Olympic event horse dies aged 29
Olympic event horse Giltedge has died at the age of 29.
Partnered by United States event rider David O’Connor, Giltedge appeared on five international senior teams in the eight years he represented the US and won Rolex Kentucky CCI4* in 2001.
He died last Thursday (3 September).
The bay gelding, by Glenbar, was owned by Jacqueline Mars and was inducted in to the United States Eventing Association’s (USEA) hall of fame in 2012.
Giltedge was on the silver medal-winning team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and helped the US to team bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
At the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy, David and Giltedge finished sixth individually and were also on the fourth-placed team.
The following year, the combination took individual silver and team gold for the US at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
The pair were also on the gold medal-winning team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain.
During his career, Giltedge had a total of 12 wins, 28 top three finishes and was rarely out of the first five.
After retiring in 2003, he lived out his retirement alongside teammates Biko, Prince Panache and Custom Made at Stonehall Farm in The Plains, Virginia.
At his hall of fame induction, Jacqueline paid tribute to the relationship between David and “Tex”.
“He would do anything for David,” she said. “He tried his best, always.”
Giltedge still holds fifth place on the USEA all-time high score horse leader board with 1,114 points.
“You could count on Tex and David to provide a team score. They were the perfect anchor horse and anchor rider,” Jacqueline added.
“They were a fabulous team and although David had other great horses, Tex was there for him at the right place and the right time in David’s team career.”
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.