Australian Team Horse DP Weltmieser Died Unexpectedly

Dressage

Australia

The 2018 Australian WEG team horse DP Weltmieser has died unexpectedly at age 17 at his new home in the U.S.A.

DP Weltmieser was a 2002 born Australian warmblood by Weltmeyer out of Catherston Debutante (by Dutch Courage).

He was bred by Susan Duddy and her parents Brian and Barbara Marheine at Hunter Valley in Australia.

Under Brett Parbery, the dark bay gelding made his international show debut at small tour at the 2012 CDI Sydney. Half a year later he won the 2013 CDI Boneo. In the spring of 2014 the pair made the transition to Grand Prix level. Parbery and DP Weltmieser won the Australian Grand Prix Championships twice, competed in the 2015 and 2018 Pacific League World Cup Finals and represented Australia at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, where they were 32n in the Grand Prix with 70.109%.

DP Weltmieser stayed in the U.S.A after the WEG and sold as a schoolmaster to Christina Morin, who trains with Silva Martin. She rode him at international small tour level at the 2019 CDI's in Saugerties and most recently in Devon, where they were 6th in the Inter I freestyle.

DP Weltmieser passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in his stable this week.

"He was nicknamed Rabbit because lying down as a foal, all Susie could see of him through the grass were his ears sticking up like a rabbit," Parbery reminisced. "Christina gave Rabbit the perfect home. They were a wonderful combination and had great success competing at Prix St George and Inter I. Christina and Rabbit were in peak condition and were putting the finishing touches on the Grand Prix in preparation for their first ‘big tour’ start together. As Christina said to me recently, Rabbit was ‘the horse of her lifetime’. Rabbit was a larger-than-life figure in the Parbery world. Mel, Jake and I are heartbroken to know he is no longer with us."