The retired Olympic horse Flim Flam passed away in Florida last week, following a brief, but irreparable illness. The 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding, owned by Fritz Kundrun and ridden by Sue Blinks, was humanely euthanatized on the operating table after discovery of a ruptured stomach on Thursday, Oct. 28. Flim Flam was only ill for a few hours and seemed to experienced very little pain.

“Flim was the horse of a lifetime for me,” Blinks said. “I am an incredibly lucky person to have shared a career with a horse of such talent and personality. He was extremely happy during his short and well-deserved retirement; it is so very sad that he didn’t get to enjoy it longer.”

Blinks and Flim Flam were part of several international team competitions, including the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy, the 2000 Sydney, Australia Olympics and the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain. 

“Over the years, Flim Flam and Sue were such an important part of our growing success in international dressage,” said Bonnie Jenkins, United States Equestrian Federation Executive Director of High Performance. “We will all miss him and send our condolences to Sue and Fritz in the loss of a great friend