Double Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has announced the retirement of her number one Grand Prix horse, Dalera BB.

Photo – Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera BB win double gold at the 2024 Olympic Games (© Astrid Appels)

Although she explicitly stated to the media twice that Paris would not be Dalera’s final show as the emotional burden would be too heavy on her during the Games, von Bredow-Werndl has now officially confirmed that Paris was the 17-year old mare’s final competition.

Farewell Tour

The “two to three more shows” planned for 2024-2025 have turned into a farewell tour, starting at the 2024 Trakehner Stallion Licensing in Neumunster (GER) in November followed by the CDI-W Basel (SUI) in January.

Jessica calls these farewell rides “a few joyful appearances.”

At the 2018 World Equestrian Games

“I know Dalera loves her stage so much and that is why it’s important to me that she gets to do this a few more times,” said an emotional Jessica in the retirement reel she posted on social media on Tuesday evening 27 August 2024.

The Pair to Beat as of 2021

Von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera (by Easy Game x Handryk) have dominated international dressage sport since 2021.

After winning the 2017 Louisdor Cup Finals in Frankfurt, they first made it on the German team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, where they won team gold and placed 9th in the Special. At the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam they won team gold and kur bronze with their celebrated LaLa Land freestyle. This was the start of their ascent to the top.

At the 2019 CDI-W Stuttgart their string of success truly started. In the 2020 corona year they won Neumunster, Hagen, and Donaueschingen. In the spring of 2021 they had a “lul” in their winning streak, meaning in four tests that year they did not win (2nd in the Grand Prix at the 2021 CDI-W Salzburg, 2nd in the GP Special at the CDI Hagen, and 3rd and 2nd in the Olympic team qualifier at the 2021 CDI Kronberg). As of then their total conquest started, at least internationally as nationally they were once beaten by Rothenberger/Fendi in Balve 2023.

Double gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

On the international stage they won team and individual gold at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo and triple gold at the 2021 European Championships in Hagen six weeks later. They skipped the 2022 World Championships as Jessica gave birth to a baby. They won the World Cup Finals in 2022 and 2023 and got double gold and team silver at the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck. They rode to new French inspired freestyle music in the lead-up to Paris.

They won the German Dressage Championships four times (2020 2021, 2023, 2024) and capped off their career with team and Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

To read the full article – visit Eurodressage.com