Joelle Kinnen-Beier's Petit Prince Passed Away

Dressage

Luxembourg

Joelle Kinnen-Beier said goodbye to her career making dressage horse Petit Prince on 4 December 2020. He was 27 years old

Petit Prince was a 1993 born Hanoverian gelding by Prince Thatch xx out of Lambada (by Lanthan x Gralsritter x Pokal). He was bred by Heinz-Erich Sagemann.

With First Own Horse to the World Equestrian Games

Amateur dressage rider and school teacher Joelle Kinnen purchased Petit Prince at the Hanoverian Auction in Verden in January 1997. He was the first horse she owned herself.

Two years later the pair won the inaugural Luxembourg Young Horse Championships in 1999.

Kinnen trained the spritzy bay gelding from novice level to Grand Prix and was assisted by her husband Thomas Beier as well as trainer Michael Oldenbourgh.

Living in Bavaria in Germany, Kinnen qualified and represented Luxembourg as individuals at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen. They were 78th in the Grand Prix with 57.667%, yet still left 9 combinations behind them.

They also qualified for the 2007 European Dressage Championships, but a few days before departure to Turin Petit Prince became lame due to a farrier issue.

Schoolmaster

In July 2008 Kinnen married show jumper Thomas Beier and moved from Bavaria to Luxembourg.

That year she had already given the ride on Petit Prince to the then 15-year old Lena Trüjen, who competed him at L-level at regional shows, including the Bavarian Championships. The summer months of 2018 Petit Prince spent in the field relaxing.

In 2009 Kinnen climbed back on board and in the spring she competed Petit Prince at small tour level in the Luxembourg area.

Retirement...Sort Of

At the CDI Strassen in July 2009 a special retirement ceremony was held for Petit Prince, in which he was untacked and received a special cooler.

However, it was not the end of his show career. In 2010 the gelding served one more show season as schoolmaster for junior rider Anna-Lena Willems, who rode him in A and L-level tests back in the Rhineland-Palatinate area in Germany.

Petit Prince's last show in his career was in July 2010 in Zeiskam.

Trailblazer for Luxembourg

On 4 December 2020 the 27-year old Hanoverian was put to sleep. Kinnen is grateful to have been a trailblazer for Luxembourg dressage on Petit Prince.

"Together we travelled through Europe.Together we made our experiences in the small tour and in the big tour," she said. "You took me among the hundred best dressage riders in the world. You made me the first Luxembourg lady at the World Championship. It was not our best Grand Prix in Aachen 2006, but we opened a bottle of champagne afterwards."

Eurodressage collage of Petit Prince at 2006 WEG

She continued, "together we showed that a little horse with his little amateur can make it happen. You just have to believe in you and your partner and never give up. We learned a lot together!"