Trakehner Stallion Garuda K Passed Away

Breeding

Trakehner

The internationally competed Grand Prix and Trakehner licensed stallion Garuda K has passed away. He was 22 years old.

Garuda K was by Munchhausen out of Gladness B (by Angard x Unkensee x Erlkönig). He was bred at Gestut Kapellenhof.

Woodcroft Stud

The chestnut stallion's career started in Great Britain with his life-time owner, Bernadette O'Sullivan of Woodcroft Stud, who bought him as a foal in Germany.

Garuda was reserve champion at his British Warmblood Stallion Grading and was licensed by the German Trakehner Verband in the U.K. in 2010 based on sport results. He was also approved for Brandenburg and Westfalen. In 2015 he was recorded into Stallion Book I in Germany.

He was first competed in the U.K. as a 5-year old in 2006 under Malcolm Holsthausen. He trained and competed up to Advanced Medium level until 2010.

Lesley Peyton-Gilbert

In 2011 Lesley Peyton-Gilbert took over the ride and produced him to Grand Prix level.

The pair made its national show debut at medium level in July 2011 and moved to small tour level in 2012.

Their international show debut was in January 2013 at the CDI Drachten, where they scored 65.632% in the Prix St Georges. From there they went to the CDI's in Roosendaal and Hickstead. They retired at the CDI Kapellen. They were 10th at the 2013 British Small Tour Championship.

Peyton-Gilbert moved the stallion up to Grand Prix in 2014 and they competed in Hartpury, Deauville, Hickstead and Saumur. Their best result was 66.020% and a 3rd place at the CDI Hartpury.

Lesley rode her last show on Garuda K in January 2015 at Keysoe.

Cowan and Bexon

The ride on Garuda K was passed on to a new rider, Anne-Marie Cowan who debuted him in January 2016 at Grand Prix level at Manor Grange Stud. She competed him at a few national shows through June 2016.

In October 2017 Beth Bexon showed him once at small tour level before Garuda K found a new career in para dressage sport

Para Dressage

In 2019, the 18-year old Garuda K became a real schoolmaster and proved his temperament under British para rider Laura Gulliver.

Having left school at 16, Laura worked as an apprentice for Judy Harvey when she was diagnosed with idiopathic polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis. She then groomed for Lesley Peyton-Gilbert in 2014, when she got to know Garuda K. After the stallion stepped down from a Grand Prix career, O'Sullivan approached Gulliver if he could be her schoolmaster.

The new pair premiered in March 2018 at a show at the Solihull Equestrian centre and made their international CPEDI debut at Grade IV level at the CPEDI Bishop Burton, where they were third three times. They won the 2019 British Para Championships at Grade IV level.

Gulliver competed Garuda K internationally for three years through 2021 with only UK. based starts in Keysoe and Hartpury. Their last CPEDI was in October 2021. They were also 8th at the 2021 British Para Dressage Championships.

Garuda K did his final competition aged 21 at the British Winter Championships in April 2022.

Ireland

Garuda K was in Ireland with Samantha Goodier in the last phase of his life.

"He went to her a couple of months ago to do a few low level dressage competitions and retire to stud next year," Bernadette O'Sullivan told Eurodressage. "Sam rode him a few times a week as he was sound and loved showing off doing what he enjoyed best."

On 7 September 2023 Woodcroft stud announced Garuda's passing after a short illness.

"Garuda was enjoying an active retirement doing what he loved best and will be sorely missed by all those who came into contact with him," said O'Sullivan.

The chestnut leaves a legacy in his get which are mainly based in the U.K. There his offspring had significant success especially at breed shows, but in sport only a handful have reached the spotlight. His most famous offspring in sport is probably Woodcroft Natalia (by Garuda K x Latimer), ridden by Laura Gulliver at one CPEDI. On the European mainland the Heemsoth family owned Woodcroft Noir (by Garuda K x Latimer). He competed at a few national shows in 2016.