Where Are They Now? UNO Donna Unique

Focus

Eurodressage F.O.C.U.S.

At the 2010 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany, a Danish warmblood mare named UNO Donna Unique claimed the world title with a 9.46 score. The black mare showed incredible talent for the collected gaits and upper level movements and was soon sold to German Arlete Jasper-Kohl as a clear Grand Prix prospect. Under Patrik Kittel she briefly appeared in the international show ring in 2012 but after that disapppeared from the show ring, only to return to the spotlight in a horse deal scandal. Where is she now?

The 2004 born Danish warmblood mare UNO Donna Unique is bred by Joan Andreasen and Søren Melgaard of Stuteri UNO in Denmark. Sired by Don Schufro, Donna Unique is out of Frederica (by Falkland x Tannenberg x Wendekreis).

Andreas Helgstrand and Donna Unique win the 2010 World Young Horse Championships She was started under saddle by Dorthe Sjobeck Hoeck and as a 3-year old was proclaimed 2007 Danish Warmblood Mare of the Year winning the mare performance testing with the highest score that year. She was awarded the gold medal by the Danish warmblood society, the highest distinction for mares. In 2008 Dorthe and Donna Unique placed fourth at the Danish Young Horse Championships for 4-year olds.

In 2009 Andreas Helgstrand took over the ride and won the 2009 Danish warmblood Young Horse Championships with the 5-year old mare in Herning. They also qualified for the 2009 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where they won silver with a 9.08 total score. She got 9.3 for trot, 8.8 for walk, 8.9 for canter, 8.9 for submission and 9.2 for general impression.

At the 2010 World Young Horse Championships she won the glorious title with 10 for trot, 9.5 for walk, 9.3 for canter, 8.9 for submission and and 9.6 for general impression. Two months after winning the title, Helgstrand bought a 50% ownership share in the mare.

Patrik Kittel and Donna Unique at the 2012 CDIO Aachen In January 2011 the news was announced that Edwin and Arlette Jasper-Kohl had acquired Donna Unique as future Grand Prix horse for their sponsored rider Patrik Kittel. The condition for riding the mare was that she would stay at the Kohl family's own yard, Gestut Peterhof, in Perl-Borg, so Patrik had to make the commute to train the mare.

Patrik showed her at two international competitions that year. At the 2012 CDI Hagen, they were third in the Prix St Georges (72.061%) and first in the Intermediaire I (75.895%). At the 2012 CDIO Aachen they won the Prix St Georges (73.500%) but were eliminated in the Inter I. The pair qualified for the Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals by winning the qualifiers in Munich and Perl-Borg with the highest score of the season (78.098%).

In September 2012 the collaboration between Kittel and Kohl was ended citing the commute as principle reason. The ride on the mare got allocated to Ulla Salzgeber, but she called it quits after six weeks on the job. Donna Unique never made it to the 2012 Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals, the German championships for developing PSG horses.

Owner Arlette Jasper-Kohl on Donna Unique Five months later, in February 2013, Dutch magazine Paardenkrant broke the news of the "Missing Million" story revealing how the sale of Donna Unique back in 2011 involving Joan Andreasen, Andreas Helgstrand, and Patrik Kittel had gone awry. According to the Dutch news site Helgstrand skimmed 900,000 euro off the total sales price of 2.7 million euro to the detriment of co-owner Joan Andreasen. Andreasen found out and re-negotiated with Helgstrand to get half of the missing 900,000 euro. She received a bill from Patrik Kittel for a 250,000 euro commission fee, 50% of a total 500,000 euro commission fee, of which Helgstrand supposedly paid the other half. The trio settled the affair amongst themselves.

In June 2013 Kohl announced that Dorothee Schneider would become their head rider and she would continue the career of Donna Unique.

Where is She Now?

Donna Unique has not yet returned to the show ring after Kittel's last competition ride in the summer of 2012. The black mare sustained a severe injury in the summer of 2013 and needed much time to recover. During her recovery she has been a broodmare at Gestut Peterhof.

In the spring of 2012, when she was still being competed, an embryo by Sezuan (by Zack x Don Schufro) was successfully flushed from her and implanted in a surrogate mare. The 2013 born filly named Sezua has been saddle broken by the Peterhof team and is taking its first steps as a future dressage horse. In 2014 an embryotransfer colt by Sezuan was born. He is still nameless and being reared at the yard.

The 2016 born filly Fil à Fil (by D'Avie out of Donna Unique) In 2015 Donna Unique was inseminated herself with D'Avie and in 2016 she gave birth to the filly Fil à Fil. At the Oldenburg foal inspection in Perl-Borg, this filly was awarded the premium title. Donna Unique has not been put back in foal this year.

"Her foal was born in June so she is now in the pasture with the filly. Gestüt Peterhof has hopes for Donna's comeback in the dressage arena," said Peterhof's press officer. "Peterhof hopes that she is fully recovered but now it’s too early to say something about the future."