a true gentleman. Now it's time for him to fully focus on his next chapter and save all those exceptional qualities for the upcoming generations. Best of luck Darry and thank you for all those beautiful memories.”

At Zangersheide, Judy Ann Melchior is excited to have Darry Lou join their outstanding collection of stallions. “I have admired Darry Lou for a long time and I am thrilled to feature this iconic stallion in our stallion line-up! Not only is he a showjumping superstar, but also a golden opportunity for breeders, boasting exceptional valuable qualities and genetics,” Melchior said in the press release.