Hanoverian Licensed Stallion Sean Connery Passed Away

Dressage

Hanoverian

Dressage Performance Centre Lodbergen had to say goodbye to the Hanoverian licensed stallion Sean Connery. The 13-year old lost its battle against laminitis.

Sean Connery was by Sir Donnerhall out of River Queen O (by Rotspon x Weltmeyer x Matcho AA). He was bred by Torben and Hermann Schulze.

Although Hanoverian branded, Sean Connery was first licensed with the Oldenburg society in 2010, followed by Westfalian approval in 2014.

He did his 30-day stallion performance test in Neustadt/Dosse in the autumn of 2010 and scored 8.56 for dressage and 7.25 for show jumping to finish on an 8.08 total. He retained his licensed status through sport.

Owned by the Swiss Wespe family which shoulders the centre in Lodbergen, the stallion made its show debut in 2010 under Jan Steiner and won the bronze medal at the Bundeschampionate that year, after winning the Hanoverian Young Horse Championship for 3-year olds.

In 2011 a bronze medal followed at the Hanoverian Young Horse Chapionships in Verden, but as of 2012 Lodbergen's head rider Therese Nilshagen continued the training of the horse. In 2013 the pair won silver at the Bundeschampionate for 6-year olds.

In 2014 he moved to Developing Prix St Georges horse level and by 2016 he was competing at medium tour level, although in 2018 he dropped back down to small tour level. In 2020 Nilshagen and Sean Connery did some small tour level shows in Ankum, and Wietmarschen. His victory in the PSG Special in Stubben-Brunshausen in July 2020 was the pair's last show start.

Nilshagen and Sean Connery at the 2016 CDI Hagen

As a breeding stallion, the 13-year old Sean Connery produced one licensed son (a 2014 born Rhinelander stallion, licensed in Verden in 2016) and two daughters have been registered as broodmare with the German equestrian federation. His most successful offspring in sport is Simsalabim, who recently qualified for the 2020 Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals under Charlott-Maria Schurmann.

Sean Connery sadly developed laminitis and despite the best efforts of the owners, the Lodbergen team, and the veterinarians at the equine clinic, where he spent three weeks fighting for his life, he could not be saved.

"We tried all, but it was not meant to be," Nilshagen told Eurodressage. "He was such a lovely and friendly horse and we had really nice moments together. To take care of him and ride him every day was a true pleasure. We really miss him!!"