Austrian Grand Prix rider Nora Mothwurf has lost her number one horse Milan. The 17-year old Danish warmblood stallion was euthanized on Friday 6 April following an accident in his stall. The horse sustained a comminuted fracture of the canon bone and had to be put down.
"I still can't believe it," a bereaved Mothwurf told Eurodressage. "He kicked around in his box like he did 1000 times before to "educate" the horses around him, to get their respect. His box was super safe besides one week point: the door and window to the paddock. The door was closed, the window open and he kicked out of the door and used that wrong angle, where his leg slipped under the window."
Bred by Marie Hedegård Pedersen in Denmark, Milan was by Michellino x Manstein x Kawango. He was approved at the 1998 Danish warmblood Stallion Licensing and then owner Jorgen Olsen received the rearer's medal in gold from the Danish Warmblood Society.
The gorgeous dark bay stallion was first trained and competed by Astrid Gemal and Dorthe Johannesen but made his international FEI break through with Finnish Mikaela Lindh. Soon after, in 2005, the horse sold to Mothwurf with the help of Alois Goldberger and Alain Gayhede. Motwurf was stabled at Otto Hofer's place in Switzerland at the time.
Milan and Mothwurf recently celebrate a major international victory at the 2012 CDI Caselle di Sommacampagna in Italy in March.
"Despite all the sadness, this was his way," Mothwurf added. "He never could have been old and weak. On the peak of his career he stepped out of his life."
Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Eurodressage Photo Database: Milan
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