Semmieke Rothenberger's Geisha Retired from Sport

Sat, 08/24/2019 - 07:53
Germany
Semmieke Rothenberger and Geisha at the 2015 European Junior Riders Championships :: Photo © Astrid Appels

Semmieke Rothenberger's German young riders' team horse Geisha has been retired from competition sport. The mare is 17 years old.

"She has always tried her heart out for me and has given me so much. She carried me to three European Championships and many wins in the Junior and Young Rider tour," said Semmieke. "She has taught me everything I know now. She has taught me to always be humble and to definitely not think that horses get easier with age.  So now the time has come where I will have to get used to not driving on shows with my pocket rocket anymore. 
Geisha you are so special to me and will always be!"

Geisha is a Danish warmblood mare (by Gribaldi  x Heslegårds Weltmeister) and bred by Svend Jensen in Denmark.

Geisha was started as a youngster by Rikke Tønnesen, but Maria Falkner Hansen took over the ride in 2010 and competed her at M level until the summer of 2012. In September 2012 Geisha sold to Andreas Helgstrand and his assistent trainer Andrea Woodward competed the horse nationally in Denmark at Prix St Georges level in April 2013.

Danish junior Victoria Vallentin first began competing the horse for Andreas in March 2014 and the pair made its international junior riders' debut at the 2014 CDIO-J in Hagen in June. Vallentin and Geisha swept the junior riders' tour, winning all three classes with seventy percentage marks. At the end of June they won the 2014 Nordic Baltic Championships. Geisha sold to Rothenberger in July 2014.

Under Semmieke Rothenberger they won the 2015 Preis der Besten, the 2015 German Junior Riders Championships, and team gold, and Individual test and Kur silver at the 2015 European Junior Riders Championships in Vidauban.

In 2016 Rothenberger won the Preis der Besten on Geisha, but she opted for Dissertation for the 2016 Euros. 

At the 2017 European Young Riders Championships it was again team gold with Geisha, but Rothenberger was twice off the podium, finishing fourth in the Individual test and Kur. 

After winning another team gold at the 2018 European Young Riders Championships in Fontainebleau, France, things did not go as planned in the Individual Test and for the first time in her career Rothenberger did not make it to the Kur to music finals despite placing seventh in the class. 

They only rode one CDI in 2019 at Future Champions in Hagen, where the was retired from the team test, but then placed third in the individual. 

Geisha has been retired from sport and will continue her career as a broodmare. She is already pregnant with her first foal by Blue Hors St. Schufro.

"We have been through a lot of ups and luckily not so many downs. You always performed on point even in storm and thunder or under 40* ! You never let me down," said Semmieke about the black mare. "You always pushed it to the limit and often surprised us. You taught me to reach for your goals and also made me achieve them!  You are the cutest diva, with very special needs. You are perfect, inside and outside. Wish I could have found you much earlier or just turn back time to spend many more years in your saddle."

Photo © Astrid Appels

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Eurodressage Photo Database: Geisha
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