Brentina, synonymous with what became a new excellence in American dressage, has been euthanized at the age of 31. The Hanoverian mare by Brentano boosted the popularity of her discipline as she and rider Debbie McDonald showed the world that the U.S. had something very special to offer in a European-dominated sport.
A daughter of Brentano, Brentina was bought at a Hanoverian auction in Germany by Peggy and Parry Thomas. Debbie’s husband, Bob McDonald, advised them at the time, “This will be the best horse you’ll ever own.” He was right.
Brentina and Debbie McDonald were the best of friends. Photo © 2005 by Nancy Jaffer
“We had 14 wonderful years competing together through the levels, nine years of which were at Grand Prix.,” said Debbie, who brought the lovely chestnut along from first level. She started working with Steffen Peters, who would eventually be her teammate in the Olympics, and then trained for three months in Germany with Klaus Balkenhol, the German who served as U.S. coach.
The combination of Debbie and Brentina served notice to the world about the new power of American dressage just before the turn of the century, when they won double gold at the 1999 Pan American Games. The duo went on to lead the silver medal team at the2002 FEI World Equestrian Games, just missing out on an individual medal, then played the same role for the U.S. squad at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where the team took bronze. Debbie and Brentina became the first U.S. pair to win the FEI World Cup Finals, and were part of the bronze medal team at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games.
More than all those awards, their demeanor and harmony inspired many to try dressage, or to become a fan of the discipline that previously had fewer enthusiasts than show jumping and eventing in this country.
Brentina made her last competitive bow at the 2008 Olympics and had an emotional formal retirement ceremony the next year at the FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas. She spent the rest of her life at a California farm, where she enjoyed a peaceful existence after having two foals through surrogates.
Debbie, now technical advisor for the U.S. dressage team, had deep love and gratitude for Brenina, the mare she called Mama. Together, Debbie and Brentina were celebrities who did so much for their sport.
“I had an amazing career with my horse of a lifetime,” Debbie recalled. “She was the one who put me on the map.”
Debbie also thanked many of those who played a role in Brentina’s life and success, from the Thomas family to groom Ruben Palomera, but she gave a special mention to Christi Sulzbach; her daughter, Kate, “and everyone at In the Irons Farm. They are the reason Mama lived such a long and happy life.
“They knew her inside and out and we all were under the agreement that she would tell us it is time. They had to make that awful call you never want to hear and they are the ones that stayed with her to the end. I can never repay what you gave her and also gave me. There was never a day I worried about her. That is rare for those of you that know mel I worry all the time! But never about her. A piece of my heart is gone but the memories will last a lifetime!”