Unee BB to Be Retired from Competition Sport

Dressage

Germany

German A-squad rider Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has announced the official retirement of her top horse Unee BB from competition sport. A farewell ceremony will take place at the 2018. CDI Frankfurt in December.

Unee BB is a 17-year old KWPN stallion by Gribaldi out of Ilarichte (by Dageraad). He is owned by retired Swiss dressage judge Beatrice Burchler-Keller.

The black stallion was initially trained and competed up to small tour level by German based Swiss rider Jasmine Sanche-Burger. They were third in the 2010 Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals, before the horse moved to Switzerland in 2011 to continue its Grand Prix level training with Swiss Birgit Wientzek-Plage. In 2012 Burchler-Keller decided to move the horse to Jessica Werndl's yard in Aubenhausen, Germany.

The duo made its CDI debut in the Intermediaire II at the CDI Vidauban in February 2013. The pair had a knack for the Kur to Music and rode the World Cup Finals in Lyon in 2014 (7th), in Las Vegas in 2015 (3rd), in Gothenburg in 2016 (3rd) and in Paris in 2018 (3rd). They also were members of the silver medal winning German team at the 2015 European Championships in Aachen and placed 7th individually.

At the World Cup Finals press conference in Paris last April, Von Bredow-Werndl already hinted that this would be Unee's last season and that he would not contend for a WEG team spot. The rider has now made the stallion's retirement official in an Instagram post.

"Beatrice Bürchler-Keller and I have decided to say goodbye to competition sport with Unee. He has traveled with us around the world, baffled us, and made us happy countless times! Two World Cup victories, team bronze medal in the European Championships, three podium finishes at the World Cup Finals, five years on the German Olympic Squad and always in top form - what more do we want," said Jessica. "Thank you Unee: you are and will always remain my star, my champion and may stay with me forever! Thank you Beatrice for your trust, your friendship and the mutual love for our horses."