Helen Langehanenberg and Damsey FRH
© FEI/Claes Jakobsson
By Equestrian Life
At the CDI5* Al Shaqab in Doha, Qatar last month, the highly successful Damsey FRH’s retirement was announced by his owners Louise Leatherdale and Susan Meyer, and his rider Helen Langehanenberg.
Following his final CDI5* Grand Prix test, in which the expressive stallion scored 82.05% and placed second, an emotional retirement ceremony was held. On her Instagram page, Helen Langehanenberg wrote the following about the decision to retire Damsey in Doha:
“Of course it would have been nicer and he would certainly have preferred to do this in front of “his” audience in Germany. But in Corona times, as his owner Louise Leatherdale, his co-owner Susanne Meyer and I agreed, it simply cannot be planned.
“Here at this great CDI5* event in Doha, the framework fits and Damsey simply deserves it. And he’s in top shape. 19 years? Not a trace! He would like to burst out of his fur, at least that’s what it feels like when you sit on him. He just has a lot of power. And he’s really happy to be at a show again (because of course everything here revolves around him).
“That is why two hearts beat in our chests. It says “19″ on the paper. But there is no 19-year-old stallion in front of us. That’s why we don’t want to categorically close the book now. So we’re leaving a back door open to ourselves and Damsey and maybe we’ll show him at a show or two this year. If and when it fits.”
While Damsey’s owners and rider have not ruled out further shows in future, the initial plan is for the star stallion to return to Hengststation Jens Meyer in Dorum, Germany, to stand at stud. In addition to an extremely successful dressage career, Damsey FRH has made, and will continue to make his mark as a sire; he has 8 licenced sons and has produced numerous champions from Young Horse Champions through to Grand Prix, including CP Dresden in Australia.
As a performance horse, Damsey FRH (Dressage Royal/ Ria Grande) has enjoyed a long career with a range of riders. As a young horse he was awarded premium stallion at his Hanoverian licensing and finished his 30-day-test in Adelheidsdorf in 2005 with the rideability top score of 9.25. A two-time Bundeschampionat finalist, he was also nominated for the World Breeding Dressage Championships in Verden in 2008. The stallion’s international dressage career commenced with Steffen Frahm in 2013, before a change of ownership saw the Damsey FRH move to Hengststation Jens Meyer in 2016, at which point Helen Langehanenberg became his rider.
Partnered with Helen Langehanenberg, Damsey FRH was part of the German gold medal winning team at Aachen CDIO5* Nations Cup in both 2018 and 2019 and won a bronze medal at the 2019 FEI Dressage World Cup Finals in Gothenburn, Sweden. Despite the 2020 season being impacted by the pandemic, the pair enjoyed success from limited outings.
Happy retirement Damsey FRH!
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