Ganimedes (1978–2006) was a

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

Westphalian gelding, ridden for Germany by

Monica Theodorescu Monica Theodorescu (born 2 March 1963) is a German retired equestrian and dressage rider. Biography Born in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Monica Theodorescu is the daughter of the German, former Romanian, dressage rider George Theodorescu ...

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

competitions. During their competition career, the pair won medals at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

and

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

, and reached podium several times at the World Cup Finals. Ganimedes was euthanized in 2006.

Early life

The

Westphalian

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

was bred in 1978 by August Benning. He was named after Ganymede, a divine hero described as the most beautiful of mortals in

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. His sire was Grünhorn III and his dam was Finess, while his dam's sire was Fidalgo xx. In 1981, Ganimedes was acquired by Romanian-born dressage trainer George Theodorescu as a future prospect for his daughter Monica.

Competitive career

Ganimedes and Monica Theodorescu competed in their first and only Olympic Games in 1988 at the Seoul Games. The pair helped the German team to a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

, and were also in contention for an individual honor, having placed third in the opening round. Several major mistakes in the final round, however, dropped them to the eventual 6th-place finish. The mistakes were largely attributed to a wandering shadow coming from a roof of the Grand Stand, which spooked at least six horses during the competition. Following their Olympic debut, Ganimedes and Theodorescu reappeared on the German team for the 1989 European Championships in Mondorf and the 1990 World Championships in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. Both times they helped the German team to a team gold, while in Stockholm they also managed to reach an individual podium for the first time following a bronze medal performance. Following a tendon injury, Ganimedes was kept out of the competition for the most of 1991. By the time he recovered, he was faced with a rival in Theodorescu's stables,

Hanoverian The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe: * British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 * things relating to; ** Electorate of Hanover ** Kingdom of Hanover ** Province of ...

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

Grunox. Grunox went on to be Theodorescu's pick for the

Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

, while Ganimedes' competition career from that point on was mostly focused on the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

. The pair enjoyed much success in the new environment. They won their premier World Cup title in 1993, which they successfully defended a year later. In 1995, they were the reserve World Cup champions, behind

Anky van Grunsven Theodora Elisabeth Gerarda "Anky" van Grunsven (born 2 January 1968) is a Dutch dressage champion who is the only rider to record three successive Olympic wins in the same event. Along with he ...

and

Bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...

. In the years of competing with Theodorescu, Ganimedes was known for his copybook extensions and lateral work, exceptional

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

and well-centered pirouettes. Conversely, it is believed that a timid

piaffe The piaffe () is a dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected and cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place. The center of gravity of the horse should be more towards the hind end, with the hindquarters slightly lowered and gre ...

kept them away from the very top during their entire career. Ganimedes was retired from sport in 1995.

Legacy

Ganimedes enjoyed 11 years of retirement at Theodorescu's home. In 2006, he was

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

after experiencing a rapid decline in health. Theodorescu described her partnership with Ganimedes with "I spent half my life together with Ganimedes. It is hard to say what my fondest memory is of him or our greatest success. It is everything together. I have so many wonderful memories."

References

{{Reflist 1978 animal births 2006 animal deaths Dressage horses Horses in the Olympics Westphalian horses