Nick Skelton’s European bronze medal-winning ride Carlo 273 is on his way to Sergio Alvarez Moya’s Madrid yard.

The 11-year-old grey gelding, who was Nick’s reserve horse for the London 2012 Olympics, was sold to the Spanish rider last week.

Sergio told H&H that he hopes to compete Carlo at the CSIO Barcelona (20-23 September).

“I have a few good horses but none has won as much as Carlo,” said Sergio. “I have admired him for a long time.”

See Horse & Hound on Thursday (20 September, 2012) for more on this story

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Nick Skelton continued his fabulous form ahead of the Games, winning more than £11,000 in the Equidia Life Chantilly Grand Prix (22 July), with Carlo.

Nick was one of 11 riders to post a clear in the first round, but set the bar at 37.63sec and clear in the second – a target no one else could hit.

Frenchman Patrice Delaveau and Ornella Mail were second and Ireland’s Denis Lynch and Lantinus 3 – his Olympic mount until he was deselected by Horse Sport Ireland – third.

The grand prix was the last international 5-star before the Olympics and Nick was pleased with his win.

He also rode his Olympic mount, Big Star, in a couple of smaller classes earlier in the show, notching up two faultless rounds.

Nick said: “It is a great thing to finish on a victory before the Games – it means I’m riding well and the horses are in great shape.

“I rode Big Star in two small classes to keep him in the competition rhythm. He needed some courses without any stakes.”

“I have a very good horse, I know what he is capable of even if he is a little young and lacks experience.

“London will be another day, another competition and when the Games are finished we will go on to the next competition.”

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Beverley Widdowson, who owns the popular grey showjumper Carlo 273, has been named “owner of the year” by the FEI and the International Jumping Owners Club.

Ridden by top British showjumper Nick Skelton, the 11-year-old gelding has put in impressive performances in 2011 and 2012.

The partnership won at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, La Baule, St Gallen and Hamburg, as well as scoring a double bronze at the 2011 European Championships.

The award was presented at Aachen at the weekend.

“It is a great honour to be presented with this award, which I accept on behalf of everyone who has been part of the team, most notably Nick,” said Mrs Widdowson. “To follow in the footsteps of Eric Lamaze and the great Hickstead, among others over the years, is a truly wonderful achievement.”

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A Mercedes-Benz, a luxury watch, £300,000 cash – no, these are not the prizes in some high-end game show, just some of Nick Skelton’s winnings this season.

Few can remember him enjoying such prolonged and high-calibre success, despite his longevity as one of our top showjumpers.

Since January, the British number one has accumulated more than £300,000 in prize-money, and at least another £35,000 in bonuses, with his Olympic contenders Carlo 273 and Big Star and exciting young horse Unique XVIII.

In Hamburg two weeks ago (17 May), he won a Mercedes-Benz 250 cabriolet- sold on by Nick in Germany as it was left-hand drive – and an engraved Jaeger-LeCoultre watch.

“I don’t think Nick has been on this sort of form since he was jumping Arko,” said Will Connell, World Class performance director for Team GBR.

“The consistent performance of Carlo and Big Star put him right up there. We are so lucky to have owners like the Widdowsons [who also own Unique], who are totally focused on getting Nick to the Olympics, although that may mean missing out on some big prizes on the way.”

Although Carlo is the more experienced horse, there is little to choose between them on current form.

Team manager Rob Hoekstra will have the difficult job of selecting which will be on the Olympic squad.

Nick told H&H: “I wouldn’t like to choose between them for the Olympics. They are both jumping really well and I’d be happy to be there on either.”

The rider – whose career spans 38 years, more than 2,000 wins and at least £5.5million in prize-money – is self-effacing about his own current form.

“It’s just a normal season for me. I’m very pleased with how the horses are going,” he said.

Nick’s next stop is St Gallen with Carlo as part of Team GBR for the Nations Cup (1-3 June) and then the Global Champions Tour in Cannes (14-16 June).

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (31 May 2012)

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Nick Skelton and Carlo 273 landed the prestigious $100,000 President’s grand prix World Cup qualifier at Washington Horse Show at the weekend (28-29 October).

“It was a good class,” said Nick, who won with two time-faults when his three jump-off rivals hit poles. “The horse jumped really well and I thought the course was fair for the amount of riders that were competing.”

In a great weekend for the British rider, he also landed a speed class and then cleared 7ft to win the puissance with Unique. Nick earned the title of leading openjumper rider and leading international rider.

See full report in next week’s issue of H&H (10 November).

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Nick Skelton talks to FEI TV about his European championship ride Carlo (picture right), his preparations for the event, and his hopes for next year’s Olympic Games in London.

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Nick Skelton and Carlo topped a great weekend for British riders in St Gallen, Switzerland, by landing the 300,000CHF (£220,000) grand prix. On Friday, the pair were part of the British team that finished equal second in the FEI Nations Cup.

A torrential storm brought the first round of the grand prix to a temporary halt, but Nick and the 10-year-old Holstein stallion went on to produce the quickest of five double clears, relegating USA’s Rich Fellers (Flexible) into second place.

Nick said: “He’s still relatively inexperienced, but it’s all going right and I couldn’t ask for more from him. I always thought he was a super young horse when I saw him as a five-year-old. I was fortunate to get him when he was seven and he hasn’t proved me wrong — he is everything you could want in a horse.”

In the third leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup, the British team of Tim Stockdale (Fresh Direct Kalico Bay), Robert Smith (Talan), Scott Brash (Intertoy Z) and Nick Skelton (Carlo) finished in equal second behind the Netherlands. The stand-out performance of the competition was Scott’s double clear.

See full report from St Gallen in Horse & Hound (16 June, 2011)

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