Mariett, Lars Petersen's Danish Team Horse, Passed Away

Dressage

U.S.A.

Mariett, the last horse Lars Petersen rode for Team Denmark, has passed away. She was 28 years old.

Mariett was a 1998 born Danish warmblood mare by Come Back II out of Zendi (by Sidney x Diamond). She was bred by Gunnar Mousten in Denmark

Laerke Sund

The bay began her show career in Denmark under Laerke Sund.

She made her debut on Mariett in May 2003 when the mare was five years old. They represented Denmark at the 2003 World Young Horse Championships in Verden and finished 15th in the 5-year old final after a third place in the consolation final.

Sund showed Mariett through September 2005 at national level in Denmark.

Marcia Pepper

Laerke Sund and Mariett at the 2003 WCYH in Verden

Mariett sold to American amateur dressage rider and horse lover Marcia Pepper.

Pepper first showed the mare herself in the early sprig of 2007 at small tour level, before trainer Melissa Taylor took over the ride. The two ladies swapped places in the saddle why showing her the first two years at small tour level in the U.S.A unti the end of 2009.

Mariett sustained an almost career ending injury when she locked her right hind shoe into her left front shoe while sleeping. She tore of half of the left front hoof and needed a full two years to recover.

"Mariett suffered a devastating, career-ending injury," Melissa Taylor explained. "Her future was uncertain, and the odds were overwhelmingly against her. For many, her story might have ended there. But Mariett had something extraordinary within her — the heart of a warrior and a spirit that simply refused to give up."

Melissa continued, "and thankfully, she had people around her who refused to give up on her, too. Marcia placed her trust in Lars Petersen allowing him the time, freedom, and opportunity to care for Mariett, believe in her, and guide her through what seemed like an impossible road back. That kind of trust is rare. That kind of partnership is special. And what came from it was nothing short of extraordinary. Because Mariett didn’t just recover. She came back to become a champion."

With help from Dr. Jorge Gomez and Dr. Rick Mitchell, Mariett returned to work in 2011

Lars Petersen

Mariett made a full recovery and Melissa's husband, Danish Olympian Lars Petersen, took over the ride and produced her to Grand Prix level.

At that point Petersen was a seasoned Danish team rider having competed at the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Equestrian Games, the 1996 Olympics, and the 1995, 1999 and 2001 European Championships, as well as the 1994, 1996, 2001 and 2002 World Cup Finals on three different horses: Utopia, Uffe Korshojgaard, and Blue Hors Cavan.

Lars first showed Mariett first at national Grand Prix level in Wellington in February 2012 and a month later made their CDI debut in Loxahatchee. The duo gained experience in 2012 and 2013 at shows in West Palm Beach, Saugerties, Devon and Wellington and got selected to represent Denmark at the 2013 CDIO Rotterdam. They were 6th at the 2013 Danish Grand Prix Championships.

After a strong 2014 Global Dressage Festival season in Wellington the pair qualified for the World Cup Finals but withdrew from the event. Instead they returned to Europe for shows in Hagen, Hamburg, and Aachen, claimed silver at the 2014 Danish Grand Prix Championships and were nominated on the Danish team for the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, France, where they finished 28th in the Special with 69.706%.

They represented Denmark at the 2015 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, where they finished 12th in the Kur with 73.839% A half year break from CDI showing followed.

In 2016 they returned to the Global Dressage Festival and got short listed for Danish team selection for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, but withdrew from team contention when the then 18-year old mare started to struggle with fitness issues. Mariett's last international show turned out to be the CDI Wellington at the beginning of April 2016, where they finished third in the Grand Prix and second in the Special.

Retirement

Mariett was retired from competition sport and received a farewell ceremony in February 2017 in Wellington.

Pepper tried to breed a foal out of Mariett and tried with Everdale but it did not work out. Mariett initially spent her retirement in the field at a farm in Ocala but was soon brought back down to Loxahatchee where she stayed in the fields with other mares and youngstock at Heidi Degele's yard.

"She was a momma bear to all the little ones and we were able to see her all the time and she had a big paddock with a stall she could come and go as she pleased," said Melissa.

Sad Goodbye

On 8 October 2026 Mariett was put to sleep at age 28.

She is "leaving behind a legacy that will forever be etched in our hearts," Melissa Taylor wrote. "Some horses are special. Some horses are champions. And then there are those rare, once-in-a-lifetime horses who teach us what true courage, determination, heart, and the will to fight really mean. Mariett was one of those horses."

Taylor added, "we lovingly called her our War Horse, because she had fought battles most would never understand. She was tough, brave, determined, and possessed a heart bigger than words could ever describe. She taught us that greatness isn’t simply measured by medals, championships, or results, but by the courage it takes to overcome the impossible. And behind every one of those extraordinary achievements was a story of love, trust, patience, and an unbreakable belief between a horse, her owner, and her trainer."