Christian Kukuk has withdrawn his top horse, Checker, from the Olympic squad
Christian Kukuk is no longer a member of the Olympic team
from Dominique Wehrmann 
Checker and Christian Kukuk at the Olympic Games in Paris, where they won gold in the individual competition—ahead of Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme, who became world champions on Sunday.
Photo: sportfotos-lafrentz.de According to Pferdesport Deutschland, Christian Kukuk has actively withdrawn his top horse, Checker, from the Olympic squad. At the World Championships, they were still competing as reserves for Germany. Now Kukuk has asked the DOKR’s show jumping committee to remove Checker from the Olympic squad. The 16-year-old son of Comme il faut was most recently Kukuk’s only squad horse, so he is also being removed from the squad.
Christian Kukuk has repeatedly emphasized that he could not understand the decision not to select him and Checker for the team. The 12-year-old KWPN mare Just be Gentle, with whom he was a member of the Crozet European Championship team in 2025, is also no longer part of the squad.
The Tyson daughter hadn’t competed in a show for several weeks this spring. Sixth place in the CSI4* Grand Prix in Wellington on January 24 was the last major show jumping event the mare had competed in. It wasn’t until June that she returned to the course and was entered very cautiously in 1.30- and 1.35-meter jumps. In July, Kukuk then entered her once in a 1.35-meter class and once in a 1.40-meter class.
