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Team stalwart retired after World Championships: ‘I won’t have another horse like that’
Grandeur De Lully CH, who has been to seven senior championships with the Swiss eventing team, has been retired. We found out what he’s meant to rider Robin Godel
Robin Godel has retired his great campaigner Grandeur De Lully CH from eventing, following his top-25 finish for the Swiss team at the eventing World Championships in Aachen last week.
The 18-year-old has been an incredible stalwart of top-level sport, contesting seven senior championships since 2018 – the 2024 Olympics, the 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Championships and the 2019, 2021 and 2023 Europeans.
“I’m so lucky to have had him in my career and the same for the Swiss team,” said Robin. “I don’t think I will have another horse like that. He’s been so constant, he was never injured and anything, and was always clear on the cross-country.”
Robin rode Grandeur De Lully CH at the 2017 young rider Europeans, then he was his first senior championship horse.
“Without him, I wouldn’t be here today,” said Robin on Sunday (16 August), meaning that Grandeur De Lully has been responsible for so much of his career as well as the fact he was riding him at the World Championships.
Grandeur De Lully CH retired after superb career
The son of Greco De Lully CH has jumped clear across country at every one of his championships.
He had a few errors early in his partnership with Robin, but then became an incredibly consistent performer – he only had one refusal across country at international fixtures after 2017. He has only once failed to complete an international event, when Robin had a fall from him in a CIC2* (now CCI3*-S) in 2017.
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Grandeur De Lully CH has won four times at four-star and his best individual championship placings are 15th at the 2021 Europeans and 2022 World Championships.
He has been a huge part of the Swiss team‘s rise in recent years. Switzerland now regularly finish in the top five in the team standings at major eventing championships and have been battling for bronze at the three most recent.
Robin Godel and Grandeur De Lully CH at the World Championships in Aachen in August 2026
(Image credit: FEI/Leanjo de Koster)
Grandeur De Lully CH first joined Robin as a tricky six-year-old.
“He’s a bit special and he was not working for other riders, so he came to me. It was not so easy because he’s very spooky and I fell off a lot at the beginning. But after we found each other and we had some more confidence together, then it came good,” he said.
Grandeur De Lully CH will have a holiday now after his Aachen effort – he finished 23rd and helped the Swiss team to fifth and Olympic qualification. Robin said Grandeur De Lully CH may be officially retired in a ceremony at the international show at Geneva (9-13 December), where he may also compete in the indoor cross-country.
Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
