Gigolo FRH

Gigolo FRH[1] (1983 – 23 September 2009) was a liver chestnut Hanoverian gelding, ridden for Germany by Isabell Werth in dressage competitions. During their competition career, the pair won four gold and two silver medals at Olympic games, four world championships, eight European championships, and four German championships. Gigolo was euthanized in 2009 after being injured, but is known today as history's most successful dressage horse.

Gigolo FRH
BreedHanoverian
SireGraditz (Hanoverian)
GrandsireGrande (Hanoverian)
DamBunette (Hanoverian)
Maternal grandsireBusoni (Thoroughbred)
SexGelding
Foaled1983
CountryGermany
ColourLiver Chestnut
BreederHorst Klussmann
Gigolo FRH
Medal record
Summer Olympics
1992 BarcelonaTeam dressage
1996 AtlantaIndividual dressage
1996 AtlantaTeam dressage
2000 SydneyTeam dressage
1992 BarcelonaIndividual dressage
2000 SydneyIndividual dressage
World Championships
1994 The HagueIndividual dressage
1994 The HagueTeam dressage
1998 RomeIndividual dressage
1998 RomeTeam dressage
European Championships
1991 DonaueschingenSpecial dressage
1991 DonaueschingenTeam dressage
1993 LipicaSpecial dressage
1993 LipicaTeam dressage
1995 MondorfIndividual dressage
1995 MondorfTeam dressage
1997 VerdenIndividual dressage
1997 VerdenTeam dressage

Early life

The liver chestnut Hanoverian gelding was bred in 1983 by Horst Klussmann. His sire was Graditz and his dam was Bunett (his dam's sire was Busoni xx). In 1989, Werth's then-trainer Uwe Schulten-Baumer purchased Gigolo.[2]

Competitive career

Gigolo and Werth competed in their first Olympic Games in 1992 at the Barcelona Games. There, the pair took an individual silver, while helping the German team to a gold medal. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, they repeated the team performance, while improving to take the individual gold medal. In 2000, at the Sydney Games, the helped the German team to a third gold medal, while again taking the individual silver. After the Sydney Games, Werth replaced Gigolo with Satchmo as her Olympic horse, although the pair didn't compete until the 2008 Games.[3] Gigolo and Werth also competed in two World Equestrian Games. The first, the 1994 The Hague Games, resulted in both individual and team gold for the pair, as did the second, the 1998 Rome Games.[2]

In 1991, Gigolo made his European Dressage Championship debut at Donaueschingen, Germany, where he and Werth took both individual and team gold. They repeated this double gold feat three times – in 1993 at Lipica, Slovenia; in 1995 at Mondorf, Luxembourg; and in 1997 at Verden, Germany.[4] He was also a four-time national dressage champion in Germany.[5] During his frequent musical kur performances, Gigolo was known for his elasticity – the pair's signature move was a transition from an extended canter directly to a pirouette.[6]

Gigolo was officially retired at the Stuttgart German Masters competition on October 24, 2000.[2]

Legacy

On September 23, 2009, Gigolo was euthanized after being injured and experiencing a rapid decline in health. Werth described him as "my friend, schoolmaster and comrade. His reliability and willingness to work were two of his extraordinary traits."[2] During his competitive career, he won 883,918 DM in prize money.[7] Based on his monetary success and competition record, Gigolo is known as "the most successful dressage horse of all time."[2]

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References
  1. Usually shortened to just "Gigolo". The abbreviation FRH stand for "Hannoveraner Förderverein" (Hanoverians-supporting society); see the society's website Archived 2009-04-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Gigolo Passed Away". Eurodressage. September 23, 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  3. "Isabell Werth". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  4. "History of the European Championships". Eurodressage. August 30, 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  5. "Gigolo is Dead at Age 26". Dressage News. September 24, 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  6. Gallo, Terry Ciotti (2011). "Let the Show Begin" (PDF). United States Dressage Federation. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  7. "Bye Bye Gigolo – Germany's Greatest to Retire". Eurodressage. November 17, 2000. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
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