Finnish Grand Prix rider Susanna Steinberg has said goodbye to her number one in the barn, Rhapsodie. The mare succumbed to colic.
Rhapsodie was a 15-year old Danish warmblood by Skovens Rafael out of Venus Møllegård (by Weltjunge x Andiamo). She was bred by Mogens Hansen.
Danish Start
Originally named Natasha Møllegård, the chestnut mare was first competed in Denmark as a 5-year old. She was shown by Lotte Skjaerbaek in four young horse classes between February and May 2014.
She then sold to German based Finnish rider Susanna Steinberg (née Avellan), who was based at Avellan Dressage in Hamburg. She is married to German Christian Steinberg.
She originally trained with Jonny Hilberath but in most recent years has been working with Helen Langehanenberg.
Rhapsodie
Susanna premiered "Rhapsodie" in 2016 on the German national show circuit, the same year she made her international show debut aboard Diego (by Don Frederico x Weltruhm), which she bought in Spain in 2013. Diego did on CDI in Hamburg in 2016
Three years later it was Rhapsodie's turn to make her CDI debut in Hagen in the small tour in April 2019. The pair also went to Compiegne, Exloo and Aachen that year.
The pair's last show was Hagen in June.
Colic
Right before Christmas, Rhapsodie developed a colic. Despite treatment from the veterinarians of the Telgte equine clinic she could not be saved.
"My heart is broken and I will miss my heart horse Rhapsodie forever and ever," Susanna wrote. "I’m more than grateful for the journey I had with her the past 10 years. Winning M, S and international GP. Most of all I will miss the daily life with her, all our hacks. She had a heart of gold and left us way too early."
Steinberg will continue with her 15-year old Oldenburg bred Grand Prix horse Don Draper (by Desperados x Matcha As), which she has already showed at the CDI's in Wroclaw and Tolbert in the early spring of 2024.
Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Link
Rhapsodie CDI show results