Meet the veteran stallion winning a medal for his final dance – ‘He gives his heart for me’
Rodolpho Riskalla and Don Henrico at the World Para Dressage Championships
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Rodolpho Riskalla always puts his heart and soul into his performances, but today’s grade IV freestyle at the Orifarm Healthcare FEI World Para Dressage Championships was even more emotional than usual.
Tears filled the Brazilian rider’s eyes as he rounded the corner onto his last centre line, because this was the conclusion to his beloved horse Don Henrico’s last ever dressage test. The Don Frederico stallion, who is out of a Lauries Crusador mare, is 19 now, and will be retiring after the World Para Dressage Championships – not that he looked as though he needs to stop competing. But Rodolpho is keen to let the horse bow out on a high, and that he certainly did as he claimed his second individual bronze medal of the week.
Over the past five years, Don Henrico has lifted Rodolpho’s career into another dimension, winning him double world silver in 2018 and individual Paralympic silver in 2021. The stallion belongs to Gestut Schlafhof, a training and competition centre in Germany, where Rodolpho first tried him after a tip-off from Schlafhof’s owner Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff.
“When he came to me, he was difficult in the beginning, and we have had tough times because he’s very sensitive. But he’s always been there for me and he knows when he’s here for a big thing and he gives his heart for me. We’ve built an amazing bond.”
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