Belgian show jumper Nicola Philippaerts’ top horse, H&M Chilli Willi, was euthanized after breaking his left foreleg on March 26 while competing in the $37,000 FEI CSI5* Bainbridge 1.45m at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.

Nicola Philippaerts and H&M Chilli Willi finished third at the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Miami Beach in 2017. Mollie Bailey Photo

According to a statement on the Philippaerts family website, the 13-year-old Holsteiner stallion sustained the “very complicated fracture” when he stumbled after the last jump. Nicola and his father Ludo Philippaerts made the difficult decision to put the horse down.

H&M Chilli Willi (Casall ASK—Caletta VIII, Lord) and Nicola partnered in 2015, and among their career highlights were winning the 2018 Longines Global Champions Tour of Chantilly CSI5* (France) and representing Belgium at the 2018 World Equestrian Games (North Carolina).

Nicola was competing at WEF in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.