At the age of 13, Zirocco Blue VDL has been retired from the sport.
The striking stallion by Mr. Blue x Voltaire did his last competition at the Rio Olympics last summer. Yesterday, his retirement was announced at the VDL Stallion Show and Zirocco Blue VDL will now dedicate himself to his breeding career.
With Jur Vrieling in the saddle, Zirocco Blue VDL won the team gold medal at the 2015 European Championships in Aachen. Zirocco Blue VDL was also on the winning Dutch team at the 2016 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Rotterdam and in Rome back in 2015. In 2014, he won the CSI5* World Cup in Oslo as well as the CSI3* Grand Prix of Geesteren – some of many highlights from his career.
"A special thanks to Jur Vrieling and his team for all the fantastic moments with Zirocco Blue," writes the VDL Stud on their Facebook page.
Watch the highlights of Zirocco Blue VDL's career here:
Source: VDL Stud's Facebook page // Picture © Jenny Abrahamsson