“Not Going to Leave Him Alone”: Equestrian’s Heartbreaking Decision to Save Her Horse at Olympics Once Will Leave You Stunned

Many equestrians train their entire lives to attend the Olympics and win a gold medal. They train with their horses day in and day out, ensuring they leave no stone unturned in achieving their Olympic dream. Adelinde Cornelissen was one such equestrian who wanted to make it big at the Games. However, she, unfortunately, could not participate.

Cornelissen was all set to be the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The reason she could not be at the podium was not because she did not get the requisite score. The actual reason was much more wholesome and soul-warming. Something was more important to the dressage champion than the glitz and the glory that awaited her at the 2016 Olympics.

Adelinde Cornelissen suffered a big shock before the 2016 Olympics

Winning the Gold at the Olympics might be the most important for others, but for Cornelissen, it was something, or rather someone else, entirely. Her beloved horse Parzival came above everything else, including being a part of the Rio Olympics. Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival both traveled to Rio to participate in dressage, an equestrian event where the horse is trained to perform certain movements. However, upon reaching the venue, Cornelissen realized something was seriously wrong with her precious equine companion.

Parzival, the then 19-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding, and the equestrian have a history. Both rider and horse previously won individual silver and team bronze together at the 2012 London Olympics. However, in 2016, the horse fell prey to the toxic bite of an insect. Due to the bite, the horse developed a fever of over 40 degrees Celsius. Though the horse did not look sick and was eating and drinking, his rider was still worried enough to call the vets. The veterinarians prescribed fluids for Parzival which helped the fever break and flushed out the toxins from his body. Even though Parzival seemed to be recovering, Adelinde Cornelissen was concerned for her equine companion and tried to change their schedule so that Parzival would have more time to recover.

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International Federation for Equestrian Sports, however, said no to her request which left her in deep despair. In a Facebook post from 2016, Cornelissen described the incident, saying, “At that point, I didn’t want to compete anymore… Parzival’s health is more important than anything else in this world! I slept at the stables, checking up on Parzi every hour… I was not going to leave him alone! Of course, I didn’t get any sleep…” For all the care and attention she was giving her horse, she still had an extremely difficult decision to make.

Cornelissen forgoes the Olympics for her equine companion

By the next morning, Parzival’s temperature had gone back to normal. This gave a new ray of hope to Adelinde Cornelissen. Maybe she could compete after all? To confirm if her horse had recovered properly or not, she took him for a ride around the grounds. “We went to the arena, rode a few laps and he looked happy and fit. Coming back to the stables the temperature was still down… Again difficult decisions… What to do? He is fit now, but you know what happened yesterday… Nobody to fill in my place if I would withdraw, letting the team down,” Adelinde Cornelissen wrote in the Facebook post. When the FEI vets came to check on Parzival, they gave the horse a green flag to participate in the event.

However, Cornelissen was still not convinced. There was still some swelling on his head, though Cornelissen decided that could be dealt with by constantly icing the area. Cornelissen finally decided that she was going to give it a try. However, during the warm-up, she again changed her mind. She wrote, “He was ok, although he didn’t feel very powerful. Normal of course after a day like yesterday. When I entered I already felt he was giving his utmost and being the fighter he is, he never gives up…” Ultimately, even though Parzival performed to the best of his capability, Cornelissen decided to protect her horse and bow out of the Olympics. Her story is truly a commendable one.

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It is rare to see someone give up a humongous dream such as the Olympics simply because of true love and care. Don’t you think that the story of Adelinde Cornelissen is an emotional and inspiring one?