German Olympian Jessica von Bredow-Werndl’s up-and-coming Grand Prix star, Diallo BB, has sadly passed away following a sudden illness.
The 11-year-old Hanoverian, by Dancier out of a Floriscount OLD mare, had stepped out at the elite level last year and amassed seven CDI Big Tour wins, with scores as high as 83.095% in the Grand Prix Freestyle, 74.426% in the Grand Prix Special, and 73.26% in the Grand Prix. The gelding was bred by Margret and Hermann Hasseler and co-owned by Béatrice Buerchler-Keller and Annette Göbelsmann-Schweitzer.
“No word feels big enough for what’s broken inside me right now. Just over the weekend we danced together, it all felt so easy,” said Jessica via social media. “And then this disease came like a storm, silent, merciless and unstoppable, ate through your body in hours and ripped my heart out of my chest.”
Investigations are still ongoing; however, it is suspected that Diallo succumbed to Equine Borna Virus (BDV). BDV causes Borna Disease, an acute to subacute meningoencephaylomyelitis. It is a severe, often fatal neurological illness characterised by behavioural changes, gait issues, and paralysis.
Horses are thought to get infected from the environment, potentially from saliva, urine, or nasal secretions of other infected animals; however, there’s no single, proven transmission route.
“You have been fighting. We fought together. We had to let you go with a broken heart… it’s quiet now and I know you’re out of pain, that you’re free,” continued Jessica.
“Thank you, Diallo. For your love. For your strength. For your trust. For every moment that we were together. You’ve been a great gift. I carry you in my heart. In all I am.”
Equestrian Life’s thoughts are with Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Béatrice Buerchler-Keller, Annette Göbelsmann-Schweitzer and all those connected with Diallo BB.
