Renate Voglsang Loses Grand Prix Horse Fürst Ferdinand zur Fasanenhöhe

Dressage

Austria

Austrian Grand Prix rider Renate Voglsang has lost her number one in the barn, Fürst Ferdinand zur Fasanenhöhe.

Fürst Ferdinand zur Fasanenhöhe was a 17-year old Bavarian warmblood by Furst Hohenstein out of Penny Lane (by Pitango x Atlantik). He was bred by Hermann Vodermair.

Gut Fasanenhöhe

The dark bay was first competed by Jessica Wiethof in 2013, by Andrea Vodermair in 2014 and as of 2015 by Austrian Renate Voglsang, who works out of Gut Fasanenhöhe in Chieming in Bavaria, Germany.

Voglsang and Furst Ferdinand reached small tour level in 2018 and rode their first national Grand Prix tests in 2020. They made their CDI debut in Pilisjaszfalu in August 2020 and showed in Sint-Truiden next.

In 2021 they competed in Mannheim, Munich, and the Austrian Olympic team trail in Achleiten, but didn't make the Olympic team. They cointinued in Sint-Truiden after which a short break followed.

One Eye

In 2017 Furst Ferdinand started having tearing eye and was diagnosed with cataract. Initially he managed but his eye sight slowly deteriorated over time it and he became spooky/shy. In January 2022 his lens suddenly turned from milky white to yellow and the horse required surgery. The gelding struggled to get up after his anaesthesia but then recovered.

It was not the end of the eye issues as the retina detached. A full eye removal was the only option instead of a second operation to fix the lens. From that day the horse felt much better in his skin and more confident despite limited vision.

The German born Voglsang, who began her professional riding career with Ulrich Rasch, also underwent a second back operation in the autumn of 2021 (first one in 2013), which left both horse and rider in rehabilitation mode in 2022.

Steady Scorer

They returned to the arena in April 2022 at the CDI Stadl Paura, followed by Achleiten, Munich, Fritzens, Ludwigsburg, Troisdorf, and Stuttgart. They were short listed but did not make the Austrian team despite Grand Prix scores between 68% and 73.609% scores.

The pair continued to compete at international Grand Prix level through January 2024 after which an almost two-year break followed due to an injury. They were long-listed for Paris initially but with no shows could not be considered for the team that year. They had made their come back at a national show in Ising in September 2025, followed by the CDI Wiener Neustadt in October 2025, where they posted 66.696% in the Grand Prix and 71.730% in the Kur.

Their last national start was in October 2025 in Ising, Germany, with a 73,63% in the Grand Prix.

Untimely Passing

Today, Renate Voglsang took to Instagram to announce the passing of Furst Ferdinand.

"You fought until the very end, but ultimately lost to a rapidly progressing, rare autoimmune disease. You had no chance," Renate stated.

Renate continued, "it's infinitely hard for me to put into words what I've lost with you. For me, you were so much more than my horse: my faithful companion, my strong partner in sports, and my silent confidant who accompanied me for so many years. I would have loved to wish you a nice retirement life with your friends on the dome, but it shouldn't be."