Jessica von Bredow-Werndl's Diallo BB Passed Away

Dressage

Germany

Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl suffered a tragic loss today as her rising hope for the future, Diallo BB, was put to sleep after a sudden illness.

Diallo was a rising 11-year old Hanoverian by Dancier out of Fortuna (by Floriscount x Warkant). He was bred by Margret and Hermann Hasseler.

Schaudt, Mohr, Gräf

Diallo's path in life was very similar to that of Quick Decision. He was discovered as a youngster by Martin and Jasmin Schaudt and first competed by the latter in 2019 through 2020.

They sold Diallo to Anette Göbelsmann-Schweitzer, who in 2021 decided to allocate the ride to Roxana Mohr (now Noack), who trained with Uta Gräf at the time. Mohr competed Diallo at M-level in 2021 and finished 16th at the 2021 Bundeschampionate for 6-year olds.

In 2022 Diallo returned to Jasmin Schaudt and she rode him in the Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifier in Ludwigsburg amongst other shows. However, in 2023 Uta Gräf began showing Diallo and produced him further to Grand Prix level. In 2024 Uta rode him in the Louisdor Cup qualifiers in Kronberg, Donzdorf and Guxhagen.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl

When Benjamin Werndl bought Grand Prix horse Quick Decision from Anette Göbelsmann-Schweitzer in December 2024, he Werndls had already tried out Diallo a year before and at the time decided not to take him. However, a change of heart took place in February 2025 and they purchased an ownership share. The horse moved to Aubenhausen.

Gräf and Diallo at the 2024 CDN Kronberg

Reaping the benefits of Uta Gräf's excellent training, Jessica and Diallo gelled quickly and they made a stellar rise on the German show scene. She premiered him at a local show in Munich on 3 - 6 April to a double win and debuted him internationally at the CDI Hagen in April 2025, where they were fourth in the Grand Prix with 69.891% and won the 3* Special with 72.447%.

They scored a double win at the CDI Munich in May and suddenly headed to the German Championships in Balve as big contenders for the German team for the upcoming European Championships in Croeet. In Balve they were fourth in the Grand Prix (73.920%), but dropped to 10th place in the Special (71.431%), and 7th in the Kur (77.350%). The ultimate team capability test would come in Aachen, where it all proved to come a bit too fast. They scored 66.630% in the Grand Prix (21st) and withdrew from the rest of the competition.

After a summer back to the drawing board, the pair came back strong in the autumn, winning the CDI Wiener Neustadt and the CDI-W Stuttgart. Werndl's long-time sponsor Beatrice Burckler-Keller invested in Diallo as a co-owner and the horse got the BB suffix. The big win in Stuttgart set a course to the 2026 World Cup Finals and they were entered for the CDI-W Basel this weekend to pick up more qualification points.

Untimely Passing

At their CDI debut in Hagen in April 2025

Unfortunately the story of Jessica and Diallo came to an end. Diallo got ill on 5 January and was transported to the equine clinic, where he was put to sleep early Tuesday morning 6 January 2026.

"No word feels big enough for what's broken inside me right now," Werndl posted on Instagram. "Just over the weekend we danced together, it all felt so easy. And then this disease came like a storm, silent, merciless and unstoppable, ate through your body in hours and ripped my heart out of my chest. Investigations are still ongoing, the suspicion is on the Borna virus."

Jessica added, "you have been fighting. We fought together. We had to let you go with a broken heart because yours couldn't anymore."

Only three weeks ago at CDI Frankfurt Diallo became the recipient of the Otto Lörke prize, awarded to Germany's most talented Grand Prix horses of which a big career in sport is expected.