Alert 475 SportJasper 366 Sport Preferent x Hearke 254 Sport PreferentApril 18, 2000 – June 29, 2015It is with heavy hearts that we are informing the Friesian community that Alert 475 has passed away. He touched many of us with his beauty and grace but will be most deeply missed by his owners, Jim and Sally Bedeker and his caretakers Amy Kroll and Janice VerMerris of the Friesian Connection Stallion Station. The cause is yet unknown, but will be shared when available. He was happy and healthy. He had been eating and drinking well. He was found laying down in his paddock with his stablemates nearby.Alert (also known as Casper van de Oostwal) was born in the Netherlands in 2000. He was born at the stable of Jaap Van Nieuwenhuyzen and Saskia Meinema. While Jaap competed with Alert in driving, Saskia was Alert’s partner in dressage through 2010 when she brought him to the World Equestrian Games to be part of the 10 stallion Friesian train.After his performance at the WEG, Saskia sold Alert to Jim Bedeker and Robert DeBoer. Alert then began to compete in the U.S. with Stacy Posthumus as his rider. In the spring of 2013 Alert was approved by the KFPS as a breeding stallion. While primarily focusing on his job in the breeding shed, Alert also became the mount of Amy Kroll’s 17 year old daughter Ellisa – helping her earn her bronze medal and part of her silver medal in dressage.Alert was a very special stallion who always wanted to please. He was very sweet to everyone, somehow able to connect with each person who was around him. He shared his stable with Mintse, Fridse, Date and Julius…and they all seem to notice his absence today.