WCYH Silver Medalist Samoura M Passed Away

Dressage

Germany

Samoura M, the silver medal winning horse in the 5-year old division at the 2014 World Young Horse Championships and 2014 Bundeschampionate, has passed away. She was 11-year olds.

Samoura M was a 2009 born Westfalian mare by San Amour out of Ferreira (by Ferragamo x Traumdeuter x Pik Bube II). She was bred and owned by Heinrich Mussmann.

Local Star

Samoura's sport career started in 2012 when she was a 3-year old, competing once under Rebecca Holtwiesche at a local show in Gescher.

In the spring of 2013, Samoura's show career kicked into another gear. Under Anna Mussmann-Noth she showed in riding horse tests in Heiden, Dorsten, Borken, Reken, and Oer-Erkenschwick with good success. The family asked the professional rider Matthias Bouten to take seat in the saddle and show her at the 2013 Westfalian Young horse Championships in Munster, where she won bronze. At the 2013 Bundeschampionate they ended up 14th in the 4-year old division.

Anna Mussmann finished the 2014 season with two more shows in Kirchellen and Dorsten.

Silver Medal in Verden and Warendorf

In 2014 the 5-year old Samoura M went to professional rider Ann-Christin Wienkamp, who made a winning debut in Bad Salzuflen in March 2014. A string of competitions followed in Neuenkirchen, Coesfeld, Hamm, Iserlohn, and Hagen.

The German DOKR selection committee spotted the mare's talent and selected her for the German team for the 2014 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany, where she won silver in the 5-year old finals finishing second behind stallion Sezuan. A month later at the Bundeschampionate in Warendorf, she scored another silver medal.

Future Star for Judy Reynolds

Cover Heroes: Judy Reynolds and Samoura M

Samoura's talent did not go unnoticed and the Mussmann family struck a deal with German based Irish Grand Prix Judy Reynolds to develop their bay mare to FEI level.

A year after Samoura's last show in Warendorf, she returned to the arena after an injury had meddled with a smooth transition from L to M-level

Judy made her show debut on the 6-year old Samoura M in Ireland at the 2015 Irish National Championships in Cavan in September. They scored 78% in a novice level class. The pair made its German debut at a local show in Dorsten in October 2015,

In July 2017 owner Judith Mussmann told Eurodressage that, "Samoura is very sensitive, so Judy gives her the time that she needs. The World Championships were too early for Samoura. But now she is on the right way. She is ready to compete St. Georg, maybe in the next (few) weeks. Judy is planning for Samoura to be her horse after Vancouver. We are so excited."

In September 2017 Reynolds and Samoura M made their Prix St Georges level debut at their home show Gut Hohenkamp in Dorsten. They scored 65.307% and finished 10th in a field of 20.

Early End

Unfortunately, the Prix St Georges debut in Dorsten was Samoura's last show in her career.

"We had planned for more competitions in 2018 and she went along for training to big shows such as Fritzens," Judith Mussmann told Eurodressage. "We wanted to wait for the perfect moment to show her officially, but unfortunately she had minor health problems which ultimately prevented her from reaching her peak."

At the end of 2019 Samoura M was brought home to become a broodmare.

"Judy Reynolds would get an embryo, but we didn't get there," said Judith. "For the ET we brought her to a specialized stable and she returned in a disastrous condition at the end of March. The vet examined her and it turned out she had horrible liver values, liver fibrosis, high inflammation, fever, and she colicked several times."

Samoura M was treated and her condition gradually improved over the past few weeks, but last Friday 1 May she colicked again and had to be brought to the equine clinics. Her stomach and liver were in poor condition and her condition deteriorated so rapidly that it was decided to put her to sleep.

"Treatment was no longer possible and the vets gave us no hope for a full recovery," a saddened Mussmann added. "We will now do a necropsy to find out what was ultimately the main cause of her radical deterioration."

"She leaves a big gap. She was simply unique and until the end she had an incredible aura," Judith concluded.