Anne and Lotte Meulendijks' Ohio Passed Away

Dressage

The Netherlands

Anne and Lotte Meulendijks' youth riders' horse Ohio has passed away on 1 November 2019. He was 23 years old.

Ohio was a 1996 born Dutch warmblood by Indoctro out of Dossa (by Akteur). He was bred by the late Cees Broere.

Ohio was first started by Liseon Kamper and in 2003 Kirsten Beckers took over the reins. She took him to Grand Prix level and competed him internationally between 2007 and 2009 with starts at the CDI's in Outdoor Gelderland, Amsterdam, De Steeg, Zwolle and Strassen.

In 2010 the Meulendijks family purchased Ohio as a junior rider's horse for Anne through trainer Christa Larmoyeur.

Anne and Ohio won team silver at the 2010 European Junior Riders Championships and slotted in fifth in the Kur to Music Finals. In 2011 she won team bronze at the European Junior Riders Championships and ranked 7th in the Kur to Music Finals. She won bronze at the 2011 Dutch Dressage Championships.

Anne made the transition to young riders level in 2012 and competed him at several CDI's through 2013 but did not get selected on the Dutch team for the Europeans.

Lotte and Ohio at the 2016 European
Young Riders Championships in Oliva Nova

In the summer of 2013 Anne's younger sister Lotte took on the ride and she made her CDI debut at the 2013 CDI Roosendaal Indoor at junior level. She competed him for three years, culminating in team selected for the 2016 European Young Riders Championships in Oliva Nova, Spain, where she was 8th in the Kur to Music finals.

Ohio was retired after this show at age 20. He enjoyed his retirement in the field and died there on All Saints day.

"He had a super nice life with a lot of highlights," said Anne. "We would have loved for him to enjoy his retirement more years, but nature chose a different course. He died a natural death in the field, where we were able to say goodbye during the final moments he drew breath. We cherish our memories to this fantastic horse which has meant so much to us."