Anna von Wendt's Denzel Passed Away

Dressage

Finland

A second blow for Finnish Grand Prix rider Anna von Wendt. After the passing of Sir Fashion, Anna had to say goodbye to her other Grand Prix horse Denzel.

Denzel was a 24-year old Hanoverian gelding by Don Frederico out of Windsbraut (by Wonderland x Mangan). He was bred by Jörg Döpke.

German Start

The chestnut began his sport career in Germany as a 4-year old in 2006. He was first shows in the riding horse tests by Ulrik Döpke and once by Angela Schreiber.

In 2007 Manuel Bammel competing the gelding once before he sold to Anna von Wendt, who was training with Jonny Hilberath in Germany in the winter of 2006-2007. She purchased Denzel in the Verden winter auction in February 2007 and trained the horse with the help of Hilberath and Lilli Luoma.

Finnish Grand Prix Horse

The pair made their international small tour debut in 2011 at the CDI Tallinn, after which a four year break from CDI showing followed.

They returned to the CDI ring in June 2015 in Ypaja for an Inter II and first Grand Prix test. They gained mileage that year in Tallinn, Siauliai, and Helsinki. On 2016 they represented Finland in the Nations Cup in Odense and Ypaja and won the Finnish Grand Prix Championships.

The pair continued to compete at international Grand Prix level through October 2022 with mainly CDI starts in Scandinavia and the Baltic area. In 2020 he was leased as a schoolmaster to Pilvi Rientonen, but Von Wendt returned to the arena herself with Denzel in 2021 and 2022. Once they came down for the Aachen Dressage Days in Hagen, Germany, in May 2022. Denzel competed internationally until he was 20 years old.

Retirement

Denzel was retired from sport and Sir Fashion took over the baton. On 3O October 2026 he passed away at age 24.

Looking back on her life with Denzel, Anna reminisced, "Almost 20 years of traveling together. Pretty much my whole adult age. How much life, memories and love can one horse hold? With you, I learned everything. We've gone from easy classes to GP level, winning at international level and making dreams come true I would have never dared to have. We competed so long that even the judges were getting tired of us. And even after that, you got to teach other riders and pass on all that you yourself had taught me."

Von Wendt cherished her ginger gelding. "You had your own opinion on almost everything and never left anyone cold. You were full of life, character and charisma that cannot be taught or bought," she said.