Laura Tomlinson's Mistral Hojris and Andretti H Passed Away

Dressage

Great Britain

Laura Tomlinson said goodbye to her two career making Grand Prix horses, Mistral Hojris and Andretti H. Both were 30 years old and spent a long, happy retirement in the field as a duo.

Mistral Hojris

Mistral Hojris was a Danish warmblood gelding by Michellino out of Virginia (by Ibsen x Elizar). He was bred by Betty Rasmussen.

The chestnut began his career in Denmark under Ernst Jessen as a young horse in 2002, but midway through that season trainer and horse dealer Hasse Hoffmann bought Mistral with three other investors from Jessen and took place in the saddle himself. He showed Mistral through small tour level until October 2004 and sold him to the Bechtolsheimer family.

Laura and Mistral became pioneers bringing U.K. dressage sport to the top of the world in modern day. Their medal haul began at the 2005 European Young Riders Championships, where they won team silver and individual bronze. They then picked up team silver and individual bronze at the 2009 European Championships in Windsor; earned three silver medals at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, won team gold and individual bronze at the 2011 European Championships in Rotterdam, and team gold and individual bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Mistral was retired from sport at the 2013 CDI-W London. After their major successes, the path was cleared for Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro to solidify Britain's top position as a ruling dressage nation.

Andretti H

Andretti was a Hanoverian gelding by Aarking xx out of Cerrin (by Cavalier x Grande). He was bred by Gunda Hinrichs-Heinemann.

The bay was first competed by the breeder as a young horse in 2001, before Hartwig Burfeind took over the ride in 2022 and produced and competed the horse up to small tour level. As of 2005 Holga Finken climbed onboard and established Andretti at Grand Prix level, showing him at national big tour level through the spring of 2006.

Andretti H sold to Italian Anna Paprocka-Campanella who rode him at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen and at the 2007 European Dressage Championships in Turin, Italy with the help of Hubertus Schmidt. Andretti H was also regularly shown by Schmidt, who became 2007 German Dressage Champion with him.

Paprocka sold him to the Bechtolsheimer family in March 2008 and Laura debuted him at CDI level in Hagen the next month. She competed him at international Grand Prix level consistently through 2012, alongside Mistral Hojris.

In 2013 the ride was handed to her assistant Lara Butler (née Griffith) who gained her first international mileage on the bay with starts in Hickstead, London, and Windsor. He was retired from sport at the end of the summer of 2014.

Sad Farewell

Laura Tomlinson announced on 23 March 2025 that both have been put to sleep.

Laura with Mistral and Andretti who spent
more than a decade in retirement at the family
yard in the U.K.

"Yesterday was one of the toughest days for me, my family and team," she wrote. "We had to say goodbye to these special old boys, Alf and Andy (Mistral Højris and Andretti H). Both aged 30, having enjoyed the most wonderfully long and well-deserved retirement. I said good bye to the career side of our relationship along time ago but now I grieve these special boys as two of my very best friends and members of our family. They are so connected to the home I grew up in and to my father that my emotions are overwhelming but I’m so very grateful that they were such a huge part of my life journey, in part my career but just as much outside of that, in my daily life. No horses have been more loved or deserved love more."