PPH Zeppelin, Australian Grand Prix and Para Horse, Passed Away

Dressage

Australia

PPH Zeppelin, an international Grand Prix and para dressage horse that competed for Australia, has passed away on 12 February 2024. He was 20 years old.

PPH Zeppelin was a Dutch warmblood gelding by Tolando out of Sedelga (by Amati x Planeet). He is bred by A van Kuik.

Brett Parbery

"Led" was imported to Austrial from The Netherlands as a 3 year old and trained to Grand Prix level by Brett Parbery.

Brett and Zeppelin made its international show debut at the CDI-W Sydney in September 2016 to a 64.320% Grand Prix score.

The pair competed three years at international Grand Prix level with CDI starts in Boneo, Sydney, and Bawley Point. Zeppelin was Parbery's second big tour horse. With his first choice, DP Weltmieser, he returned on the Australian team for the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

At the end of 2018 Zeppelin was competed once by David McKinnon at the CDI-W Melbourne after which Parbery and co-owner Helen Batson offered the gelding for sale as a schoolmaster.

Melissa Cannon

The horse sold to Parbery's student Melissa Cannon, a former eventing rider in the early 2000s who returned to competition with Zeppelin.

In the corona years she showed him to Grand Prix level. They made their international show debut in para dressage sport at grade V level at the 2022 CPEDI Boneo. They finished third in all three rounds.

Cannon is currently training in the U.K. with Spencer Wilton at the Cotswold Equestrian Club in preparation of the Paris paralympics. She is focusing on her two main horses: Quentino and Duchess DS, while the retired Zeppelin stayed home down under.

Early Demise

Brett Parbery announced Zeppelin's early demise on social media.

"A tribute to a beautiful horse with a gold medal temperament. PPH Zeppelin (Led) passed away yesterday at his owner Mel Cannon place in Victoria. A special horse who gave us some beautiful memories," he said.

"Led was a gentle giant who enjoyed being around people and always tried to please," Brett once said of the 18+ hh gelding. "When he arrived as a gangly, just broken 3yo from Holland, we knew he’d be big, but then he just grew and grew and grew some more... not just in height but also into one of the sweetest, kindest and most generous horses that any of us had ever known. Everyone who handled or rode him over the years on his way to GP has simply fallen in love with him - and how he always tries his hardest to please his rider."