Austrian Grand Prix rider Victoria Max-Theurer had to say goodbye to two of her retired horses - Agrigento and Romantik - which played a kep role in her career going from the youth levels to a senior Grand Prix rider.
Agrigento was a 1986 born Westfalian gelding bred by Bernhard Wiechert. He was by Akzent II out of Flora (by Fruhlingsrausch x Dompfaff x Justus). The bay gelding was first competed at a 4-year old by Bernard Schulze Sutthoff in 1990 and he took him up to M-level in three years.
Agrigento sold to the Max-Theurer family in Austria after that and the horse became Vici's key mount for her junior rider career. The pair won team and individual bronze at the 1999 European Junior Riders Championships in Achleiten. In 2001 the horse moved up to Grand Prix level, first showing at a few national events and as of 2003 going international with starts in Munich, Fritzens, Berlin, Dortmund, Bremen, and Stuttgart. She qualified Agrigento for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, but chose to ride Falcao. Their last CDI together was the 2006 CDI Stadl Paura.
Agrigento was 30 years old. He passed four days before the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Romantik was a 1996 born Hanoverian mare bred by Heinrich Klausing. She was by Rohdiamant out of Avignon (by Akzent II x Grenadier x Atlanta)
Originally named Ramina K, she was initially started by the breeder's son Heiko Klausing in the riding horse classes and ended up becoming the reserve champion at the 1999 Hanoverian Young Horse Championships as well as the Bundeschampionate. The mare sold to the Max-Theurer family at the 1998 Hanoverian Elite Auction in Verden for 300,000 Deutsch Mark (150,000 euro).
Under Victoria Max-Theurer Romantik made her international small tour debut at the 2005 CDI Dortmund, where she placed second in the Prix St Georges and won the Intermediaire I.
She was only competed internationally in 2005 and 2006 and then retired from sport due to an injury. In 2007 she was recorded as owned by Manfred Huthmair in the FEI Database, but Victoria attributes that to a mistake in the system. She became a broodmare and produced two foals: the 2008 born Oldenburg registered Schwarzenberg MT (by Sandro Hit), who was once shown by Heiko Klausing, and the 2011 born Bavarian registered Alhambra (by August der Starke), who is being competed by Yvonne Henke.
Romantik became 20 years old. She enjoyed the broodmare life out in the fields, but suffered an injury in the field and had to be euthanized.
Photos courtesy Max-Theurer
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