Suppenkasper Retired After 2nd Olympics Including Silver Medal in Tokyo, Steffen Peters to Focus on Training Clinics
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Sept. 20, 2024
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
Suppenkasper that Steffen Peters rode to historic silver medals on United States teams at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2018 Tryon World Equestrian Games, has been retired after the KWPN gelding’s second Olympics, in Paris seven weeks ago, owner Akiki Yamazaki announced Friday. The 60-year-old Steffen Peters does not have a Grand Prix successor to Suppenkasper, popularly known by his barn name “Mopsie,” will focus on training clinics.
The decision to retire Suppenkasper was not a surprise as he has been competed by Steffen at Grand Prix since early 2018 and will be 17 years old in 2025.
Suppenkasper was the fourth horse that Steffen rode in six different Olympics. He began his Olympic career on Udon on the American bronze medal team in Atlanta in 1996, on Ravel in 2008 and 2012, Legolas at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Suppenkasper at the Tokyo and Paris Games. Like Ravel, on whom Steffen was only the second American to become World Cup champion which he did in 2009, and Legolas that he also earned bronze for the U.S. team.
Mopsie was bought in late 2017 after German team rider Helen Langehanenberg competed the horse at Small Tour in 2016 and to Grand Prix the following year.
Steffen’s first international competition with Suppenkasper (Spielberg x IPS Krack C) was in Southern California in early 2028.
Akiko whose Four Einds Farm is n Woodside, California, said: “Today, I look out my window to catch Ravel and Mopsie basking in the sun, the large crowds and long airplane rides now a distant memory. As we mark 20 years together as a team, the time has come to end this amazing journey and it is with deep gratitude to Steffen, the horses and everyone that has been part of this journey that we now end this excellent adventure and long ride with this team. With Steffen as our rider, and with a number of horses, including Lombardi, Ravel, Legolas, Rosamunde, and Suppenkasper, our team has traveled around the world and had the honor of representing the USA in multiple international championships and events.”
“What a true honor it has been to be a part of Mopsie’s career and life,” said Steffen. “It’s hard to explain how much appreciation I have for Akiko for purchasing him eight years ago and then supporting us to compete around the world together. The historic silver medal in Tokyo was, of course, the highlight of our career together. For me, it will always be one of the proudest moments of our partnership – to have Mopsie deliver for our team that night in Tokyo. The individual victories were amazing, but I always felt the proudest delivering for our team, and it meant the world when we accomplished that in Tokyo. Mopsie became the ‘Rave Horse’, that’s still special to me because he connected so many people. They recognize him and his accomplishments, and there’s really no reason to mention my name, but it’s Mopsie’s character and energy which made people gravitate to him. The journey we’ve shared together is quite hard to put into words, but thoughts of gratitude, thankfulness, and friendship come to mind, both for Mopsie and Akiko, and I’m so privileged to have been a part of this journey with them.”
