Dylan Deutrom's U25 Ride Sunlit Uplands Passed Away

Dressage

Great Britain

British young professional dressage rider Dylan Deutrom has lost his Under 25 rider Sunlit Uplands. The 15-year old Hanoverian was put to sleep following an injury.

Sunlit Uplands was a 2008 born Hanoverian by Don Henrico out of Hillery (by Hitchcock x Eisenherz x Don Carlos). He was bred by Hinrich Löhden.

Bred in Germany

Sunlit Uplands was the first of four foals out of Hillary. After the chestnut, the full sister Delane (by Don Henrico) followed as well as Inge Schmezer's small tour horse Gunilla (by Grand Cru) and Hidalgo L (by Hohenzollern) followed.

Danish horse dealer Klaus Munkedahl discovered the horse as a youngster and he was purchased from him by British Sarah Warry in 2014. She had sent British Danes Henriette Andersen and Ulrik Molgaard out looking for a horse.

Sarah first competed him herself in the U.K. in 2014.

Dylan Deutrom

Sunlit Uplands moved to Matt Hicks' yard in 2015 and Ali Hinchcliffe first took on the ride.

As of 2016 Dylan Deutrom has been his regular rider. The pair made its national debut in May 2016 at the Duchy College show at Medium level. By 2018 they were showing at Adanced Medium level in in the autumn of that year did his first Prix St Georges test.

The pair's international debut was at small tour level at the 2019 CDI Hickstead. It was their first CDI but it took another two years for them to return to the CDI stage. At the 2021 CDI Wellington Heckfield they did their first Under 25 test and were named the non-travelling reserve for the British team for the 2021 European U25 Championships.

In 2022 they were going full throttle with CDI starts in Keysoe, and their first overseas competitions in Opglabbeek, Compiegne and Jardy.

Injury

The pair was nominated for the British team for the 2022 European Under 25 Championships, but a tendon injury led Deutrom to choose his second horse, San Marco, for the Europeans.

“We rested Jasper (Sunlit Uplands) for two months, but he required minor surgery. Unfortunately he got a very rare infection and was so poorly that we had to let him go. It was nobody’s fault," Matt Hicks told Horse & Hound. “It was a big shock – he was an amazing horse."