Warwick McLean's Grand Prix Horse Hendrix Passed Away

Dressage

Australia

Australian team rider Warwick McLean said goodbye to his retired Grand Prix horse Hendrix.

Hendrix was a 2009 born Westfalian gelding by Hotline out of Donnergirl (by Donnerhall x Pik Bube I). He was bred by Heinrich Wulhorst.

Warwick McLean

The black gelding was first competed as a 4-year old by Sonja Schulze-Beikel in 2013 before Warwick and Carolina McLean purchased him in 2014. It was one of the first horses they bought together since moving to Germany in 2013.

Warwick showed "Jimmi" once in 2014, while Nils Kramer put miles on him at M-level in 2016. Warwick rode the first S-level test on the gelding in 2017 at a local show in Mettmann.

The pair made its CDI debut in 2019 at small tour level in Compiegne, followed by two medium tour level CDI starts in Leudelange and Hickstead. In 2020 they did the national developing GP horse tests and by 2021 they reached Grand Prix level.

Their first big tour CDI start was in Troisdorf in September 2021 and McLean campaigned the gelding internationally through 2024 with starts in Lier, Opglabbeek, Olomouc, Geesteren, Hagen, Aachen, Jardy, Sint-Truiden, Le Mans and Lipica. The latter show in June 2024 was their last in their career as a pair. They finished fourth in the GP and Special.

"You Don't Ride on X-Rays"

Henrdrix was retired from sport in March 2026. He was turned out into the field at a friend's place in the best care.

Jimmi did not have the best conformation in one leg and unfortunately walking became too difficult for him. It was decided to put him to sleep on 11 November.

"He had very bad leg conformation, over at the knee and a club foot," Caroline McLean told Eurodressage. "He is the real example that you don’t ride on the x-rays as his vetting and conformation weren't ideal. We had a very good farrier that we had to fly in from England to shoe him every 6 weeks through all the years we had him."

McLean said that Jimmi indicated the time was right for him to go and they did not want him to suffer.

"I wish he could have enjoyd his retirement longer," said Carolina. "We had him for 12 years. He was one of the first horses we bought in Germany and he really was so special to us. We all got time to say goodbye and our own vet came to put him to sleep on the field."