Jennifer Huber's Shakira Passed Away

Dressage

U.S.A.

American dressage rider, horse owner and sponsor Jennifer Huber has lost her 11-year old Oldednburg mare Shakira.

Shakira was by Sommerlier out of Doreen (by Sir Donnerhall x Londonderry). She is bred by Jan-Hermann Ahuis.

Anna Zibrandtsen

Owned by Danish team rider Anna Zibrandtsen, the bay mare was first competed in 2018 by then Danish based Portuguese rider Frederico Mexia de Almeida.

The pair qualified for the young horse classes at the 2019 CDI Falsterbo via the Danish young horse show circuit and at the end of the season the duo competed at to the 2019 Danish Young Horse Championships for 6-year olds, where they were 13th in the qualification round.

In 2020 Zibrandtsen took over the ride herself and began showing Shakira in the 7-year old tests in the autumn of that year. In 2021 she twice competed the mare at national level in the Advanced Medium level tests.

Sold to the U.S.A.

British horse dealer Bret Willson matched Shakira to American Grand Prix rider Jennifer Huber in the autumn of 2021. Shakira arrived in the U.S.A. and was put in training with U.S. 2010 WEG Team Rider Katherine Bateson-Chandler, whom Huber also sponsors with Grand Prix horse Haute Couture.

Katherine and Shakira competed one season in Florida in 2022.

They debuted in the Prix St Georges in the national arena at the Global Dressage Festival early February 2022 and showed in 8 PSG classes in the next month. The mare's last competition start was on Week 10 of the GDF (15 - 20 March 2022), when they posted 71.912%.

In 2023 Shakira was put in foal to O'Frederic (by For Romance x Fidertanz).

Sad Goodbye

Bateson posted yesterday morning that Shakira has passed away.

"Our most beautiful “Bell” Shakira you gave a feeling that I will never ever forget and brought me scores I could only dream of. Your sweet kind and honest nature will be unmatched…. We are so lucky to have had you in our lives and you will be so missed," she wrote.

Bateson added, "I wish we had had more time to show the world what an unbelievable talent this girl was." Owner Huber stated, "the world has lost a beautiful soul."