Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein's career making Grand Prix horse Rigoletto has passed away at age 20. The horse was euthanized as he was suffering from old age.
"Nobody believes in this horse, but what he lacked in natural talent, he made up for in willingness to go and work," said zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. "I don't know we got this special symbiosis that everything worked."
Rigoletto was a home-bred Danish warmblood gelding born at Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein's castle Berleburg in Germany in 1996. He was by Rubinstein out of Rosienne (by Rossi xx x May Sheriff).
In 2002 the bay gelding did his first young horse competition in Germany. At that time Nathalie zu sayn Wittgenstein trained and lived in Rosendahl at Klaus Balkenhol's yard. He finished 9th at the 2002 World Young Horse Championships in Verden.
The almost buckskin coloured bay was Nathalie's first horse with which she achieved major international championship successes. In 2005 they won their first international competition: the Grand Prix Special at the CDI Hamburg. She represented Denmark at the 2005 European Championships in Hagen, Germany, and at the 2007 European Championships in Turin, Italy, where they qualified for the Kur to Music Finals. As she concluded her kur Rigoletto spooked from Nathalie's enthusiastic patting, jumped out of the arena and almost unseated his rider. It led to their unfortunate elimination, only after another kur rider had filed a protest.
By the late 2000s Rigoletto was campaigned simultaneously with Digby and the latter took over the number one spot in her barn in 2010. "Choco" shone for a few more years. The pair won silver at the 2008 Danish Championships and gold at the 2009 Danish Championships. Their career highlight was probably the victory in the CDI Grand Prix and CDI Gran Prix Special at the 2009 CDIO Aachen.
Rigoletto's last international show at the CDI Stuttgart. In 2012 he did his final show at the Danish Championships in Broholm. After a dissapointing Grand Prix Nathalied decided to retire him from sport. Rigoletto spent his retirement in the field with the now 26-year old Fantast.
"I knew the way he was built that he would not become very old," Nathalie told Eurodressage. "His ligaments and tendons have always been his weak-point. He had five wonderful years in the field together with my other old Grand Prix horse Fantast."
Photos © Astrid Appels - Ridehesten
Related Links
Eurodressage Photo Database: Rigoletto
Nathalie Zu Saeyn-Wittgenstein Claims Second National Grand Prix Title
Fourth Danish Title for Andreas Helgstrand at 2008 Danish Championships
Danish Team Selected for the 2007 European Dressage Championships
Danish Team Selected for the 2005 European Dressage Championships