Australian Grand Prix Horse Aristede Retired from Sport

Dressage

Australia

Aristede, the Australian warmblood which took Shannan Goodwin and Lindsey Ware into the international Grand Prix ring, has been retired from sport.

Aristede is a 2005 born AWHA registered gelding by Aachimedes out of Lunar (by Lander x ).

Shannan Goodwin

Shannan Goodwin biught Aristede as a 3-year old from Nicole Magoffin freshly saddle broken.

The pair made its small tour debut in 2014 and its international Grand Prix debut at the 2016 CDI Brisbane, where she finished fourth in the Grand Prix and Freestyle.

In 2017 she competed him at CDi's in Sudney, birsbane, Bawley Point and Boneo. This year the pair went full steam at the internationals and rode at the tree CDi's at Boneo (incl. Pacific League World Cup qualifier), as well as at Bawley Point, Werribee, Sydney, and Brisbane.

The pair started their Grand Prix career scoring 62.160% and at their last CDI at the end of October in Boneo, which hosted the 2018 Australian Championships, they were scoring 70.217% in the Grand Prix. They were second reserve for the Australian 2018 WEG team.

Goodwin decided to sell Aristede after the Nationals. Goodwin, who is a a child psychologist by profession, has not made her come back to the CDI ring since selling "Astro". She now goes by the name Shannan Connell.

Lindsey Ware

The horse found a new owner in Lindsey Waren. The then 16-year old Ware had just made her debut as an international junior rider on the 17-year old stockhorse crossbred Let's Jazzaround (by Jazzabout x Rodeo Rush). She was based at Fiona Selby's Boneo Park.

The duo was entered to make its international show debut in February 2019 at the CDI Bawley Point but withdrew. A week later they won all three young riders' classes at the second CDI at Willinga Park.Frol there they went to the CDI in Sydney and swept the board there too.

Ware and Aristede at the 2022 CDI Sydney

In October 2020 they moved up to U25 level and won all classes in Sydney and at the 2020 CDI Boneo before the corona outbreak. A two-year break from international showing followed. Their next CDI Start was at Boneo Park in January 2022 in the senior big tour in which they finished fifth. In 2022 they actively competed to collect scores for World Championship team nomination. They rode in Bawley Point, Werribee, Sydney, Boneo and Melbourne. Their Grand Prix score went from 69.196% at the start of the year to 64.631% in their last CDI. They won silver at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix Championships.

The CDI Melbourne in November 2022 was the horse's last international. Also Ware has not returned to the CDI ring since then.

Retirement

Equestrian Life announced that 2.5 years after Aristede's last international, the horse has been retired from sport at age 19.

Originally Aristede was supposed to retire after the CDI Bawley Point in February 2023 but he arrived lame at the show. He pulled suspensory on his left hind and was rehabbed back to fitness. However, in January 2024 he chipped his front left cannon.

"At the completion of his second rehab in April, Astro kicked a hole in the gate and metal went through his hoof and led to an E.coli infection," Equestrian Life posted. "This led to a long stint at the Ballarat veterinary hospital as they had to drill into the hoof to fix the infection and remove the metal that had broken off inside. He was sound straight after his hoof had been drilled into, and was given the official all-clear in August."

In May he sustained a small suspensory tear on his left hind and Ware retired him on the spot. Astro is now enjoy a happy life in the field, while Lindsey has continued her career with young horses. She has been showing the 5-year olds Brighton (by Birmingham x St. Moritz) and Florencia (by Furst Samarant x Rock Forever) nationally.