Diesel and Farell retire from competitive sport

Thanks to the performances of both horses, Rudolf Pestman is at the top of the FEI World ranking. His number one success horse, Diesel, won gold at the Dutch championships this year and was first at the international competition in Greven. The characteristic paint gelding is now 19 years old, but was Rudolf’s first choice for the World Championships in September. It would be Diesel’s last competition appearance, but unfortunately he is not fit at the moment. He is not moving as he should, and preparing for a tough World Championship marathon is not realistic.

Rudolf’s second horse, Farell (12 years old) was trained in Diesel’s shadow and was his intended successor. Farell (Fair Play) has now performed well internationally at the highest level. During his last international competition in Ksiaz (Poland) he was the best in dressage in the heavily competitive class. However, two days later, he was lame and it was discovered that he has osteoarthritis in the forefoot. That marked the end of his competitive career.

Diesel started and ended his international competition career with a win. In 2012, he made his winning debut at CAI 3* Dillenburg. At the end of May, he concluded his international competition career with a victory (CAI 3* Greven). It is a pity that the farewell comes a few weeks earlier than planned, but Rudolf is especially grateful to his horse for everything he has brought him. “Diesel really wants attention, but is absolutely not a cuddly horse. He is more like: ‘let’s do something’,” says Rudolf about the apple of his eye.

The horses are his friends. He says about Farell: “His career has been great. He has often been somewhat in the shadow of Diesel, because in the case of a big competition Diesel often took precedence. Actually, now would be his time to shine. Farell is a real cuddly horse and can cuddle with you for hours. You do need a comprehensive ‘users manual’ for him, and he is fairly autistic, but really a sweetheart.”