Norwegian Junior Team Horse Shiraz Black Passed Away

Dressage

Norwegian Dressage News

Norwegian junior team rider Carina Brynildsen has tragically lost her top horse Shiraz Black right after competing at the 2014 CDI-PJYR in Odense, Denmark, last week. The day after after Odense wrapped up for them, Thursday 16 October, Shiraz Black had to be trailered to the equine clinic with acute colic.

He was operated on and again operated on the next day. The torsion in his bowels, however, was too severe and too much intestine had become necrotic. It was decided to euthanize the horse.

The 10-year old Shiraz Black was an Oldenburg bred stallion by Sandro Hit out of Djemina (by Donnerhall). Australian Olympian Mary Hanna discovered Shiraz Black in Germany at Hof Kasselmann when he was a 2,5 year old. She shipped the stallion down under where he began his competition career as a youngster. He was first trained and competed by Brett Parbery and later on by Mary's daughter Gitte Donvig. The stallion was the Australian Young Horse Champion as a 5 and 6-year old.

Mary briefly started riding and competing him herself in 2009. Round that time Mary began trainining with Steffen Peters in California and left the black stallion there for further training. In 2012 Shiraz Black was shipped to Europe to be sold and came into the ownership of the Norwegian Brynildsen family.

Under Carina Brynildsen the stallion represented Norway at the 2013 European Junior Riders Championships where they finished 23rd individually. This year they placed sixth in the freestyle finals at the 2014 European Junior Riders Championships. Right afterwards, Carina bumped him up a level and started competing at Young Riders level, claiming gold at the 2014 Norwegian Young Riders Championships.