Grand Prix horse Zippo deceased
Patrick van der Meer's sports partner died at the age of 21
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Zippo(Rousseau x Haarlem), Patrick van der Meer's Grand Prix partner of many years, has passed away at the age of 21. Bred by W. van Rooij, the chestnut gelding was trained by Van der Meer himself and was consistently shown at international Grand Prix level for seven years.
With 111 international starts, Zippo has celebrated numerous successes, including victories at the CDI Roosendaal 2014 and CDI Mechelen 2013, 2015 and 2017. The highlights of his career were his participation in the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg and the 2018 World Cup Final in Paris.
Kimberley Luijten took over the experienced gelding in 2019 and successfully rode him in U25 sport. Zippo was later also ridden by Isabel and Carolien Lavooij before he passed away peacefully.
