Victoria Suppert's Career Making Horse, Olymp, Dies Age 35

Dressage

Germany

German professional dressage rider Victoria Suppert said goodbye to her career making Grand Prix horse, Olymp. He was 35 years old.

Olymp wa a 1989 born Westfalian by Octavo xx out of Reless (by Renaldo x Pilatus x Filter). He was bred by Josef Prost.

Hella Kuntz

The grey started his show career in Germany under Hella Kuntz as a 4-year old in 1992.

The pair was highly successful in the riding horse classes (material tests) that year, recording three victories and several top five placings.

The horse was sent to the Westfalian Elite Auction in October 1992 and the late Dr. Hartmut Suppert bought the horse untried for his daughter Victoria for 60,000 Deutsch marks.

"I remember I was on my home from the dressage show in Rulle, when my father called me and told me he bought the nice grey gelding I liked from the video," Suppert reminisced.

Victoria Suppert

Victoria began competing him in 1993 in the L-level dressage horse tests. In 1994 they moved up to M-level and achieved a string of victories at shows in Beaufort and Hagen-Tücking. They finished 10th in the 6-year old Finals at the 1995 Bundeschampionate in Warendorf.

In 1996 they made their international show debut at small tour level at the CDI Copenhagen, placing fifth and seventh, and went on to compete at CDI's in Les Aspres and Addington.

Their national Grand Prix debut followed in 1997 in Rhede, their international one was in Frauenfeld (SUI). They went to CDI's in Copenhagen, Ksiaz, Rotterdam and Saumur.

Freestyle Glory

They won the Kur to Music at the 1998 CDI Saumur, riding to a medley of music by Madonna, Annie Lennox and OMD.

Victoria was one of the first riders in Germany to ride to professionally arranged music by Michael Erdmann and the investment paid off.

The pair won silver at the 1999 Westfalian Regional Championships in Vlotho-Exter. They won the kur at the 2000 Münster Rolinck cup.

The pair's last show was on 2 - 6 August 2006 in Riesenbeck, where they finised 11th in the Grand Prix Special

Retirement

Olymp spent a very long and pleasant retirement with Suppert, who runs her own dressage stable Hof St. Georg Vorwerk in Breckerfeld together with her son Sören who is a U21 show jumper.

Olymp passed away on 9 March 2024. He was about to turn 35.

"He was in the field the whole day in the sun," Victoria said about Olymp's last day. "In the evening he got some circulation problems with colic symptoms. It was time to let him go."