Mazy Klövenhöj – a real family product

Mazy Klövenhöj is born and raised outside of Nyköping. Her breeders are Annette Karlsson and Aksel Primdahl. Photo by Maja Primdahl

She is the daughter of a hurdle racer and was inconspicuous as a young horse. This is not stopping Mazy Klövenhöj from competing in the World Cup final in dressage. This week she starts in Omaha together with Johanna Dueboje.

Many people think she is Danish, but the fact is that Mazy Klövenhöj is very Swedish. She was born outside Nyköping, bred by Annette Karlsson and Aksel Primdahl (who is admittedly Danish). Her mother is the Swedish-born hurdler Manzana xx and her father is Bocelli SWB, bred and owned by Gränsbo Stud.
- I have a friend who works with racing horses. As I was driving to her home, I spotted a mare with an exterior that I thought would be perfect for SWB breeding. "You won't sell her before you've talked to me," I said to my friend, Annette Karlsson says.
The mare, Manzana xx had a career with wins and placings in both flat races and over hurdles. As a six-year-old, she suffered a tendon injury which forced her to retire from the racing tracks. Then Annette's friend called.
- I bought her immediately in and it turned out that she had a good pedigree for SWB breeding, her sire National Zenith xx has been both popular and successful in warmblood breeding, says Annette.

Annette, who is a level 3 riding instructor and has, among other things, been operations manager for Katrineholms Ryttarförening describes herself as an all-round breeder with an interest in both jumping and dressage. She covered Manzana with, among others, Lancier, Szkopul and Magini.
- My daughter Pernille went to the national sports high school in Strömsholm and they were on a study visit to Gränsbo. She was very impressed by Bocelli and said, "please mom, can't we cover with him next time", so we did.
The result was Mazy Klövenhöj. Klövenhöj after the farm where the family previously lived in Denmark.
- She was fantastically beautiful as a foal, but as a young horse she was quite inconspicuous. We were about to sell her but Pernille's dressage trainer, Camilla Larsson told us to keep her. She already considered this to be a future Grand Prix and championship horse.

Pernille competed Mazy up to M-dressage, but to make a proper elite effort there was a lack of funds. The family began to look around for a new rider. A couple of successful riders declined.
- For us, it was important to have a rider who put the horse's welfare first. We wanted her to have a good horse life, to go in the paddock and be ridden. Mazy is a horse that needs to have a good time and not be trimmed all the time, says Annette.
Through mutual friends, Mazy ended up with Johanna Dueboje. They were both, among other things, the best Swedish athletes in the World Cup dressage in Gothenburg and will start the World Cup final in Omaha.
Annette comes with her to Omaha as a groom. Husband Aksel gets to stay at home and take care of the horses on the farm and daughter Pernille finds it difficult to travel with studies and a small son at home.
- It's funny. I've had 40-45 foals over the years and in most cases you've really gone long and hard thinking about how to match. Mazy is random. I liked the mother and Pernille the father, it turned out very well, notes Annette Karlsson.