Noted dressage competitor and Dutch Warmblood sire Contango died on April 17 in his pasture at Iron Spring Farm in Coatesville, Pa. He was 18.

Contango partnered with Mary Alice Malone to win 29 Grand Prix and Grand Prix freestyle classes from 1996-2001, including the USDF/ABIG Region 1 Grand Prix Freestyle Championship and the Grand Prix for Special at Dressage at Devon (Pa.). He also won the Grand Prix and Grand Prix freestyle at the Colonel Bengt Ljundquist Memorial Championships two consecutive years.

Contango (Contender—Aidssa III) began his sport horse career by winning his 100-day test in Medingen, Germany, earning top honors in dressage and jumping. After standing at stud in Germany for one season, he was imported to the Netherlands where he was approved by the KWPN. He competed through Prix St. Georges before his move to Iron Spring Farm. 

A prolific sire, Contango leaves a legacy of numerous sons and daughters competing at the top levels of dressage and show jumping in Europe and North America. 

“Contango was the horse of a lifetime,” said Malone. “He brought so much to the farm, the breed and to me personally. The only consolation is that he left us with many excep-tional offspring.”