Goodbye to the Greatest: La Biosthetique-Sam FBW (2000-2026)

La Biosthetique-Sam FBW is not just considered the greatest event horse of all time. By the numbers, he is. Sam remains the highest-rated horse in the history of the EquiRatings Elo (since 2008), reaching a Peak Elo of 973 - a mark no other horse has surpassed. His loss marks the end of an era for eventing, a sport that will never quite see his like again.

Sam broke every record that mattered and set new ones the sport is still chasing. Sam is the only horse in history to win individual Olympic gold medals at two Games (London 2012, Rio 2016) as well as a World Championship title (Kentucky 2010). He remains the first and only horse to have simultaneously held World, Olympic, and European titles.

Across 62 international appearances, he recorded 24 victories. At the top level (CCI4* and CCI5*), he won 18 times - more than any other horse in the modern era (since 2008).

Within that sits his most defining statistic: six 5* victories. No horse has won more since 2008. Five of these were achieved finishing on his dressage (FOD) score. He still holds the record of the most amount (6) of FOD's at 5*.

The Making of a Champion

Sam's championship career began with back-to-back silver medals at Le Lion d'Angers as a six- and seven-year-old. By his nine-year-old season (2009), a pattern was emerging. He won Luhmühlen CCI5* on home soil with a dressage score of 31.3—the last time he would score over 30—and finished on his dressage score, a feat he would go on to repeat at the world's biggest championships.

The 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky announced Sam's arrival on the global stage. He led from start to finish on a score of 22.0. It was a performance that foreshadowed an extraordinary run: in 2011, he added European individual gold at Luhmühlen, then in 2012, he became the first horse to hold all three senior titles simultaneously when he won at the London Olympics.

At those three championships—WEG 2010, Europeans 2011, and London 2012—Sam didn’t add a penalty in any phase. His average dressage and finishing score across all three was 23.8 penalties. The sport had never seen anything like it.

The Benchmark Years

By the end of 2012, Sam had statistically staked his claim as the greatest event horse the sport had ever produced. The margins were finer after that. A rail at the final fence denied him Badminton in 2013. Third-place finishes at Aachen followed in both 2013 and 2014. The 2014 season was lighter, without a long-format start, but the quality never wavered.

Meanwhile, Michael’s other stars were shining - Halunke FBW won European gold in 2013, fischerRocana FST took World silver in 2014, and fischerTakinou claimed European gold in 2015. The stable was filled with superstars and Sam wasn’t the only headline anymore.

In September 2015, the 15-year-old Sam won Burghley. The victory gave Michael the first leg of the Rolex Grand Slam. fischerRocana completed the second leg at Kentucky in spring 2016, leaving Sam to finish the job at Badminton - a venue where he'd previously fallen short, now with even more riding on it. Sam didn't just win. He obliterated the Badminton record for the lowest finishing score - 22.9 penalties. 

Three months later in Rio, Sam became only the third horse in history to win back-to-back individual Olympic gold medals. He also became the only horse to finish on his dressage score at the Olympics - not once, but twice.

A Legend's Legacy

His final appearance came at Badminton in 2018, where the 18-year-old finished 10th. He retired sound. He retired celebrated. He spent the next eight years in active retirement at the Jung family's equestrian center, ridden regularly and treated like the champion he is.

In a sport that celebrates brilliance, Sam was the embodiment of something more enduring: consistency, honesty, and an unshakeable partnership. He proved that the perfect event horse doesn't need a huge trot or a scopey jump—it needs rideability, heart, and the ability to deliver when it matters most. 

In a sport built on variables, Sam was certainty. Rideability. Precision. Margins measured in decimals.

The data agrees. With a Peak Elo of 973—still the highest ever recorded—La Biosthetique-Sam FBW isn't just remembered as the greatest. He is, statistically, the greatest event horse the sport has ever produced.

Rest in peace, Sam. We were lucky to witness your brilliance.

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