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‘We will miss her very much’: top horse retires to join 32-year-old grandmother in family herd

Lucy Elder Lucy Elder

    • SAP Asha P, the talented event mare piloted to success by Germany’s Ingrid Klimke, has retired aged 13 to become a broodmare.

    The Askari 173 daughter, who Ingrid owned with Dr Andres Lauber, scored many international wins, including the Covid-postponed German Championship at Luhmühlen in 2020.

    She was crowned seven-year-old world champion at Le Lion in 2018 and her phenomenal record featured 24 cross-country jumping clears from 25 starts. She only had five showjumping rails in her entire international career and finished on her dressage score on 14 occasions.

    In 2021, she was ruled out of Olympic team contention owing to an injury and spent that year and 2022 away from the international stage. In 2023, she returned to competition with a second-place finish at Westergellersen CCI3*-S followed by victory at the same level at Strzegom the following month.

    SAP Asha P finished third on the final international start of her career, in the CCI4*-L at Sopot in May this year.

    Ingrid said that “earlier than expected” SAP Asha P will start her second career as a broodmare for health reasons.

    “Asha is an absolutely exceptional horse that I could always rely on. We are very grateful that we were able to experience such special moments with her,” she said.

    “Together with the co-owner, Dr Lauber, we have decided that Asha will go back to her breeders Andrea and Lutz Pietscher. She will stay with her 32-year-old grandmother and other relatives in the herd.

    “Carmen [Thiemenn, Ingrid’s long-standing groom] and I brought Asha back to her old home on the large and lush pastures of the Pietscher couple with a very good feeling. It was nice for us to see how Asha felt very comfortable right away. We will miss her very much.”

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    Lucy Elder
    Lucy Elder

    H&H senior news writer
    Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
    Lucy Elder

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