The international junior/young riders horse Michigan has passed away at age 26. He suffered from a colic attack and was put to sleep early this morning 2 January 2020.
Michigan was a Dutch warmblood by Farrington out of Hella Tettie (by Apollonios xx). He was bred by M. Vander Struis-Baan.
The gelding first came into the limelight under former Dutch team rider Arjen Teeuwissen and sold to Dutch young rider Wendy van der Helm, who became listed in the Dutch A-squad with him.
In December 2004 Michigan sold to Mary Alice Malone of Iron Spring Farm through Belinda Nairn-Wertman. Under Catherine Malone the chestnut won the North American Young Riders Championships in 2005.
Michigan resurfaced in The Netherlands in 2009 owned by Jeanette Bouwman and sold to the Prijs-Vitale family a year later. His European career highlight was taking Dutch-Italian Chiara Prijs-Vitale for Italy to the 2011 European Junior Riders Championships in Broholm. The horse did no internationals in 2012 but returned in 2013 for Compiegne and Hagen. In 2015 he became the schoolmaster for youngster sister Noa Prijs, who took hum to two CDI's in Drachten and Hagen.
He was retired from sport in 2016 at age 22.
"Mich suddenly got a colic this morning and had a twisted intestine. Because his heart wasn't in the best condition either, the pain killers did not work to his advantage and his heart started to fail," owner Simon Prijs told Eurodressage. "We sadly had to put him to sleep."
Photo © Astrid Appels
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Eurodressage Photo Database: Michigan
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