They have been a pillar of U.S. dressage teams through more than 80 international competitions, with 59 victories over eight years. The career of Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper has included silver medals at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The horse known affectionately as Mopsie gained his greatest fame by being designated as “the Rave Horse,” after his freestyle at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics went viral. He had thousands of fans, including rapper Snoop Dogg, who made a point of meeting Suppenkasper at the Paris Olympics last month.
Steffen and Suppenkasper in Wellington. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
But when Suppenkasper’s owner, Akiko Yamizaki of Four Winds Farm, on Friday announced the retirement of 16-year-old Suppenkasper, she also revealed, “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.”
She remarked, ““Today, I look out my window to catch Ravel (the winner of the 2009 FEI World Cup Finals) and Mopsie basking in the sun, the large crowds and long airplane rides now a distant memory.”
The Dutch-bred Suppenkasper, ranked number 46 in the world, reached the peak of his career with Steffen, a six-time Olympian who just turned 60.
“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,” Akiko noted.
Through their partnership with Steffen, Four Winds Farm of Woodside, Calif., has represented the U.S. on the world stage for more than 20 years, including at five Olympic Games (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024), four FEI World Championships (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022), a Pan American Games (2019), and five FEI Dressage World Cup Finals.
For his part, Steffen said, “What a true honor it has been to be a part of Mopsie’s career and life. 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,” the Californian continued, “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.
A special moment for Steffen and Mopsie at the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“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.”
Akiko emphasized, “We have been fortunate to be part of so many teams with great riders, horses and owners over the years, and as anyone knows, there are countless hours of work and multiple shows to get to these culminating events and it truly takes a village to make things happen.
“We have had the amazing support of USEF staff, including Gil Merrick, Jim Wolf, Jenny van Wieren, Will Connell, Hallye Griffin, and Laura Roberts and knowledgeable Chef d’Equipes Klaus Balkenhol, Anne Gribbons, Robert Dover, Debbie McDonald, and Christine Traurig throughout the years, as well as the tremendous commitment of the team’s veterinarians Dr. Rick Mitchell, Dr. Cricket Rusillo, Dr. Paul McClellan, and Dr. Laura Faulkner and talented staff support.
“We’ve been lucky to have so many successful horses come through the U.S. Dressage Program, and we feel indebted with the deepest gratitude to the USET Foundation, led by Bonnie Jenkins, the competition organizers, and all the excellent service providers, including Dutta Corp, Klatte, JetPets, and Rockridge, among others, who have overseen the care and transportation of Mopsie and our other horses throughout their careers.”
Steffen and Mopsie in Tokyo.
“Mopsie’s career would not have been possible without the support and dedication of our home team, which includes Dr. Rodrigo Vazquez and physiotherapist Tom Meyers who both have been on this journey with us as a team for more than 20 years; Suppenkasper’s groom Eddie Garcia, and our other staff and supports Rafael Hernandez, Dawn White O’Connor and Haley Smith; our farriers Jim Carr, Stephan Tournier, Chuck Mundo; and the many staff at Arroyo Del Mar who have been a part of taking care of our horses, as well as my incredible staff at Four Winds Farm, Merced Huerta, Humberto Bejinez, Bryant Cruz and Artemio Cruz who look after and love our horses once they’re retired at the farm, as well as Alyson Hamilton, Greg Hardester, and CFM for all of their behind the scenes work.”
Akiko concluded, “Alongside Steffen and myself, Shannon (Steffen’s wife), Jerry (Yang, Akiko’s husband), Miki, and Emi (their children) have traveled the world together and shared the deep emotions that come with the highs and lows of being part of something so extraordinary.”
