A Retirement Salute to the Legendary La Biosthetique-Sam FBW

Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam over the Vicarage Vee at Badminton 2016. Photo by Shannon Brinkman with assistance from Leslie Wylie.

After announcing that 2018 would be La Biosthetique-Sam FBW’s final season, Michael Jung has confirmed that his longtime partner is now retired from competition.

“He is good, he is being ridden four or five times a week and goes in the field — he is fit and looks well,” Michael told Horse & Hound on Friday. “He will stay on our farm, nothing changes for him.”

Retirement on Michael’s farm is a well-earned final chapter for the 18-year-old equine legend, who may well be the greatest event horse of our time. His storied career spanned 63 FEI competitions over the course of a dozen years, finishing in the top three in 47 (75%) of them, and his accolades number too many to list. In addition to winning individual gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, Sam also won individual gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. He has Olympic team gold and silver medals, won individual and team gold at the 2009 European Championships, and was 7-year-old Reserve World Champion at Le Lion d’Angers in 2007. Sam won Badminton in 2016, which also clinched the Rolex Grand Slam for Michael, with other four-star wins to include Burghley in 2015 and Luhmühlen in 2009. The pair’s final performance on the world stage was Badminton in May, where they finished 10th.

Their resume is a testament to the strong partnership between Michael and Sam, and its longevity a reflection of Michael’s dedication to horsemanship and correct training. Sam may be the horse that first established Michael’s stature as a world champion, but his affection for Sam has always extended well beyond their accomplishments.

“He is a special personality and a very good friend of me,” he said, memorably, at the final press conference at the 2015 Kentucky Three-Day Event. Even after Sam was jostled into third place by his up-and-coming stablemate fischerRocana FST, Michael made it clear to the room that Sam remained his favorite. “I think no horse is better than him.”

Thank you, Michael and Sam, for raising the bar of what is possible in our sport.

(And to Michael, who broke his arm in a fall during the young horse World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers on Saturday, feel better soon!)

Go Sam. Go Eventing.