Mette Dahl's Junior Riders Horse Cashmir Passed Away

Dressage

Great Britain

British junior rider Mette Dahl had to say goodbye to her international JR horse Cashmir, which the family has owned since he was a youngster.

Cashmir was a 17-year old Dutch warmblood stallion by Serano Gold out of Jamaica (by Michelangelo). He was bred by G. Seuren.

Swedish Licensed

Initially owned by Dutch horse dealer Ad Valk, Cashmir was presented at the 2010 KWPN Stallion Licensing in 's Hertogenbosch but not accepted.

He was then licensed for Swedish warmblood breeding after doing a performance test in 2010, scoring 42 points for conformation, 8.25 for gaits. He covered 38 mares in Sweden in 2010 and 17 foals landed on the ground in 2011. He was also Oldenburg approved.

They bay was acquired by British Olympian Fiona Bigwood at the 2011 Equine Elite auction.

Anders and Mette Dahl

Fiona's husband at the time, Danish Grand Prix rider Anders Dahl, first trained and competed Cashmir. After winning the Pavo Cup qualifier in Hartpury they were nominated to represent Great Britain at the 2012 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where they finished 12th in the 5-year old finals.

He did not actively stand at stud, but Bigwood bred Casper xx (by Cashmir x Libero H) using her own stallion. He was gelded in 2014. Fiona Bigwood began competing him at Advanced Medium level in the autumb of 2013 and at small tour level in the U.K. as of 2014.

Cashmir then disappeared from the national show scene for four years to resurface with Emily Archer at Medium and Advanced Medium Level in 2018 through March 2020. Later that year Arabella Montague got her chance to show him at Advanced Medium level.

As of 2022 Fiona's daughter Mette Dahl began campaigning the gelding at junior level and ten years after the horse's international debut in Verden, he returned to the CDI ring in October 2022 at the CDI Le Mans, where they finished in the top five in three junior tests. From there they rode one more international, the 2023 CDI Lier, where they were again in the top five. That was the horse's last show in his career.

Untimely Passing

On 20 February 2024, Dahl reported that the 17-year old KWPN gelding has passed away.

"After a heartbreaking and an emotional week, it is with great sadness that we sadly lost Cashmir," Mette stated. "To have had him since he was 4 years old all the way up until he retired last year was something truly special. We were hoping that he would have had many more years out with our other oldies but it was tragically not to be. I may have only ridden him for a few seasons, but he was and always will be one of my favourite horses that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with."