Horses.nl reported that Sonja Gademan's retired Grand Prix horse Jup has passed away. The 18-year old Dutch warmblood gelding by Democraat x Joost suffered from an attack and the owner had to decide that it was in the best interest of the horse to put him down.
He passed away on 5 May 2009.
Sonja Gademan and her huge 17.3 hh long legged grey gelding Jup were the Dutch shooting stars in the late 1990s. She purchased Jup as a 4-year old from Anton Geesink and trained it up to Grand Prix level with the help of Coby van Baalen.
Gademan and Jup won the silver medal at the inaugural World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany, in 1997. Later one, they were unbeatable at international small tour level. The transition to Grand Prix, however, was quite difficult for the grey gelding, who sometimes struggled with the piaffe. Their scores fluctuated between 63% and 74% but were usually at the upper end of the bar. At the time, the combination obtained sponsorship from Anky van Grunsven's long time sponsor Gestion and the horse became known as Gestion Jup.
In 2003, Jup sustained a severe tendon injury and it took a year for him to recover. "I started competing him again, but his leg remained an issue," Gademan told Horses.nl. "Jup was a once-in-a-lifetime horse. I often call him The King because he made me feel like a princess when I rode him in the show ring. At home he was everyone's boss."
Gademan has had other horses, but none of them were in the same league as Jup. "A year and a half ago I even quit riding for three months. I was totally done with dressage," Gademan explained. But last year she found a new horse, Valeur (by Ferro x Alcatraz) which rekindled her interest in the sport.
Jup spent his final days in the field with his mate Lola.
Source: Horses.nl
Photos copyrighted: Hippofoto.be
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