Sad farewell for “royal” stallion

The prolific coloured stallion Mars has died, aged 23.

Mars was put down on 30 May following an injury to his pedal bone and hock. The Dutch Warmblood stallion (By Jupiter out of Marijke) was bred by The Queen. Eighteen years ago, he went on loan to Mo Timmis, of Badgers Wood Stud, West Sussex, who “fell in love with Mars” the moment she saw him.

“I was standing two Cleveland Bay stallions and Mars couldn’t have been more different,” said Mrs Timmis, who bought him three years later.

The deep liver chestnut and white sire consistently threw coloured foals throughout his stud career. He was shown only twice — in 1989 when he won the in-hand championship at the Coloured Horse and Pony Society annual show at Stoneleigh, and in the ridden coloured horse class at Hickstead, where he was reserve champion. He went on to compete successfully in all disciplines and hunted regularly.

This news report was first published in Horse & Hound (15 June ’06)