Valentina Truppa's Chablis Passed Away

Dressage

Italy

Valentina Truppa's career-starting Grand Prix horse, Chablis, has passed away. He was 29 years old.

Chablis was a 1997 born Danish warmblood gelding by Castro out of Fauna (by Leonardo II). He was bred by Morten Thomsen in Denmark.

Career Launcher

Chablis was instrumental in Valentina Truppa's professional dressage career as he took her from young riders to Grand Prix.

The pair won the 2005 and 2006 Young Riders World Cup Final held in Frankfurt, and then went on to win individual gold at the 2006 European Young Riders Championships in Stadl Paura and individual bronze at the 2007 European Young Riders Championships in Nussloch, Germany.

In 2008 Truppa made her debut at international Grand Prix level with him. The pair competed extensively at Grand Prix level from 2008 till 2016. Highlights include winning the world dressage masters at the 2012 CDI Munich and 2015 CDI Vidauban, winning the 2010 and 2014 Italian Grand Prix Championships.

His Grand Prix career ran parallel to his stable mate's, Eremo del Castegno, who was Truppa's career making ride.

For his last competition the 19-year old Chablis went to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, However the sympathetic chestnut could no longer hide his age nor mileage, barely making it through the horse inspection. He then finished 52nd in the Grand Prix.

Retirement

The chestnut was retired from sport, age 20, with a special retirement ceremony held at the the international show jumping competition in Verona, Italy, on 26 - 29 October 2017.

On 21 February 2026 Chablis passed away after a long retirement. Truppa shared the news on social media and Tutto Dressage wrote a tribute, quoting Valentina's words.

"I knew that sooner or later I would have to do this… This year you turned 29, you hadn't been in top form for a couple of years as often happens with old people, but with a few ailments and your treatments you were still fine! Always careful, if you didn't eat first you protested, you were now toothless but you always had bite… in short, you were still you."

Valentina continued, "I knew in my heart, given the situation, that one day you would leave me and so you did this morning, you waited for me to leave because you knew I couldn't bear to see you go forever. And so it was this morning, when I received the phone call from the team, my heart already knew it was about you… What can I say? You were my companion, my friend, my great love, genius and wildness, you took me to the podium more than once and you also made me come last often and willingly, you made me understand what we were capable of and then you brought me back down to earth… You were like that but it was your strength, it was your essence! You took me to my second Olympics when you were 19, and that's not for everyone... I loved you so much and you made me despair, and I can only say thank you."

Photos (c) Eurodressage - Barbara Schnell