Lotte Vagner Passed Away

Dressage

Denmark

Danish amateur dressage rider and sponsor Lotte Vagner has passed away on Wednesday 13 December 2023 after a long battle against Alzheimer's disease. She was 73 years old.

Ridehesten wrote a beautiful tribute to the rider who together with her husband Ole

Lotte and Ole were high school sweethearts, got married and were parents to four kids. Lotte was a dental hygienist when once Ole's finance started booming, she stopped working and devoted herself to her passion and hobby, horses. Ole worked as an executive at the SJL-bank/Alm Brand Bank in Copenhagen. In 1989 he formed InvestorPartner A/S, and in 1998 he founded Keops A/S, which sold for millions in 2007.

The couple built the state of the art equestrian centre Birkelunden in Fredensborg, north of Copenhagen, in 2010. For five years this was her home where she was trained by Andreas Helgstrand.

The Vagners were instrumental in Helgstrand's leap to independence after he quit riding for Blue Hors stud. With their financial support, Helgstrand was able to buy his own yard and found Helgstrand Dressage Aps. According to Borsen, Ole stood guarantee for the 32 million DKK (4.3 million euro) to buy Møgelmosegaard and 22 million DKK (2.9M euro) to buy five top hoses, including Carabas.

Key Horses

Lotte, who had been riding in her teenage years, picked up dressage sport seriously when she was 45. Her first major horse was Moon Light (by Midt West Ibi Light) which she spotted at the Danish stallion show in Herning and which Ole secretly bought for her. She trained the horse herself from young horse level to Grand Prix in the late 1990s - early 2000s and made her Grand Prix debut on him.

After Moon Light, Michael Sogaard's Finale (by Fanal Prydsholm) followed as well as Lafitt (by Lauries Crusador xx x Wendekreis) and Susan de Klein's 2006 WEG horse Special.

The couple bought Grand Prix schoolmaster Tannenhof's Solero (by Hyllos x Polargeist) from the Plönzke family in 2009. With him she rode the 2010 Danish Grand Prix Championships.

Her last competition horses were Happy Louis (by Heslegards Louis), Zarina af Stokholt (by zardin Firfod) and Fleurie (by Fidertanz). Her last show was in September 2015.

Struggles

In 2015 Ole Vagner had bitten off more than he could chew and became in difficult financial times. With a loss of 330 million DKK, he was forced to sell Birkelunden. In 2017 Vagner was declared bankrupt after a series of failed investments and accusations of a debt scam.

Ole Vagner founded the lottery company Lucky Star Dragon Lotto in Cambodia and moved there, where he still lives to date. Ole came to Lotte's side in her final days.

"Lotte Vagner always wore a smile and spread joy around her," Ridehesten wrote. " She will be remembered for her dedicated approach to the sport of dressage and her great rides on the competition circuit as well as gala shows and displays."