The 11-year old Westfalian mare Damon's Divene has been euthanized after being unable to recover from a career ending injury. The mare was rumoured to be in foal to Damsey.
Damon's Divene is a 2006 born Westfalian mare by Damon Hill out of Christian Becks' highly successful dam Rapunzel (by Rubin Royal x Donnerhall).
As a 3-year old Ingrid Klimke competed her and won the 2009 Bundeschampionate. In 2010 Tanja Ditschar took over the ride briefly before the mare was allocated to Helen Langehanenberg who won the 2010 Bundeschampionate with her. In 2011 the pair earned silver at the 2011 World Young Horse Championships in Verden.
Damon's Divene was off from shows in 2012 but returned in 2013 at M-level. In 2014 she missed another year but came back in 2015 at developing Prix St Georges horse level. They contested classes in Hagen, Rederin and Balve. The June 2015 show in Balve was the mare's last competition start as she reinjured herself.
The German Olympic Equestrian Federation (DOKR) had bought Damon's Divene from Christian Becks to secure the horse as a potential Grand Prix mare for Helen Langehanenberg. The contract, however, included that if the mare would be "at the end of her show career" she would be returned to Becks to join his breeding programme.
Dennis Peiler, head of DOKR, confirmed to Euroressage that Damon's Divene has indeed has euthanized because of an injury which prevented her from even having a life retired to the field. He added that the contract stipulated that the mare would return to Becks at the "end of the horse's sport career."
The debate now stands whether it was a career ending injury or just the end of her sport career. Eurodressage contacted Becks for clarification but they did not want to provide a written statement. Rumour has it that Damon's Divene was also in foal to Damsey at the moment of her passing. Peiler stated that the DOKR was "unaware that Damon's Divene was in foal." Neither Becks, nor Langehanenberg wanted to share information.
After the publication of this article, Helen told Eurodressage that the mare was not in foal.
Photos © Astrid Appels
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