Heartbreaker Star Quality, the consistent five-star ride of Libby Seed, has picked up an injury and will miss the 2026 eventing season.
Libby said 15-year-old “Angel”, who finished 18th at Mars Badminton Horse Trials and 19th at Pau five-star last year, will be having “a happy time in the field” this year.
“We were doing routine scans ready for the season and they picked up something,” Libby told H&H.
“It’s obviously sad, but I’m really glad that we picked it early. She’s very comfortable and happy, just having a chilled-out time. I think we’ll try to have another lovely foal from her.”
Libby, who works full time in the medical services industry, has produced Angel up the ranks, from their first BE100 in 2018. The pair have been consistent all the way, with a near-perfect cross-country jumping record since 2019 – only picking up faults once, in 2021.
They were runners-up at the Ballindenisk CCI3*-L in 2019, and in 2021 they won the Strzegom CCI4*-L. They made their five-star debut at Badminton in 2022, finishing 28th, and have since had five more top-level completions, at Badminton, Defender Burghley Horse Trials and Pau.
“It’s obviously disappointing to miss out on this year, but she’s already given me so much – she owes us nothing,” said Libby.
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Focus on home-bred horses for Libby Seed in 2026
Libby will spend this season concentrating on home-bred young horses including Angel’s seven-year-old son Heart of the Party, who was born via embryo transfer. Another is Cleopatra’s Courtesan, by Philanderer II whom Libby rode at the young rider Europeans – and out of her former junior horse Glenard Lightning.
“I’ve also got a five-year-old who I will have out. I’d been trying to work out how I was going to have time to event them all this year, but it’s sad it’s Angel that’s taking a back seat,” said Libby.
“I think my first event will be Tweseldown. I’m going to try to run them in the early part of the year, before the ground gets hard, and just get some nice runs in and see where they go, there’s no pressure.”
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
