Michael Eilberg’s top ride Half Moon Delphi sold to America
Half Moon Delphi has been sold to American owners and has left the Eilbergs' yard
The British-bred 13-year-old Dimaggio x Westwall mare Half Moon Delphi has been sold to the USA. Bob Price has bought her for the American rider Sarah Daehnert.
She left the Eilberg family’s yard near Redditch in Worcestershire today (21 June) and travelled to Sarah’s trainer Patrik Kittel’s yard in Germany.
Delphi represented Britain under Michael Eilberg at the European Championships in Denmark in 2013, winning bronze and was on the silver medal winning team at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy last year – posting a counting score on both occasions.
The pair also posted a plus-80% freestyle score at Aachen in 2014.
“Today was a sad day seeing her go,” Michael told H&H. “I’ve had her five years now and it’s been quite a journey. We’ve done a lot together and she was my first team horse – and possibly my only team horse, but I hope not She’s been lovely to have around.”
Though the mare is now in American ownership, she will spend some time in Germany at Patrik Kittel’s base in Westfalia, Germany, so he can help Sarah get to know the mare.
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Michael added: “It was a big decision for her owners, Jon and Julie Deverill, but a big part of their decision to sell was that they knew they aren’t leaving me in the lurch given the horses I have now. And when the big offers start to come in for horses, you have to consider selling.
“Now I can dedicate more time to the others in my stables.”
The other horses are quite a roll-call; including Woodlander Farouche, her dam Woodlander Dornroschen and the €1m auction horse Der Designer.
Despite the loss of his top horse, Michael is still in the shake-up for a spot on the European team for the championships later this year at Aachen in Germany. His former showjumper Marakov has been consistently scoring around the 70% mark for 18 months.
Michael’s association with Half Moon Delphi started many years ago.
“We were at Kingswood for a young horse class with Rosie [Dornroschen] and I said to mum and dad that I’d seen Tim Sillevis riding a fantastic grey that I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on.
“I never saw her again as she went off to Germany. It was only after Jon and Julie [Deverill] contacted me and she came to my yard that I realised it was the same grey horse that I’d wished I could have years earlier.”
Her new rider has bought her as a potential ride for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Delphi – known at home as Maggie – is out of the Half Moon Stud’s foundation mare Waldfee, who was awarded the Horse & Hound Outstanding Mare Award in 2013 for her contribution to British Breeding, with her first five foals already achieving advanced level in dressage.
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