Ulrike Kick's Ruling Pedro Retired from Competition Sport

Dressage

Germany

German Ulrike Kick has retired her number one Grand Prix horse Ruling Pedro from competition sport. The 20-year old waved goodbye to sport by going down his final centerline at the CDN Gut Ising last weekend 4 - 6 November 2022.

Ruling Pedro is a 2002 born Bavarian gelding by Rubin Royal out of Batonia (by Landwind II x Wodka x Marlon xx). He is bred by Martin Niedermaier at Gut Spielberg.

The Beginnings

He sold as a weanling to Ludwig Fischer of Gestut Greim upon recommendation of Friedrich Kick.

He grew up with the Kicks and was presented at the stallion licensing at the 2004 South German Stallion Licensing in Munich, but the very young and green stallion did not get approved. He sold at auction to Christine Beyer upon recommendation of Hans-Jörg Kaltenbock. He was gelded soon after.

The dark bay gelding was started under saddle at Kaltenböck's yard and made his introduction to competition as a 4-year old in 2006 under assistant rider Jan Lens. He first competed him in the A and L-level dressage horse tests in the south of Germany.

By 2008 the horse sold to Fritz Kick and became the career making dressage horse for Ulrike Kick, who first competed him at L-level in April 2008 at a show in Schwarzhöfe

Bavaria's Star

The pair made its claim to fame mainly at regional level in Bavaria. They did not participate in the Bundeschampionate for young horses but slowly worked their way up to FEI level.

In 2010 the 8-year old Ruling Pedro did his first S-level test, also in Schwarzhöfe and in 2011 he moved up to Intermediaire II - Grand Prix level. In 2014 they were sixth at the German Championships for professional dressage riders.

Their international career was restricted to CDI's in South Germany and Austria. They competed at seven CDI's in their career, in four different locations. Their first was the CDI Stadl Paura in April 2015 and from there they went to Munich in May and Achleiten in June 2015. In 2015 the pair won bronze at the German Championships for professional dressage riders.

In 2016 they did two CDI's in Munich and Achleiten, and then a three year break from international showing followed, while they continued to storm ahead at regional/national level. In 2019 Kick and Ruling Pedro competed at the CDI's in Munich and Ranshofen. The latter was his last international start.

No Stopping

Kick reading her love letter to Ruling Pedro
at his retirement at Gut Ising

By 2020 Ruling Pedro was 18, an age when most horses are usually retired from sport, but the gelding motored on.

In 2021 he did a further handful of shows and also in 2022, at age 20, he continued to campaign at Grand Prix level with starts in Karlsfeld, Eicherloh, Brunnthal, Munich, and Ingolstadt. Last weekend's CDN at Gut Ising was the horse's last in his sport career.

In the retirement ceremony at Gut Ising, Kick spoke about her horse and said that a "laudatio wouldn't do him justice, only a declaration of love. This horse gave me so many nice moments in my career. The start was difficult. For years I was always the fastest, not the best. I often felt like given up. This horse has taught me with a fine feeling is, how to handle a sensitive animal. I can describe this horse with the words: highly sensitive, intelligent, worthy of love and ranging between genius and madness."

Ruling Pedro achieved no less than 27 victories and 151 placings at Grand Prix and 151 placings. He was the most successful South German dressage horse in 2015 and 2016.