British Dressage announced the retirement of the Grand Prix dressage horse Argentile Gullit. The Dutch warmblood stallion was a member of the British team ridden by Carl Hester at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
He has been retired due to a recurring tendon problem at the age of 19. Gullit is bred by J.C.M. Derikx and is by Ulft out of an Apple King xx dam.
Owned by Jenny Green since 1999, her daughter Gemma also competed the Dutch-bred stallion and they enjoyed success at international level in young riders. In 2003, they were part of the victorious Young Rider Euro Cup team at Addington and the highest-placed British combination at the Saumur CDIJY. Later that year, they were members of the British team at the European Young Rider Championships, where they finished just out of the medals in fourth place.
On a happier note, one of Gemma’s current rides, the double national champion Showtime, recently received the British Breeders’ Award for most points gained by a dressage horse seven years and under in 2006.
Source: British Dressage
Photo copyrighted: Dirk Caremans
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