Gestion Bonfire (March 21, 1983October 28, 2013), or Bonfire for short, was an Oldenburg gelding that competed in

dressage Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined b ...

with Dutch rider

Anky van Grunsven Theodora Elisabeth Gerarda "Anky" van Grunsven (born 2 January 1968) is a Dutch dressage champion who is the only rider to record three successive Olympic wins in the same event. Along with her ...

. Between 1991 and 2000, the pair competed in multiple national and international championships, including three

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

and two

World Equestrian Games The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive ...

. They won one gold medal and four silver medals at the Olympics and one gold and three silvers at the World Equestrian Games. Although known for having a hot temperament, Bonfire mellowed as he aged, becoming one of Van Grunsven's best horses – until she found his replacement,

Salinero IPS Salinero (formerly ''Keltec'' Salinero and ''Gestion'' Salinero; 6 May 1994 – December 2022) was a horse ridden by the Dutch equestrian Anky van Grunsven in the sport of dressage. When Sjef Janssen noticed the potential the hors ...

, she did not think she would ever find a horse to match Bonfire's talent. A statue of Bonfire stands in Van Grunsven's home town of Erp.

Early life

The

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

was born March 21, 1983, bred by Karl Bernd Westerholt of

Lemwerder Lemwerder is a municipality in the district of Wesermarsch, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is on the left bank of the Weser, approximately east of Oldenburg, and northwest of the centre of Bremen. Since April 2001, Lemwerder is governed by May ...

, Germany. His sire was Welt As and his dam was Warine (his dam's sire was Praefectus xx). Van Grunsven first met Bonfire when he was two and a half years old, having been under saddle for only a week. He was later purchased by Van Grunsven's father. At first it appeared that the young horse would be a poor prospect, as his hot temperament led to poor gaits. However, he did well at learning advanced dressage moves such as the

piaffe The piaffe () is a dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected and cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place. The center of gravity of the horse should be more towards the hind end, with the hindquarters slightly lowered and grea ...

and

passage Passage, The Passage or Le Passage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Passage'' (2008 film), a documentary about Arctic explorers * ''Passage'' (2009 film), a short movie about three sisters * ''The Passage'' (1979 film), starring ...

, and so Van Grunsven continued to work with him. He improved, and by the time he was seven years old, he was competing at the

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

level. His temperament continued to lead to difficult rides, and he had a tendency to spook at small items near the ring; these tendencies decreased as he grew older.

Competitive career

Bonfire competed with Van Grunsven at his first Olympic Games (her second Games) in 1992 at the Barcelona Games. There, the pair took 4th individually, while helping the Dutch team to a silver medal. At the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, they repeated the team performance, while improving to take an individual silver medal. In 2000, at the Sydney Games, the pair won their first (and only) individual gold, while helping the Dutch team to a third silver medal. After the Sydney Games, Van Grunsven replaced Bonfire with

as her Olympic horse. Bonfire and Van Grunsven also competed in two

. The first, the 1994 The Hague Games, resulted in two medals for the pair – an individual gold and a team silver. At the second, the

1998 World Equestrian Games The 1998 FEI World Equestrian Games were held in Rome, Italy from October 1 to October 11, 1998. They were the 3rd edition of the games which are held every four years and run by the FEI. Events 11 events in 5 disciplines were held in Rome. ...

in Rome, the pair took home both the individual and team silver. However, Van Grunsven considered the judging at this Games so poor that she said "I thought I would quit dressage." In 1991, Bonfire made his European Dressage Championship debut at

Donaueschingen Donaueschingen (; Low Alemannic: ''Eschinge'') is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar '' Kreis''. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river Da ...

, Germany, where he and Van Grunsven took an individual 5th, while assisting the Dutch team to a bronze medal. At the 1995 Championships in

Mondorf Mondorf-les-Bains ( ; ) is a commune and town in south-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Remich. Mondorf-les-Bains is a spa town (hence its name), and has the only casino in Luxembourg. , the commune of Mondorf-les-Bains (other tow ...

, Luxembourg, the pair took the silver medal both individually and with the Dutch team. At the 1999 Championships at

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

, the Netherlands Bonfire and Van Grunsven took the title – gold in the individual – as well as assisting the Dutch team to another silver medal. He was also a nine-time national dressage champion in the Netherlands.

Later life and legacy

As he grew older, he retained his famed elasticity but show signed of age in other areas, especially at the

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

, which was his weakest skill in the dressage ring. Bonfire was retired from competition after the 2000 Olympic Games. To celebrate his retirement, there was a ceremony in Van Grunsven's home town and a farewell ride at an international jumping competition in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

, Netherlands. After Bonfire's retirement, Van Grunsven stated that she never thought she would find another horse as good as he was; however, his successor Salinero proved to be even more successful. In Van Grunsven's home town of Erp there is a statue of Bonfire. As of 2012, he lived on Van Grunsven's farm in the Netherlands. Bonfire was euthanized following adrenal disease and hoof inflammation on 28 October 2013, aged 30.omroepbrabant.nl
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References

{{Reflist Dressage horses Individual warmbloods Horses in the Olympics 1983 animal births Wikipedia Did you know articles that are good articles Individual male horses 2013 animal deaths