Professional Care Horsemanship
Trainer of Young Horses: Training Should Never Be an Assault
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Daniel Bachmann Andersen's fascination with horses began at an early age. His parents did not ride professionally, but there were horses in his childhood home in Jutland, Denmark. He started riding at the age of 7, but it was when he met former Olympic rider Morten Thomsen at the age of 10 that his hobby became more serious. Over the next 6 years, he spent most of his free time helping out at Thomsen's stable and with his horses. During this period, he also started competing in tournaments with Thomsen's horses. At the age of 16, he had a unique opportunity to go to Germany to train as a horse groom.
In Germany, Andersen secured an apprenticeship with Rudolf Zeilinger, thanks to a recommendation from Thomsen. Zeilinger, who was the trainer for the Danish dressage national team from 1997 to 2017, gave Andersen a good start in his professional career in the equestrian world. Andersen spent six years in Germany, where he received his education, subsequently worked for Zeilinger, and met his current wife, Tiril. Tiril is also a dressage rider who had come from Norway to Germany for equestrian reasons. When Tiril became pregnant, the couple moved to Denmark, where they still live today.
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After a few years back home in Denmark, where he rode with Andreas Helgstrand, he was recruited by the sports and breeding stable Blue Hors. It was at Blue Hors that Andersen's sports career really took off. He was with Blue Hors for about six years, during which he achieved several career milestones. He made his debut appearances at both the European Championships, World Championships, and World Cup, and he won the Danish dressage championship in 2019. The victory in the Danish Championship was achieved in collaboration with Blue Hors Zack, who was also Andersen's partner in the aforementioned international tournaments.
In 2020, Andersen parted ways with Blue Hors and became self-employed. This meant that he had to say goodbye to his former horses and start fresh with new ones. Marshall-Bell has been a particularly noteworthy partner for Andersen, as the gelding has been with him for most of his career highlights since his departure from Blue Hors. Marshall-Bell participated in the 2021 European Championships, where the pair achieved tenth and seventh places in the individual competitions and a bronze medal with the Danish team.
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Expectations were high for the Danish pairs leading up to the World Championships in Herning, and it was expected that Andersen and Marshall-Bell would participate. However, a few months before the major competition, Marshall-Bell was sold by its owners. Without his star horse, Andersen would not be able to compete in Herning, so the joy was great when Marshall-Bell's new owner Nicola Ahorner agreed to lend out the newly acquired horse for the competition. Thus, Andersen succeeded in participating in the greatest result in Danish dressage history. Daniel Bachmann Andersen, along with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, Carina Cassøe Krüth, and Nanna Merrald Rasmussen, ended up winning gold in the team competition. Nanna Merrald Rasmussen is one of Andersen's former colleagues from Blue Hors and rode Zack during the competition, indirectly joining the former pair for another career highlight.
Since the World Championship victory, Daniel Bachmann Andersen's focus has been on training new horses for future major competitions. Zippo, who is one of Zack's offspring, is one of the talented horses Andersen currently rides. He has stated that one of his major goals for the future is the Olympics in Paris next year. Regardless of what happens, it will be exciting to see what he and the other Danish dressage stars can achieve in the coming years.
