‘My dance partner, my teacher, my best friend’: heartbroken farewell to a champion
Hayley Watson-Greaves has said a heartbroken farewell to her superstar Rubins Nite, her “dancing partner, teacher and best friend” for 19 years.
Rubin Royal son “Squeaks” suffered a bout of colic on Sunday (26 October) and could not be saved. The 21-year-old had been enjoying a happy retirement from competition for two years.
“He was the most incredible, special horse, my heart horse, who gave his all to me and to the world of dressage,” Hayley said. “He loved being in the limelight, dancing to his music, and he truly made me the rider and person I am today.
“We had the most special bond and partnership, one built on trust, respect, and love. Together we achieved things I could only ever have dreamed of.”
Hayley and Rubins Nite were national champions in 2017, represented Britain on teams, including winning the Compiegne Nations Cup in 2017, qualified for and competed at the World Cup Final and were reserves for the 2016 Olympics, as well as winning internationally across Europe.
Hayley bought Squeaks as a two-year-old from the field, for £3,000. She told H&H that at the time, she would buy youngsters, produce them and sell them on, but when she first saw Squeaks, she had just bought another horse so could not afford him.
“He was at a yard down the road to be sold and a couple of months later, the lady rang me and said I could have him for the amount of livery the owners owed, so I paid £3,000 and brought him home,” she said. “He must have loaded to go to that yard but the lady wasn’t sure he’d go in my trailer. I remember standing in his stable, blowing in his nose and giving him a scratch, then he just followed me on the trailer. And the rest is history.”
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Hayley explained that Squeaks got his stable name as he would whinny whenever he saw her, and because he always kept his stable squeaky clean, exactly as he wanted it. She did all the groundwork and preparation, then when it came to backing him, there was a slight issue.
“He was such a mummy’s boy!” she said. “We’d formed a real relationship, and every time my dad took the lunge line and I went to lean over, Squeaks would run off. Then as soon as I jumped off, he’d do his little whinny and come over, as if to say ‘Oh, there you are, you’d disappeared’! I did think about advertising him but we’d formed such a strong bond.”
Hayley added that Squeaks was always a bit sharp and spooky, which was another reason not to sell him on. But she did not realise, early on, just how good he would become.
“My dream and goal was always to get to the top of my game – but I never dreamed it would be with him,” she said. “He wasn’t the biggest mover, but his work ethic, and our bond, were incredible.
“When he was six or seven, he could have been one who was pushed too much, too soon, as he learned so quickly; I remember when he was seven, I tried a couple of passage steps, just to see if he could do it, and he found the gear, and that was it. That’s where that big trot came from.”
Hayley said when Squeaks was five, Carl Hester said he “would make a nice horse for somebody”. When she took him back to Carl’s a couple of years later, he did not recognise him.
“He said ‘Who’s this?’” Hayley said. “I said ‘I brought him here a five-year-old and you thought he was all right’! And he said: ‘You need to get this horse on the World Class pathway’. So I did, and that started the route to our international career.”
Hayley and Squeaks contested their first international grand prix in 2014 at Addington, having competed at national grand prix locally that year.
“It was so exciting, to get my senior badge, especially with a horse I’d trained since he was two,” Hayley said. “But every time I rode him, even when it wasn’t such a good test, he made it fun, and I appreciated how far he’d come.”
Hayley said some of her highlights were being crowned national champions and the season she contested the World Cup series.
“We did pretty much all the qualifiers, and getting to the final was amazing,” she said. “Squeaks loved the limelight, he loved a crowd. He was quite a spooky horse so you might have thought he’d be terrified in those indoor arenas but he wasn’t. When people clapped him, he’d show off more, so those World Cup shows made him perform and show off; he seemed to love it.”
She added that although those moments, and of course representing Britain, were her highlights, Squeaks might have picked other favourites.
“He loved Olympia,” she said. “We competed there five or six times and of course the home crowd was behind him; he absolutely loved it, I’d swear that was his favourite show. He seemed to know when it was coming as he’d get his physio and chiropractor and vet checks, then we’d get out the 3.5t lorry because of the congestion charge in London – and he just knew, he’d be shouting and so excited.”
Squeaks also loved the sun and hot weather, Hayley said, so competing in Doha three times was a highlight for him – and he was always prone to a spook. Hayley shared a picture of him wearing a special “most dramatic spook” rosette, given to him by illustrator Emily Cole.
“Anything would make him jump, a camera clicking or a leaf falling,” she said. “He used to be a bit of a handful to lead round at shows, as he was so excited; he’d come in passaging and piaffing, probably saying ‘I’m here, everybody!’ You had to laugh, because that was just him. He loved the atmosphere, and the odd spook was fine.”
Squeaks was also known for his mascot, the stuffed Kevin the Carrot, who travelled the world with him and groom Sam Davis, often spotted sticking out of Sam’s rucksack.
“He loved carrots, to the point it was ridiculous,” Hayley said. “If he was in his stable, he’d whinny every time anyone went near the carrot fridge, so we decided Kevin would be an appropriate mascot. We had a big one I bought him one Christmas, and he had his own fridge, Superstar Squeaks’ Carrot Fridge, right next to his stable! He would share them with the others, but he got the most.”
Hayley made the decision to retire Squeaks aged 19; she said he would have enjoyed carrying on but she wanted him to bow out fit, happy and at the top of his game.
“His last show was Windsor and he was a bit spooky so it wasn’t his best score, but that didn’t matter,” Hayley said. “He’d done so much, and I knew the time was right, even if he didn’t think so.
“I still rode him but not as much, and Squeaks chose what he wanted to do. If he wanted to do some piaffe, that was fine, and if he wanted to tootle round being a giraffe, no problem. That was pretty much our relationship throughout his career; we knew each other inside out and sometimes the horse has to be able to choose.
“Then one day, I got on him and asked him to go into the arena and I felt him say ‘I’ve had enough’. I’d always said he’d tell me when he’d had enough, so I got off, hand-walked him for a bit and said ‘I think he’s ready to go in the field’.”
Hayley gradually extended the time Squeaks spent out, as he had never wanted to stay in the field all day, thinking he was missing out on something, until he was out all day with his friend Ryan the Shetland, and in, still as king of the yard, at night.
Then, last Sunday, Squeaks colicked and despite the vet’s best efforts, Hayley had to let him go.
“He made the decision for us,” she said. “You always know you don’t want them to feel sore or go lame, and then you have to decide but he did it for us. He chose a nice dry evening too. We always used to say he farted rainbows as 99.9% of the time, if it was raining, it would stop as soon as we went in for his test. He always managed to bring the sun out.”
Hayley added that she has been comforted by the number of messages and comments from Squeaks’ many fans.
“I’ve been up and down, on waves of grief, and I’ve been watching his videos and remembering what it felt to ride him,” she said. “He had so many supporters, and from them I can see how much he made his mark. It’s really heartwarming and I’m grateful to everyone who’s supported us on our journey.
“He had a great relationship with Sam; she called herself ‘Squeaks’ minion’ as he used to boss her around, he had a massive personality and was just the most incredible horse. There won’t be another like him, that’s for sure.”
Hayley paid tribute to Squeaks’ focus on the job and work ethic, as soon as he was inside the white boards.
“His focus, power, and presence were unmatched, he always rose to the occasion and gave me his whole heart,” she said. “Horses make you who you are, and Squeaks truly made me. He gave me memories, lessons, and moments I’ll carry for a lifetime.
“Thank you to Squeaks, for everything, for your spirit, the memories, for being my dance partner, my teacher, and my best friend. It has been the greatest honour and privilege to share my life with you. You will always be a part of me.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.