Australia’s top Grand Prix dressage mare, Cinderella, was euthanized on July 3 after suffering from untreatable cancer. She was 11.

Owner Claudia Harper purchased Cinderella in 2000 from the Hanoverian Elite Auction in Verden, Germany. Harper intended to ride the mare herself under trainer Matthew Dowsley’s guidance, however, Cinderella proved a challenging mount at that point in her career, and Harper turned her over to Dowsley.

Cinderella made her Grand Prix debut in 2005, and Dowsley took her to Europe in March of 2006 to prepare for the World Equestrian Games (Germany) under the watchful eye of Ulla Salzgeber.

After the Wiesbaden CDI (Germany) in June, veterinarians discovered a tumor on the mare’s eyelid, which was removed. She recovered well and returned to training. At the WEG in Aachen, Germany, they placed ninth with the Australian team and qualified for the individual competition, trying for 29th in the Grand Prix Special.

The pair returned to Australia and won the Pacific League Final for the World Cup. After returning to Germany to prepare for the Rolex FEI World Cup Final (Nev.), they discovered another tumor on Cinderella’s eyelid. This time a tumor was also discovered on her larynx, and their trip to the United States was cancelled. By July, the cancer had spread to other parts of the mare’s body.