Olympic gold medal-winning stallion dies aged 35: ‘We look back with gratitude and pride’

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11:18

Horse And Hound

Ludger Beerbaum and Goldfever competing at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, where they helped Germany win team gold.

Olympic showjumping stallion Goldfever has passed away at the age of 35. The legendary chestnut enjoyed a stellar career with German showjumper Ludger Beerbaum, including winning gold medals at the 2000 Olympics and the 2003 European championships.

“Goldi”, who was owned by Madeleine Winter-Schulze, was retired from the sport in 2009 and enjoyed a second career as a breeding stallion before retiring to Ludger Beerbaum’s Riesenbeck stables, where he passed away in his home stable this week.

“Of course, we are all very sad today that Goldfever is no longer with us,” said Ludger. “But we also look back with great gratitude and a little pride on his successes and the time we shared.”

He expressly credited Marie Johnson, who looked after Goldfever during his time on the showjumping circuit, and Petra Schmid, who “looked after him every single day until the very end”.

Ludger Beerbaum at home with Goldfever, who has died at the age of 35.

Goldfever by name and nature

The iconic partnership between Ludger Beerbaum and Goldfever spanned over a decade. The son of Grosso Z was born in Germany on 6 May 1991, bred by Sigurd Hockmuth in Meerbeck.

As a youngster, Goldfever realised a high price at auction having been one of the top jumpers at the stallion licensing at Verden in 1993 and he was produced by Claudia Freise in his early days before he caught the eye of Ludger Beerbaum and the pair soared to the top of the sport.

As well as helping Germany secure team gold at the Olympics and Europeans, Ludger Beerbaum and Goldfever won individual silver at the 2003 Europeans, triumphed in the $1 million CN grand prix at Spruce Meadows in 2002, landed the Top 10 Final in 2001 and claimed back-to-back victories in the Aachen grand prix, in 2002 and 2003.

Goldfever eventually retired in 2009 with winnings of more than €2m.

He went on to become a hugely successful breeding stallion and several of his progeny of reached the top level, including the great mare Gotha FRH, who competed with both Ludger and Henrik von Eckermann.

Together with Goldfever’s owner Madeleine Winter-Schulze, the whole team at Beerbaum Stables said: “Thank you, Goldfever, and farewell”.