British grand prix horse Sunlit Uplands dies unexpectedly aged 14


  • Tributes have been paid to Sunlit Uplands, the British grand prix gelding who was put down in late 2022, aged 14.

    Sunlit Uplands, aka “Jasper” was a son of Don Henrico, and competed internationally at grand prix for Dylan Deutrom. The pair have been chosen for the under-25 European Dressage Championships in the summertime of 2022.



    “We discovered he had a small tendon harm simply earlier than the championships, so Dylan rode San Marco, who had additionally certified, as a substitute,” defined Matt Hicks, Dylan’s coach. “We rested Jasper for 2 months, however he required minor surgical procedure. Sadly he bought a really uncommon an infection and was so poorly that we needed to let him go. It was no one’s fault.

    “It was a giant shock – he was an incredible horse,” added Matt.

    Jasper belonged to Sarah Warry, who purchased him as a younger horse from Klaus Munkedahl in Denmark, by means of Henriette Andersen and Ulrik Molgaard. He joined Matt’s yard in 2015, and Dylan took over the reins the next yr, when he was 18.

    Collectively, Dylan and Jasper labored their approach as much as prime degree, making their grand prix debut in 2021, and competing on the nationwide championships. In 2022, they have been profitable on the worldwide under-25 circuit, with plan to step as much as senior worldwide degree in 2023.

    Jasper’s final competitors was a grand prix at Hunters Equestrian in July 2022, the place he scored 67.39% for second.

    “Dylan learnt so much from driving him, as did I from coaching them,” mentioned Matt. “He was not a horse who wanted many exhibits, so that they by no means did hundreds however it was wonderful to have him chosen for the Europeans.

    “He was at all times a form, easy horse with no dangerous bone in his physique and he at all times tried exhausting, although he was a delicate soul, too. He’s been a really influential horse for our yard and he has left an enormous gap.”

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