Verdades Retires - We Will Miss You Diddy

Laura Graves has announced the retirement of her Rio Olympic bronze medal partner Verdades less than 7 months before the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Graves made the announcement via her Instagram account. “It is with both a heavy heart and a grateful mind that today, I announce the retirement of my great friend, Diddy,” said Laura of the KWPN gelding, who is by Florett AS x Goya. “I’ve always promised that I would do my best to listen and make the right choice for him when this time came. It became clear in recent weeks that he was not going to be able to return to his usual top form in 2020.

“While nothing makes me happier than watching him play in his field and take him for hacks, it is still a very new and very sad realisation for me that this journey has reached its end.”

Graves has owned "Diddy", now 18, since he was 6 months old and brought him up through the ranks herself all the way to the Olymmpics putting them o the international scene.

Some of the highlights Laura and Verdades acheivements:

2014 World Equestrian Games Normandy - 5th Grand Prix Freestyle
2015 Pann American Games - Team Gold and Individual Silver
2015 FEI World Cup Finals Las Vegas - 4th Individual
2016 Rio Olympics - Team Bronze and 4th Individual
2017 FEI World Cup FInals Omaha - Silver Medal
2018 World Equestrian Games - Double Silver
2019 FEI World Worl Cup Dressage Final - Silver Medal

“This horse not only achieved every goal we ever set, but he fulfilled dreams that I never knew I had,” she wrote on Instagram. “Not always the easiest, it was his generous heart and incredible sense of loyalty that made him one of a kind.”

We will miss Diddy and look forward to seeing Laura in future competitions.