Every little girl wants a unicorn and Halo, who won one of the CCI4*-S sections at Burgham last weekend with Piggy March, is about as close to a real-life unicorn as you can get. The eventing stallion is small in stature, but he doesn’t know it or let it hold him back; he’s grey, he’s a stunner to look at, he’s a great character and a top-class performer.
“He’s a pleasure to ride, he’s beautiful and such fun,” said Piggy after the pair’s win in the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim Horse Trials in 2022, describing Halo as “16hh on his tiptoes”. She added: “He’s got the gallop, the brain, the jump, and the movement – and he’s angelic.”
Holsteiner Halo was born in 2013, bred by Bernhard Hobe. He is by Humphrey 61 – who showjumped up to 1.40m level – and out of a mare called Kimberly III, who is by Contender. Kimberly’s daughter Roxette I is the dam of the renowned sire Diarado, whose progeny include the Olympic team gold medallist and European champion JL Dublin.
Halo was originally called Scuderia 1918 Humphreys as he was owned by the multi-discipline equestrian team Scuderia 1918 and he started his competition career with Australian Olympic team silver medallist Kevin McNab, who is based in Surrey.
Halo began eventing in 2019 with Kevin and was consistently placed in his early events, finishing ninth in the six-year-old World Championship at Le Lion d’Angers at the end of that year. Two years later, at the close of the 2021 season, he scored his first significant win, in the CCI3*-L at Osberton, when he finished on his 27.6 dressage score.
“He is one of those horses who very rarely has a bad day – he is very consistent and makes my life very easy,” said Kevin after their victory. “He’s very brave and doesn’t have a weak phase. He actually hasn’t done that much, but I think he will be a great horse to aim for the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
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Piggy told H&H in January 2022: “We went and tried him straight after Osberton last year and he looked a really cute little horse. I knew Jayne is quite excited by and interested in breeding lines, so we thought it was an interesting way of looking at owning an event horse and having a bit of variation and a different interest. We all really liked him and thought it’d be fun to have a go.”
Although Piggy didn’t have a lot of experience with stallions, the fact Halo was entire was a positive, with the potential for him to be used in Piggy’s husband Tom’s March Stud in the future.
“He was just mega”
The new partnership won a CCI3*-S at Rockingham in May 2022 and then stole the spotlight at Blenheim in the autumn, when Halo took the prestigious eight- and nine-year-old title. The pair led throughout after a dressage score of 21.3.
“He’s very uphill and has loads of movement and presence, so he’s a much bigger horse in his character [than his actual size],” said Piggy after their dressage score of 21.3.
After cross-country, she added: “He was just mega. I knew he could do it but it’s still a new ball game for our partnership. He feels very brave, but I could sense a bit of greenness with his eyes going everywhere, so I had to hold his hand and slowed up [at one of the water complexes]. I knew I didn’t need to take unnecessary risks just to finish on my dressage score, but could keep him enjoying it. We both had a great time!”
Halo takes the young horse class at Blenheim 2022 with Piggy March.
(Image credit: Benjamin Clark Photography)
In 2023, Halo stepped up to four-star long, finishing sixth at that level at both Millstreet and Blenheim. It was a consolidating, learning year, as Piggy explained after their victory at CCI4*-S at Aston-le-Walls in July 2024.
“He didn’t do anything wrong last year, but it was just getting all three phases at one event,” she said. “He’s a different shape this year. Scrawny isn’t the right word as he always looked well and beautiful, but he’s definitely more conditioned now and stronger behind the saddle.
“We haven’t been in a hurry and he did a little bit of stud work in the spring – just for the owner, to check he was fertile and teach him what it’s about.”
Piggy March and Halo: a rare five-star stallion
Piggy admitted then she was “itching” to give Halo a go at five-star level and the pair duly headed to the south of France for Pau Horse Trials in the autumn last year, where – in a tough competition with a very wet cross-country day – they finished seventh.
“I’m so proud of the little chap,” said Piggy afterwards. “I was definitely conscious of considering what stage the horse is at in his career and what is the right thing for him, but he was as good as I know that he is.”
After a win in the inaugural CCI4*-S at Belsay in May 2025, Halo headed to his second five-star at Luhmühlen Horse Trials, but a run-out at the final part of the water complex at 12b dropped them from seventh to eventual 18th.
The pair were long-listed for the European Eventing Championships at Blenheim this September nonetheless and Piggy brought Halo back out at Burgham in late July, storming to a win in a CCI4*-S. They set a new record finishing score for this class, completing on their glitzy 19.8 dressage mark.
“Halo loved it. I didn’t land from each fence and think ‘go’, I just had a strong rhythm and kept it,” said Piggy, adding that an inside line at an early combination saved her two or three seconds on the clock. “I did three strides and two, and 99% of the field did four and two. When I told some of my fellow riders, they looked at me like I had five heads. But I know him – he’s small but so rideable and scopey that I could sit there in third-and-a-half gear and be very smooth.”
Afterwards, she said she felt she’d done all she could to impress the selectors, explaining: “I wanted to put him in a position to try for championships; he was put on the planet for those classes.”
The British squad for the European Championships will be announced late in August, so we wait to see if Piggy’s unicorn makes the selected six.
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
