Michael Jung’s double Olympic eventing champion La Biosthetique-Sam FBW has been retired from competition.
The German rider said in March that this would be Sam’s final season, and today confirmed to H&H that the 18-year-old gelding has retired from the sport.
“He is good, he is being ridden four or five times a week and goes in the field — he is fit and looks well,” Michael told H&H.
“He will stay on our farm, nothing changes for him.”
The horse’s final international competition was at Badminton in May, where he finished 10th.
He had been aimed at a final run at Aachen in July, but a pulled a shoe during his last training gallop.
The horse retired from championships after winning team silver and individual gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He went on to finish second at Badminton the following spring and also took the individual runner-up spot in front of a home crowd at Aachen.
Sam, who is by thoroughbred sire Stan The Man, has a breathtaking competition record with his long-term rider, Michael.
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‘A born event horse’: what makes Michael Jung’s Badminton-winning ride so good?
His wins at Burghley 2015 and Badminton 2016 helped Michael to take the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing in 2016. His Badminton finishing score of 34.4pen that year was also the lowest-ever winning score at the Gloucestershire CCI4*.
The bay gelding won Olympic team and individual gold at London 2012, going on to retain his individual title at Rio 2016 and add a team silver medal to his collection.
He won individual gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Kentucky, team and individual gold at the 2011 European Championships in Luhmulen, plus individual European bronze in 2009 at Fontainebleau.
In total, Sam has contested 10 four-stars during his career, winning four (Kentucky WEG 2010, Luhmulen 2011, Burghley 2015 and Badminton 2016), finishing second twice, third three times and 10th once.
As a six- and seven-year-old, he won back-to-back silver medals at the World Championships for Young Horses in Le Lion d’Angers.
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