‘Memories will never fade away’: double Olympic champion dressage horse Salinero dies aged 28
Anky Van Grunsven, pictured with her late, great dressage partner Salinero.
(Image credit: Lucy Merrell)
The double Olympic dressage champion Salinero has died at the age of 28.
The partner of Dutch rider Anky van Grunsven, Salinero (Salieri x Lungau) became a true legend of the sport, winning individual gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Salinero: a career of challenge and triumph
Anky first rode Salinero when he was six. Despite his jumping bloodlines, he had been identified as a potential dressage talent by her partner Sjef Janssen, who coached the Dutch national team for eight years.
“Sjef was riding him and kept saying I should sit on him,” said Anky, at the time the Olympic champion with her previous top horse Bonfire, whose huge shoes were always going to prove difficult to fill.
“But I thought he was way too big for me and looked very strong. I like sensitive horses, like Bonfire, and I thought Salinero wasn’t my type.”
But when she finally did give in and get on board, she realised immediately her first impressions had been wrong.
“Within one round I knew. I thought, ‘OK, that’s it. I need to have this horse, no matter what it takes’. It was not based on looks, but on feeling,” she said.
“When you saw him he looked strong, but to ride he had such an amazing natural hind leg and was incredibly powerful.”
The pair made their international grand prix debut in 2002, and although Salinero quickly proved just how talented he was for top-level dressage, he struggled with confidence, being highly sensitive and prone to stress. It took a long time for Anky to fully gain his trust, with prize-givings a particular challenge for him.
But his sensitivity and the electricity to his work was also what stood him apart from others; top FEI judge Stephen Clarke said: “The picture of energy, lightness and harmony is what I remember best about him.”
Salinero was a jumping-bred horse who became a global dressage sensation.
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