Australian Friesian Grand Prix Horse Django of Cacharel Passed Away

Dressage

Australia

Django of Cacharel, an Australian based international Grand Prix stallion who retired from sport in 2016, has passed away on 20 March 2024. He was 23 years old.

Django of Cacharel was by by Pike out of Renske van e Olde Hoek (by Jacob). He was bred by Carl Mitchell in Australia and owned by Lynn Jenkin.

Jeremy Janjic

Australian Jeremy Janjic produced the black stallion to Grand Prix level.

The duo made their international Grand Prix debut in October 2011 at the CDI-W Sydney and they have competed consistently throughout the years from 2012 till 2016 in Australia and New Zealand.

Their CDI Grand Prix top scores were 66.560% in the Grand Prix and 69.950% in the Kur, both achieved at the CDI Hastings in New Zealand in 2015.

Their last show as a pair was in November 2016 at the World Cup qualifier held at Equitana Australia in Werribee. They placed 7th in the freestyle with 66.900%. After the class a special retirement ceremony was held.

Retirement

Django of Cacharel continued as a breeding stallion at Tashkent Friesians in Australia, where he enjoyed his retirement in a two acre paddock with his son, Duvel and later with Djaguar.

On 20 March 2024 it was decided to let him go. He was 23 years old.

"He was starting to really struggle with his arthritis, having trouble getting up and down," owner Lynn Jenkin wrote. "Our greatest fear was he would go down, then be unable to get up. It was gut wrenching because his eyes were still full of life, his voice was still strong, but his body and his strength were failing. He had long since stopped cantering up the paddock for his breakfast though could still muster an impressive trot. But a trot does not serve you if you are unable to stand up."

"A Camel for a Nanny"

Jenkin looks back on Django with a heart filled with love.

Django of Cacharel
(Photo courtesy Lynn Jenkin)

"You could almost say I fell in love with him before he was even born, as I was captivated by his dam the first time I saw her; she was carrying him at the time," she reminisced. "It was an interesting time in Friesian breeding in Australia. New bloodlines were only just starting to appear, and my own little mare was closely related to every stallion bar one. So, the decision to buy the gangly little baby colt, raised on a bucket and with a camel for a nanny, only took a few moments. If he wasn't wonderful, could always geld him and have a great riding horse after all."

She confirmed the stallion exceeded all expectations.

"It was always an organic ' let's see what happens'," she said. "When he launched into the dressage scene, apart from scaring all the other horses with his as yet unbraided mane and massive tail, we were just giving him an opportunity to 'give it a go'."

Also for rider Jeremy it has been a sad farewell.

"You never disappointed," Janjic wrote. "You always gave your best effort to everything from dressage to movie scenes to music videos and photoshoots. You always loved your freestyles - you were so excited to get out there and perform to a crowd. You had so many adoring fans who also travelled the countryside just to see and meet you. We shared many highs and lows together including a cyclone in New Zealand and a truck fire on the way to Brisbane CDI."