Diana Porsche & Di Sandro Pull Out of European Under-25 Championships After Horse Taken to Vet Clinic

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Austria’s Diana Porsche on Di Sandro celebrating victory in the Florida International Under-25 Championship at Wellington, Florida last winter. © 2017 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

LAMPRECHTSHAUSEN, Austria, Aug. 28, 2017–Diana Porsche on Monday withdrew Di Sandro OLD from the European Under-25 Championships after the horse was taken to the veterinary clinic for treatment.

Diana and Di Sandro, the No. 2 U-25 combination in the world, were to lead the Austrian team in the second year of these championships and scheduled for later this week.

Diana and the 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding that she competes in Europe and in winter at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida won the freestyle bronze medal at the inaugural U-25 Europeans in Hagen, Germany in 2016.

Even before Diana’s withdrawal, the event in Lamprechtshausen was significantly reduced with six teams and three individuals for a total of 28 combinations compared with nine teams and 41 combinations in 2016.

Diana texted that Di Sandro was “not fit” but did not know the cause and she was taking the horse to the veterinary clinic .

“I really, really hope that they will find out what’s wrong with him quickly,” she said. “I’m super sad about this because we have trained very hard for this tournament but the health of my horse is the first priority.”