Last weekend, Marcus Ehning's 18-year-old stallion Funky Fred (For Pleasure x Pilot, breeder Hilde Ehning) retired from the sport with a ceremony at home in Borken during the local ZRFV Borken e.V. show. 

Ehning and Funky Fred did their last international appearance at Peelbergen Equestrian Centre in May this year, and won their final class at their home event on Sunday. "He was born here with us 18 years ago and from now on he will enjoy his retirement at home to the fullest, and hopefully make many mares happy," Ehning wrote in social media. 

Spanning over a decade, from the CSIYH1* classes in Geneva in 2011 to placing second in the CSI5* 1.50m Prix des Communes Genevoises last year, Ehning and Funky Fred had a long and successful career together. Home-bred out of Ehning's former success mare Panama, Funky Fred picked up numerous wins and top placings at venues such as Aachen, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Cascais, Doha, Geneva, Madrid, Paris, Rome, St. Tropez, and Oslo – to only name a few. In 2018, the two were a part of the winning German team in the CSIO5* Nations Cup at Spruce Meadows, and won the CSIO5* 1.55m Rabobank Championship of Rotterdam in 2017. 

At World of Showjumping, we wish Funky Fred a very happy retirement!