Victoria Max-Theurer's Falcao Passed Away

Dressage

Austria

Austrian Grand Prix Victoria Max-Theurer had to say goodbye to her career-making mount, Falcao, who passed away at age 27. Falcao took her from junior riders level to Grand Prix.

Falcao was born in 1992 at Jutta Torhorst Butjainingen's yard in Germany. He was by Feiner Stern out of Odienne (by Figaro x Kronprinz xx x Volkorn xx).

He was first competed as a 4-year old in Germany by Silke Schaerffer. She won the 1996 Bundeschampionate with him in the 4-year old riding horse division.

As a 15-year old, Victoria test-ride the horse herself at Bernhard Schaerffer's yard in Germany and the bay quickly sold to Sissy Max-Theurer. He moved to Schloss Achleiten in Austria and was first competed by Vici at M-level in 2000.

The pair competed at its first major international championship in 2000: the European Junior Riders Championships in Lipica, where they got the bronze medal. At the 2001 European Junior Riders Championships in Iserlohn they won gold. At the 2002 JR Europeans in Pratoni del Vivaro they scored silver.

Vici and Falcao at the 2005 Europeans in Hagen

In 2003 the pair made the transition to small tour level and by the end of the year where already doing their first Grand Prix tests. In 2004 the duo marked its definite transition to Grand Prix level with starts at the CDI's in Bremen, Dortmund, Munich, and Aachen.

The duo represented Austria at the 2005 European Championships in Hagen, the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, and the 2007 European Championships in Turin, where they finished 12th in the Kur to Music Finals. They went to Vici's first Olympics, the 2008 Games in Hong Kong.

Falcao was retired from competition sport in 2009 after the pair won their third Austrian National Grand Prix Champion's title together. He spent his retirement at Schloss Achleiter and kept the number one stall in the yard

"When you have spent 23 years together, you not only know each other very, very well, but you can't imagine a life without the other," said Victoria Max-Theurer. "Every morning he greeted us friendly from the first stall and nickered so that we wouldn't forget his carrot. He still considered himself the number one of the house."

Despite all veterinary efforts, Falcao succumbed to a severe colic attack at the end of January.