Horses have a strong relationship with their riders in equestrian sport. In core equestrian events like dressage, such a bond is even stronger in which both the equine and the rider learn, grow, and progress together. The famed British equestrian Lara Butler had with Kristjan, her best Grand Prix competition horse.

Kristjan, the eighteen-year-old horse, the son of Polarion, was owned and bred by Ursula and Wilfried Bechtolsheimer. The horse was the mainstay for Lara in dressage events and the duo participated in numerous international events. The equine was retired a few days back and the news was shared through social media posts by its owners. The news drew the attraction of the online community and garnered valuable reactions.

Equestrian sport bids adieu to a Kristjan

The retirement news of the eighteen-year-old Kristjan was shared on Facebook by Laura Bechtolsheimer. In the caption she wrote “Happy Retirement to our wonderful homebred Kristjan who has had a fabulous GP career and was lucky to have Lara Butler Dressage behind his cheeky ears from the early days to his last official dance“. She basically shared the news from Lara Butler’s post, posted on the earlier day. The post had pics of Lara riding and tapping the horse after the performance. Lara met Kristjan when she appeared for an interview at Bechtolsheimer.

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At that time, he was just five years old, and she started training him for the Grand Prix level at the yard in Ampney, St. Peter. After riding him at a young age, Lara handed him over to Laura for a brief period before taking him back in 2012. From 2012 to his last career event she was his partner.

They participated in multiple winter and national competitions across the country before making an international debut in 2017 in Hartpury. They took part in various international dressage competitions placing second in Grand Prix and Kur in 2019 and Grand Prix 2022. They were also part of the national team in the Nations Cup in Aachen twice. The retirement news drew a reaction from the equestrian community who followed the horse in various competitions.

The sport community’s reaction to his retirement

The equestrian community welcomed the retirement of the horse with teary eyes. One equestrian enthusiast said, “Great times! Long and happy retirement to him!” remembering Kristjan’s participation days as great and wishing him the best for the future. Another fan wrote, “It will be sad not to see him dance anymore” lamenting that now he will not be able to watch the horse perform. Another online surfer described the horse as a great partner and said, “What a great partner, well done and happy retirement“.

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Another fan wrote, “Well done all of you taking British Dressage to a new level” congratulating the rider Lara Butler and her horse Kristjan in aiding in the progress of British Dressage. Another fan summed up all thoughts in two words “How wonderful“.

The retirement of the Grand Prix champ horse Kristjan is a piece of sad news for the equestrian community. They shall remember him for his excellent moments when he entertained the crowd with his dance.

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