Behlinger, Benjamin Ebeling's Career Starter, Passed Away

Dressage

U.S.A.

Behlinger, the youth rider's horse that started Benjamin Ebeling's international show career, has passed away. He was 17 years old.

Behlinger was a Hanoverian gelding by Breitloing W out of Wotaria (by Weltmeyer x Brentano II x Legat).

German Start

The chestnut was bred by Christian Heinrich who in-bred the horse on the Bolero line.

Behlinger was first competed as a 4-year old in 2012 under Sandra Frieling, who took him to the 2012 Hanoverian Young Horse Chamionship in Verden, where they were 7th. He also got his name through Frieling as she lived in a street called Behlinger Mühle.

Sold to the U.S.A.

An American owners' group, including Amy Ebeling, Ann Romney and Elizabeth Meyer, purchased Behlinger in 2013.

Ben's father, 2012 US Olympian Jan Ebeling, first showed the horse at Dressage at Mission Pacific in August 2013 at First level after which a four-year break from showing followed as the horse was produced up the levels at home.

He became a career starting horse for Ben Ebeling, who had already made his international show debut as a young rider in 2016 at age 16 aboard the Oldenburg Descartes (by De Niro x Quattro B).

NAYC Team Medalist

Ben's show debut with Behlinger was straight away at the the CDI Del Mar in April 2017 at junior level. They qualified for the 2017 North American Junior Riders Championships in Saugerties, where he won team gold with Region 7 and finished fifth in the individual test and freestyle.

In 2018 the pair moved to Young Riders level and competed in Wellington and Del Mar before making Ebeling's first trip across the Atlantic to compete on European soil in Hagen, Leudelange and Deauville. At the 2018 North American Young Riders Championships in North Salem, they won team silver (combined with Region4) and finished 11th in the individual test and 6th in the Kur.

They did their last year at Young Riders level in 2019 with CDI starts in Wellington, Compiegne, Hagen, and Leudelange before moving into the senior small tour in 2020 in Wellington and Thermal.

Six months later they rode their last CDI in Wellington at Under 25 level in April 2021.

Schoolmaster and Retirement

Behlinger continued as a schoolmaster for two more riders in the barn. In March 2023 he took Bianca Kapeller into the show ring at small tour level at the national leg of the Palm Beach Derby, while a year later in February 2024 Sive Kearney showed him at White Fences at third level, followed by one Prix St Georges test at Global a month later. It was the horse's last show.

Behlinger was then retired from competition sport at age 16.

"Last year we decided to retire him and let him be in the field full time," Benjamin told Eurodressage. "In his retirement he grew ill, and I thought it was in his best interest to lay him to rest."

Ben is saddened by the loss. "My heart is really broken because he was my childhood horse and my best friend," he said. "He and I came into the international sport together and had a great partnership that will be missed.