Emma Hindle has said farewell to her Olympic partner Lancet, who has died aged 24.
The Hanoverian stallion, by Wenzel x Shogun, was a stalwart of the British dressage team for many years and became one of Britain’s most influential and successful dressage horses.
He and Emma were the top British combination at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing seventh individually, and they were on the silver medal-winning team at the 2009 European Championships in front of a home crowd at Windsor.
“Lance” and Emma also competed at the 2005, 2007 and 2009 European Championships as well as the 2006 World Equestrian Games. With his previous rider, the Netherlands’ Imke Schellekens-Bartels, Lance was also on the team that finished fourth at the 2004 Athens Olympics, before he was sold to Emma.
“Lance was the horse that fulfilled all my dreams,” Emma told H&H. “He represented our country over so many years and really was one of life’s great workers.”
Lance was retired from competition aged 18, to a standing ovation at the 2011 Hickstead CDI, where he and Emma scored over 77% to finish third in the grand prix freestyle. He went on to continue his breeding career as a licensed stallion at Emma’s Brookhouse Stud, with his successful offspring including Dutch rider Patrik van der Meer’s European team gold medal-winning ride Uzzo.
“We called him the sleeping crocodile,” said Emma in a tribute to Lance. “He knew his likes and dislikes all too well and he shared his opinions in style with those who challenged him. He didn’t care for many, but those he chose were truly a privileged few.
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“Even after he retired from competition he always stayed in work in some form — it was what he loved. He was very, very special, and passed on so much knowledge to those who wanted to learn. We all miss him very much.”
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