Jennifer Williams' Millione Retired from Competition Sport

Dressage

U.S.A.

Jennifer Williams has announced the retirement of her number one Grand Prix horse Millione from competition sport.

Millione is a 19-year old Danish warmblood gelding by Milan out of Bakkely's Roberta (by Rawage Quintus x Ibikus). He is bred by Jorgen Olsen.

Sold to the U.S.A as a hunter

Millione was bred and reared in Denmark by Olsen, who also owned sire Milan.

Because Millione was pretty but stayed quite small (161) he was sold as a 4-year old in 2007 to hunter trainer Sandy Skafgaard in Seattle, USA.

He turned to be too spooky and sensitive for a career in hunting and sold to Nancy Benton as a dressage horse.

Millione made his American show debut in 2012 under Catherine Reid.

Sales Horse Returned

Millione joined Jennifer Schrader-Williams’ sales program in 2014 at the age of 11. He was schooling at M-level and showing talent for piaffe.

He sold to Nora Caspers for Rachel Williamson and Heidi Gaian to ride, but in 2016 was returned to sell again as the partnership with a new owner didn’t work out.

Winning the 2020 U.S. Grand Prix Championships

In 2016 she bought the bay gelding and trained him to Grand Prix as a back up horse for her Grand Prix ride, HS Wrevolution (by HS Wistar x Rubin). The pair made its CDI debut at small tour level at the 2017 CDI Sacramento and moved to Grand Prix level at the CDI Del Mar in February 2018.

In Janury of 2018 a syndicate of owners was created for the horse, titled Millione Partners, with several supporters helping the duo, but in the end it were Bob and Tina Desroche who took over the partnership to support Williams. That year, the pair competed at CDI's in Sacramento and Calgary. In 2019 they competed in Temecula and Sacramento

Red Wine

Millione reached his best form at the end of his sport career. The pair was trained by Christophe Theallet.

In 2020 Williams and Millione travelled to Wellington, Florida for their first season at the Global Dressage Festival, and became the 2020 U.S. Grand Prix Champions.

Their highlight year came in 2021, when they started to consistently score over 70% in the big tour. The pair were members of the silver-medal winning U.S. team at the 2021 CDIO Wellington and shortlisted for the Tokyo Olympic Team. They did a euro tour in the summer of 2021, competing in Grote Brogel and Aachen.

The 2022 Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, became their swan song, riding in four more CDI's. They worked in Florida with coaches Oded Shimoni and Debbie McDonald and won the CDI4* Grand Prix and the CDI4* Grand Prix freestyle at the start of the season. By the end of March they finished with an 8th place in the Grand Prix (68.283%) in the 4* at their last CDI together.

Retirement

Although by the end of April 2022, the pair was ranked 8 for the U.S. short list for team selection for the 2022 World Championships in Herning, Williams decided it has been enough for 19-year old Millione.

"Millione you are one in Million, the ride of my life so far," she stated. " You took me beyond my wildest dreams buddy, and I couldn’t be more proud of you! Thank you so much to all who have guided us and helped us achieve our very best."

She confirmed that, "our boy has done such an amazing job and I want to let you all know with tears of gratitude in my eyes that now is the perfect time to step down from top competition for him."

"Mickey finishes the 2022 season sound, fit, and happy as every doing the job that he loves. He turns 19 officially this weekend on Sunday and we have much to celebrate for his birthday. ! I couldn’t have asked for more."