Cumano retires from the sports scene
2006, FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen – the scene is unforgettable. Three dainty female riders have to jump the World Championship course with Cumano. And the white stallion, who in the run-up had been classified as being the most difficult horse in the final with a rotation of horses, allowed himself to be led round the course with a light hand by all three ladies, Beezie Madden (USA), Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Thedinghausen) and Edwina Alexander (Australia). In the jump-off Cumano also proved under his normal rider, Jos Lansink, that he can jump the obstacles in a fast time too. The duo won, so the Belgian rider claimed the World Jumping Championship title. It is thus no surprise that Lansink chose the venue of his biggest triumph for Cumano’s last appearance: On Saturday evening the meanwhile 18-year-old stallion will be retired from active sport before the winning round of the “Best of Champions” jumping competition.
“Cumano is fantastic.” Jos Lansink is radiant when he talks about Cumano. “He is an incredible fighter, he has never let me down. He has amazing jumping potential, he has competed at the most difficult jumping tournaments in the world.“ However, the grey stallion, with whom besides winning team gold in 1992 at the Olympic Games in Barcelona (on Egano and at the time still riding for the Netherlands) he celebrated the biggest victory in his jumping career, has not always made things easy for the 50-year-old rider. “He wanted to be the boss, after all he is also a stallion. But Cumano quickly accepted the fact that I am the boss in the ring and he always fought for me with his whole heart.”
Cumano, born in 1993, is a son of the stallion Cassini I, who was successful under Franke Sloothaak. His mother descends from Landgraf I and also has Holsteiner blood in her veins via Caletto II. The stallion already made a good impression in his young years thanks to his harmonious appearance, light-footed canter and incredible jumping ability, which in his case is also paired with a perfect jumping technique. Cumano not only won World Championship gold in 2006 with Lansink, he also claimed the silver medal at the European Championships in Mannheim in 2007. Furthermore, the pair won the Grand Prix in Calgary in 2004, which is endowed with high prize money. Lansink and Cumano were already on the Belgian team at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 (individual ranking 28), in 2008 the pair ranked 9th at the Olympics in Hong Kong and in 2005 the duo narrowly missed winning a medal at the European Championships in San Patrignano, after coming fourth.
In future Cumano will exclusively be used for breeding purposes. The stud stallion has already sired a whole series of good offspring for the jumping sport.