As reported by spring-reiter.de, H&M Chilli Willi, a son of Casall Lord, died on Friday evening following his appearance at the CSI5* in Wellington (USA). “Immediately after the final jump, the stallion stumbled and broke his left front leg,” the report states. A complicated fracture was diagnosed, meaning that his regular rider, Nicola Philippaerts (BEL), and his family had to make the decision to put the stallion from line 318D2 to sleep.

Chilli Willi had made a name for himself in recent years with international successes and was Nicola Philippaerts’ hope for this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Chilli Willi was born on the island of Föhr at Peter Diedrichsen’s stud – just like many other international sport horses. His breeder sold him as a foal to Norbert Boley, or rather to the Holsteiner Breeders’ Association (Verband der Züchter des Holsteiner Pferdes e. V.). He reared the Casall son, who, incidentally, comes from the same dam (by Lord) as Camiro (Toni Andre Hansen). As a two-year-old, Axel Abhau eventually bought Chilli Willi for his Handerstall, and after a few twists and turns, the stallion made his way to Belgium. Since 2015, Chilli Willi – who is the spitting image of his sire Casall – has been stabled with Nicola Philippaerts. “He’s very clever, has plenty of power and very often completes the course without faults,” Nicola Philippaerts once said of his successful horse. The pair made a name for themselves with their victory at the 2017 Belgian Championships, their Global Champions Tour win in Chantilly in 2018 and their successes in Nations Cups. “Thank you for all the wonderful memories and the years we spent together, my superstar,” Philippaerts wrote on his Instagram page. “You will always have a special place in my heart and I will miss you very much.”

Photo: Stefan Lafrentz