Hiroshi Hoketsu's Whisper Passed Away

Dressage

Japanese Dressage News

Japanese Olympian Horishi Hoketsu has lost his number one Grand Prix horse Whisper. The Hanoverian mare was euthanized more than a year ago, on 26 November 2013 due to a recurring hoof injury.

Whisper was born in 1997 at Klaus Kamp's farm in Germany. She was named Wanessa at the time and was sired by Wolkenstein II out of Gotik (by Grenadier x Aktuell x Diplomat). Whisper first came into public attention as an auction horse at the 2001 Hanoverian Autumn Elite Auction under the name Whisper Girl. She sold at the time for approximately 22,500 euro.

As a young sports horse, Whisper was first competed by Nicole Kamps and as of 2001 by her owner at the time, Andrea Babic. She took the chestnut mare all the way to national Grand Prix level in Germany before selling her to Hoketsu in 2007.

Whisper's claim to fame came with ever green Japanese Grand Prix rider Hoketsu. Trained by Ton de Ridder in Aachen, Germany, the pair rode its first international show in 2007 and contested the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong and 2010 World Equestrian Games for Japan. Whisper's scores increased gradually and the mare absolutely charmed the judges and crowds with her brilliant piaffe-passage work. In 2012 the 71-year old Hoketsu competed at his third Olympics in London, scoring 68.739% in the Grand Prix. It turned out to be their final event together.

Hoketsu and Whisper at the 2010 World Equestrian Games Hoketsu had set his sights on the 2014 World Equestrian Games, but right after the Olympics a niggling old hoof injury which had started in 2011 flared up again in her right front hoof. In October 2012 she was diagnosed with a cracked pastern, which was successfully operated on.

"We decided to operate on her with the wish that she could be retired as a brood mare," Hoketsu told Eurodressage. "In January 2013 we started to walk her, but she needed a little bit more comfortable place for her rehabilitation. This is a major reason I moved from Ton de Ridder’s place to Egbert Kraak’s stable in The Netherlands. She recovered quite well and at the beginning of July 2013 I started to ride her again."

Unfortunately in November the injury flared up again when her operated pastern got infected. Whisper was transported to the University Equine Clinic in Utrecht for a second operation, but a few weeks later she did not show progress for recovery and was euthanized on 26 November 2013.

Hoketsu and Whisper at the 2012 Olympic Games "Egbert Kraak is my new trainer," Hoketsu confirmed. "I've known him for more than 30 years and he helped me to find a vet to treat Whisper’s bad injury before the London Olympics. Whisper had the problem from February 2011 and (she was treated by) three vets until we met the last one who successfully treated her at the end of 2011. Egbert introduced this last vet to me."

Hoketsu had always imagined a different end to Whisper's career. In 2012 he told Eurodressage, "when the time comes for Whisper to retire, I will try to get her in foal and then bring her back to Japan," said the rider.