Diallo dies suddenly Drama surrounding Olympic dressage champion's horse
The German dressage rider Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is losing her great hope for the WEG in Aachen with Diallo. She bids the horse farewell with emotional words.
07.01.2026, 08:00
07.01.2026, 08:01
dpa
Four-time Olympic dressage champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is mourning the loss of her horse Diallo. According to the German Equestrian Federation, the rider's hope for the future was taken to the equine clinic in Munich on Monday and died there on Tuesday. Together with von Bredow-Werndl, the eleven-year-old gelding was a candidate for the WEG in Aachen in August.
"We were still dancing together at the weekend, it all felt so easy," the rider wrote on Instagram. "And then this illness came like a storm, silent, merciless and unstoppable, eating through your body in hours and tearing my heart out of my chest." Bornavirus is the possible cause of death, as von Bredow-Werndl explained: "The investigations are still ongoing."
"We had to let you go with a broken heart"
The 39-year-old continued: "You fought. We fought together. We had to let you go with a broken heart because yours couldn't take it anymore."
Diallo was regarded as the sporting successor to the mare Dalera, with whom von Bredow-Werndl won four Olympic gold medals, among others. The pair last won the Grand Prix and freestyle at the World Cup tournament in Stuttgart in November. "I am very sad that we have lost a horse with very good international prospects and a lovely character," said national coach Monica Theodorescu.
