Wie Weltmeyer Passed Away

Breeding

Hanoverian Breeding News

The Hanoverian licensed breeding stallion and Emma Hindle's 2004 Olympic ride Wie Weltmeyer has passed away on 12 November 2015. The 25-year old stallion was euthanized after his health had deteriorated rapidly last week.

Wie Weltmeyer was born in 1990 and bred by Volker Bachmann. He was by Weltmeyer out of Daisy (by Dynamo).

After his licensing in Verden, he won the 1993 Stallion Performance Test in Medingen. He had a versatile sport career as a youngster, winning show jumping classes up to L-level and dressage tests up to M-level. At the 1996 Bundeschampionate he won the qualifier for the finals with a score of 9.3 and won the bronze medal in the finals for 6-year old dressage horses. In 1999 he made his big international break through.

Under Emma Hindle he was short-listed for the British team for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He was her first international Grand Prix horse, who ended up taking her to two European Dressage Championships (2003, 2005), one World Cup Final (2004) and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Wie Weltmeyer was one of Britain’s most solid team dressage horses at the time.

Wie Weltmeyer was officially retired in February 2006 and spent almost a full 10 years in the field. His most famous offspring is Wie Atlantico, the Spanish 2008 Olympic team horse (Juan Matute) and British 2010 WEG team medal winner (Fiona Bigwood).

"He had such a great retirement in his favourite field marching round every day," Hindle told Eurodressage. "He had developed emphysela which we had managed effectively for years. The last week his breathing had deteriorated. It was a heart breaking deceision but I didn't want him to slowly go downhill and suffer."

Hindle credits her groom Jenny Gillespie for her devoted care and love. "It was a privilege to have such an amazing horse to learn with. He made my dreams come true. He had such a special character. It was an honour," Hindle added.