Cloning horses is no longer the alien concept it once was. While still being far from being commonplace, this technology has developed beyond recognition over the past two decades, with cloning and cloned bloodlines now more accessible than ever to British breeders, and playing an important role in genetic preservation.

What is a clone?

A clone horse is a genetically identical replica of another horse, with no programmed changes to their DNA. The pair are genetic twins, but born at different times.

Horses are typically cloned in order to preserve their valuable bloodlines, often in cases where a superior or highly valuable horse has died or been gelded and therefore is unable to produce offspring. The science is also increasingly being used for the genetic preservation of rare and endangered breeds.

Is cloning horses legal?

Yes, although the rules around it vary between equestrian industries and studbooks. While cloning is prohibited in the thoroughbred industry, since 2012 the FEI has allowed the participation of clones and their progenies in equestrian sport.

How does cloning horses work?

Cloning horses involves a tissue sample being taken from the horse and the DNA-containing nucleus of a cell transferred into a recipient egg, or oocyte, which has had the DNA removed. This egg is then implanted into a recipient mare to be carried to term.

Cost of cloning a horse

Breeding a horse is costly, but cloning is more so. The first step in the cloning process is preserving the cells, which costs £600+VAT via British company Gemini Genetics, along with a storage fee of £12+VAT per month until you are ready to proceed with the process. The next stage, in which the cells are cultured, costs around £1,400+VAT with Gemini Genetics.

When it comes to the actual cloning procedure, the cost is much more. It varies per species, but expect to pay in the region of $85,000 to clone a horse with Gemini Genetics’ partner company, leading USA-based cloning company ViaGen.

Is it possible to clone a horse that has died?

Yes, but you have to move fast – time is of the essence in a post-mortem situation. Tissue samples must be taken by a vet after a horse has died and Gemini Genetics states that the maximum length of time it can accept the biopsy samples is five days post mortem, as long as the animal has been kept in optimal conditions during this time (approximately 4 degrees). The chances of successful preservation decreases with every day the horse has been deceased. They offer instructions for taking samples in an emergency.

Famous cloned horses

There are now several examples of top horses who have been cloned. The double Olympic silver medal-winning showjumper Gem Twist (Good Twist x Noble Jay) has two clones: Gemini CL, born in 2008, whose progeny include the top-level showjumpers H5 Ganesh Hero Z and Next Twist Van’t Ruytershof, and Murka’s Gem, born in 2011, stands at Stallion AI Services in Shropshire and his offspring include a licensed son Lisbrogen Gem Twist.

The top Olympic eventing stallion Chilli Morning has three clones on the ground, known as Deuce, Tres and Quattro and officially registered as Chilli Morning II, III and IV. Chilli Morning IV (Quattro) is ridden by Gemma Stevens (née Tattersall), Chilli Morning III (Trey) is piloted by Cheshire-based Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian and Chilli Morning II (Deuce) by German Olympic champion Julia Krajewski.

The Chilli clones hit the headlines when Deuce and Quattro scored the same dressage mark at the seven-year-old World Championships in 2024, with Quattro going on to win the competition and Deuce finishing sixth. Quattro continued his success in 2025, stepping up to four-star and finishing eighth in the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim Horse Trials.

Another of William Fox-Pitt’s Olympic partners Tamarillo has also been cloned; Tomatillo was born in 2013, and has competed up to four-star level with Aaron Millar.

The famous Irish stallion Cruising has also been cloned; Cruising Arish and Cruising Encore were born in 2012. Both have showjumped and they stand at Hartwell Stud, with several offspring on the ground between them.

A clone of Nick Skelton’s prolific showjumping partner Arko III was also born in 2021, seven months following the death of Arko himself.

Charly Van Ter Heiden, who won Luhmühlen Horse Trials in 2021 with Mollie Summerland, has also been cloned.

Do cloned horses look exactly like the original?

Although clones are genetic replicas, they do not tend to look identical to the original horse. The most obvious difference is often a variation in markings. White markings are not driven by genetics, but due to random migration of white cells during foetal development. This means that the shape and positioning of white markings is likely to differ between the original horse and its clones.

Do cloned horses have the same personalities?

Horses’ personalities are influenced by their environment as much as their genetics, meaning the personalities of clones can vary compared to that of the original horse. According to the team at ViaGen, though, clients always report that their clones remind them of the original animal’s personality, even if they are not exactly alike.

Is it possible to clone a cloned horse?

Yes it is possible – a clone is a normal animal, so the procedure is the same – and several clones have been produced from other clones, usually in cases where people wish to continue just one line.

Can I clone my dog (or cat)?

Yes – ViaGen works with cloning pets (dogs and cats) as well as horses. The process is broadly the same, although the costs differ – expect to pay in the region of $50,000 (£38,000) to clone a dog with ViaGen, in addition to the costs involved for cell preservation and storage via Gemini Genetics.

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The cloning of Badminton Horse Trials winner Chilli Morning came into the spotlight last autumn, when one of the three clones, Chilli Morning IV, won the seven-year-old World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers – while another of the clones, Chilli Morning II, also competed there, finishing sixth. Remarkably, the pair scored exactly the same dressage mark.

The clones all belong to the original Chilli’s owners, Chris and Lisa Stone, and they are ridden by Britain’s Gemma Stevens (Chilli Morning IV, known as Quattro), Germany’s Julia Krajewski (Chilli Morning II, known as Deuce) and China’s Alex Hua Tian (Chilli Morning III, known as Tres). We spoke to the three jockeys to find out a little more about the horses’ characters…

All three riders praise the clones’ brains and ability.

“My one has been very easy to train,” says Gemma. “With their brains, it’s like ticking boxes and once they have learnt something once, they never forget.

“The showjumping is his weakest phase, but he tries and is getting stronger. He is absolutely wonderful across country – like he’s done it all before. He’s so positive and loves to gallop. He doesn’t get uptight in the start box, he just genuinely seems like he loves it.”

Gemma knew Chilli as an older horse – she competed alongside him at the Rio Olympics and he retired to her base at Tattleton, which belongs to Chris Stone, for a couple of years before his death in 2020.

“It’s hard to compare because these are young horses, but there are real similarities. Their walk is just like Chilli’s walk,” says Gemma. “My one has a prettier head than the original, though I think Julia’s looks very like him.

“And there are certain things that are weirdly similar – like the way they do a flying change, the way they sort of hold themselves in a frame. Then there are differences – we think my one might trot slightly better. And mine is slightly smaller than Chilli.”

Alex echoes Gemma on his charge’s cross-country prowess, particularly.

“Tres is a very self-confident, intelligent, worldly-wise, cheeky chappy,” he says. “He’s a bit spooky. The first time he went out of the start box, it was like, ‘Whoa, this is really weird’ – I’d never sat on anything that comes out the first time ears pricked, looking for the first fence, super mature, with such a natural engine.

“Talking to Gemma and Julia, they’ve felt very much the same with their two – that strain of genetics obviously has a really strong affinity to the cross-country phase.”

With Alex’s being the biggest of the three clones, he says: “I was warned by Chris, Lisa and Gemma that the Chilli Morning offspring do take a bit of time to get going physically and Tres followed that as a four- and five-year-old. There were multiple flashes of brilliance, but he felt like a very rangy, weak horse who hadn’t grown into his body yet.

“There were weeks when he felt amazing, then weeks where it felt like he’d lost 20 stone and was growing again. His development has been marked by that – he’s clearly an exciting horse who needs a little bit more time physically.”

Julia calls Deuce by his progenitor’s name, Chilli – “we have problems saying Deuce so he’s Chilli to us”.

“He’s always been very straightforward – I don’t think there are many things he’s questioned,” she says. “He’s very good to work with, but he’s a two-sided personality – he can be a bit ignorant, not care much for everything, then can suddenly be quite sweet and cuddly.

“I find it fascinating to speak to the other riders – I chat with Gemma quite often and ask how is this or that with yours? Often we’ve had the same sort of issue in the same time frame, or she says that’s totally normal with Chilli offspring at this time.”

• Read more about the Chilli Morning clones, including how Chris chose their riders, why they have all been castrated and their competitive plans for this year, in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine (issue dated 6 March). 
• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Chilli Morning IV, a clone of the 2015 Badminton-winning stallion Chilli Morning, was crowned seven-year-old eventing world champion with Britain’s Gemma Stevens in the saddle at Mondial Du Lion yesterday (20 October).

Christopher and Lisa Stone’s seven-year-old finished on his dressage score of 26.2 to head a British one-two at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Le Lion d’Angers, with Kitty King and Kantango second on 27.9.

“I am unbelievably proud to be crowned world champion,” said Gemma. “This has been our goal and aim with him since he started his programme. We have produced him right from the start, which makes it extra special.

“Le Lion is the most incredible show, it’s always been a dream to win here and I can’t actually believe it’s come true.”

She added: “The owners are so excited. The horse was unbelievable, he was so positive and his ears were pricked. It feels like he loves cross-country. We have high hopes for him. The feeling he gives me is incredible, and his ability to focus is just unbelievable even at such a young age.”

Chilli Morning IV was equal second after dressage with another Chilli Morning clone – Chilli Morning II, partnered by Germany’s Julia Krajewski. A smattering of time-penalties and a rolled pole resulted in Chilli Morning II finishing sixth, while Gemma and her ride climbed up the leaderboard by virtue of their flawless jumping rounds.

Kitty King now has a full set of young horse World Championship medals. Kantango, a British-bred son of Tangelo, rose from sixth after dressage to take silver on his first-phase score.

“He had a steep learning curve as a six-year-old, but he’s been a super consistent horse,” said Kitty. “He’s very sharp and has a quick-thinking brain and he felt superb all week. It was the best performance he’s given me and a great place to do it.”

New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington and Mr Cookie Time took bronze.

I’m Special De Muze daughter Killer Queen landed the six-year-old world champion title, with Dutch rider Merel Blom-Hulsman (25.1).

“She surprised me at the first water when she jumped quite big and gave me an easy cross-country round. We bought her as a three-year-old and when she was four, she became Dutch champion for her age,” said Merel.

Britain’s Max Warburton and KWPN gelding Norway Van De Haar (by High Shutterfluy) took the runner-up spot.

“This horse is lovely. I rode with him for the first time as a five-year-old and from the minute I sat on him I knew he was one for Le Lion”, said Max.

I’m Special De Muze also sired the six-year-old bronze medallist, Clawfinger, who bagged a podium finish with Sweden’s Anna Freskgard.

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The crowd at the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials who stayed on after dressage on day one were treated to a a slice of history, as William Fox-Pitt rode two event horse clones in the main arena, in a masterclass hosted by his wife Alice. These horses are genetic replicas of two of his five-star winners, Tamarillo and Chilli Morning.

Tamarillo, by Tarnik out of Mellita, won both Burghley and Badminton, plus European individual silver and Olympic team silver. In his latter years, his owner-breeders Finn and Mary Guinness decided to make a clone of this Polish Anglo-Arab, so that they could have a stallion to preserve his brilliant genes for breeding. His clone – named Tomatillo, another type of tomato – is an 11-year-old bay stallion, born 21 years after the original. He was backed by William, and is now being competed at four-star by Aaron Millar.

“I was producing him but decided he was a little bit small for me,” said William. “He would have carried me anywhere but the look isn’t quite it. So we gave him to Aaron Millar who is doing an amazing job with him and we are really dreaming of big things to come.

“Both horses are real eventing athletes; with strong bodies and find galloping very easy. Of all the horses I rode at Burghley, Tamarillo probably made it feel the smallest and this chap’s a bit the same.

“Tomatillo is different because he’s a stallion whereas ‘Tam’ was a gelding, so he has a little bit of stallion arrogance about him, which Tam never had. This one thinks he’s the business. He gives me a real feeling of finding things easy as well. He feels like he’d gallop round here all day; he has a lovely big loose stride.”

For William, Tomatillo is “slightly better made”.

“He has better balance and even though he’s smaller, he’s more uphill,” he said. “He has better carriage and finds the flying changes a little bit easier than old Tam. But he hasn’t always got Tam’s obedience – he has his own agenda sometimes, and Aaron works very closely with that to keep him on side without getting too bossy.”

Alice pointed out that Tomatillo, like Tam, has that “Arab trait of holding his tail high”.

“Tam also liked to throw in a little buck when the flying changes first came in – and at the trot-up; he had a big personality.”

Their personality traits are fascinating, opening the discussion of nature versus nurture.

“Of course, they had different mothers,” said William. “For the first few months of life, Tamarillo was brought up by a little Anglo Araby feisty mare who was scared of her own shadow. This chap was brought up in Texas by a relaxed old Percheron, so they’ve had a very different take on life. This chap thinks, ‘what on earth is there to worry about?’, while Tamarillo was brought up to think that everything was terrifying, so I think that is a factor. Their personality might be the same, but their development is very different.

“Tam didn’t really like men and I always thought, ‘poor Tam, someone somewhere has given him a hard time, got frustrated with him and that’s why he doesn’t like men’. Some days he would not let me catch him in the stable, so my groom Jackie Potts would get him ready and as soon as I got on he was fine. But in the stable it could be like he’d never seen me before.

“Then, when I was starting this guy, some days I’d go into the stable and he’d rush to the back as if saying, ‘who are you? I’m terrified!’ I knew no one has ever given him a hard time – so there are certain things that are in the chromosomes and aren’t anything to do with what we do and how we might have ‘ruined’ them. It’s just in him not to like men. Funny things like that must be something to do with biology.”

Chilli Morning’s event horse clones: number IV

William then swapped on to Chris and Lisa Stone’s Chilli Morning IV, a chestnut stallion with a white blaze very like the original. He’s a seven-year-old competing at three-star level with Gemma Stevens, and aiming for Le Lion d’Angers young horse world championships at the end of the season. The original Chilli Morning, who died in 2020, is the only stallion to have been victorious at Badminton, and he won Bramham three times, world individual bronze and team silver, as well as 12th at the Rio Olympics.

“It’s very strange getting on him because I don’t know him at all,” William said. “But straight away I get a feeling of how well he has been trained compared to mine! He’s got a far better mouth – Chilli was always quite gobby and opinionated. He is in a lovely balance and is easy to ride – you can imagine him scoring very well in a dressage test because he won’t throw away any marks.

“He opens up so naturally, giving the feeling that he’ll gallop well. Chilli was a bit German so he didn’t have that thoroughbred blood that Tam had, but he always had real ability to cover the ground and he ate up Badminton. This one gives the same feeling, a real good gallop and go.”

William only started riding Chilli Morning when the horse was 12, so comparisons are tricky with a horse that’s five years his junior.

“He’s still a bit weak in his body and carriage but I think when you get on a horse, if you get a good feeling in the first five minutes then your instinct is nearly always right,” he said. “I never rode Chilli this young, but he has the same feeling of confidence. When I was coming back from my injury in 2015/16, I had some double vision and couldn’t always see where the jump was. Chilli knew and couldn’t care less, whereas other horses would have been unsettled. Chilli just took me with him and this horse feels like that even though he’s not yet that experienced.

“I’m telling Gemma she has to wait until he’s 12! That’s when you’ll see the best of him. You can feel he’s going to get better with age – when you look at how much Chilli improved in his teens.”

For Alice, the experience of watching William riding these two horses who had played such a huge part in her husband’s five-star career was both special – and “a little spooky!”

How exciting to watch these two stallions to see whether either of them follow in the footsteps of their originals – but they are already well on that path.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the National Dressage Championships, Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The three clones of William Fox-Pitt’s Olympic ride Chilli Morning showed they were chips off the block last weekend with two wins and a second place between them.

Chris Stone’s six-year-olds Chilli Morning II, Chilli Morning III and Chilli Morning IV (or Deuce, Trey and Quattro respectively) had successful weekends, with their riders Julia Krajewski, Alex Hua Tian and Gemma Stevens.

Gemma and Quattro won a BE100 section at Horseheath, Julia and Deuce won a one-star at Strzegom and Alex and Trey came second in their BE100 section at Kelsall Hill – and would have won had they not knocked one pole showjumping.

Gemma, who started all three Chillis under saddle, told H&H Quattro is very like the original, whom she also rode.

“He does have some differences, a bit in his personality, and of course he’s the baby version,” she said. “I only rode Chilli Morning in his retirement when he was completely schooled so I can’t compare the baby version – but you can see so many similarities; in his way of going and even what bit he likes; it’s weird.”

Gemma said the six-year-old has been produced slowly; he had done some showjumping and cross-country schooling before his first event last September, in which he came fourth. This season, he finished 11th at Poplar Park in March, and won at Burnham Market on 14 April.

“He’s unreal,” Gemma said. “His gears across country – it’s like he’s read the book. He pricks his ears and knows he has to go from one fence to the next.

“It’s really amazing they’re all doing so well; their owner’s dream is to have all three of them at the young horse championships at Le Lion, which scares us! We already have lots of banter going on, as you can well imagine.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Gemma Tattersall says that Chilli Morning clone Quattro is showing “the most amazing brain” in his early ridden education.

Chris Stone, who owned the world and European eventing medallist Chilli Morning, has three rising five-year-old clones of the stallion, known as Deuce, Trey and Quattro and officially registered as Chilli Morning II, III and IV.

Gemma, who is based at Chris’s West Sussex yard Tattleton, started all three clones under saddle before one went to German Olympic champion Julia Krajewski and one to Cheshire-based Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian.

“Quattro is amazing – he is so quick to learn,” Gemma told H&H this week. “Obviously he’s only five this year so he’s a baby and he’s been out less than five times, but whenever we take him anywhere he’s so well behaved. He’s a stallion so clearly we have to be careful, but he has an incredible brain. When I’m on him it’s almost like he knows he has to concentrate.

“I took him to do a lecture demo for the Pony Club and raise money for the Riding for the Disabled Association. It was his first time doing anything like that and we showed the crowd how I teach a young horse about skinnies. He’d never done skinnies before, but within five or 10 minutes of learning about them, he was jumping a double of skinnies.

“He’s just like Chillli. It is weird and uncanny and slightly freaky – it just shows when they’ve got it, that’s for sure.”

Gemma was able to choose which of the three clones she kept.

“I could have kept any of them, it was impossible to choose,” she says. “I had a soft spot for Quattro because he has four big white socks and white spots on his neck.

“Also, he was the middle-sized of the three – it made sense to send the tallest one, Trey, to Alex and for Julia to have the smallest, Deuce. We’s only talking a difference of millimetres, but how else do you decide? They are all exceptional, amazing animals.

“We just hope we can keep them all in one piece and they can carry on and compete up the levels.”

Gemma says Quattro will “stay very understated this year”.

“He’ll do some local showjumping shows and combined training – we’re so lucky with our local show centres. You don’t want to take too much out of them, but you give them the exposure and education of going to a show.

“He may do some BE100s later in the year to get the idea of going eventing, with the aim of going to the young horse World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers as a six-year-old. Everything he does will be geared towards that and we won’t overface him by going too quickly. It’s just about going to a show and being a professional, particularly because he’s a stallion.”

Chris is likely to use Chilli Morning clone Quattro and the other clones for breeding in the future. Their registered parents are Chilli’s sire (Phantomic) and dam (Koralle, by Kolibre).

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The sport horse world has welcomed a spring baby boom of extra-special foals with eventing royalty in their parentage.

There was clearly romance in the air in the French eventing side at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, as two horses on the bronze medal-winning team have had a foal together.

The Selle Francais mare Pivoine Des Touches (Nykias x Elf D’Or), ridden by Donatien Schauly, has given birth to a filly by Tresor Mail (Jaguar Mail x Iowa), partnered by Sidney Dufresne and owned by Iris de Fleurieu and Agnes Trouble.

The bay filly, who has an almost heart-shaped star, has been aptly named “Love Story”.

Donatien said Pivoine is “adorable” with her new foal.

Chico Bella P (Chico’s Boy x Carolus), winner of Bramham and Burgham CIC3* (now CCI4*-L) and one of Gemma Tattersall’s selected rides for the 2016 Rio Olympics, has given birth to a filly by the rising eventing star Chilli Rocks. The sire, dam and foal are all owned by Chris and Lisa Stone.

The special filly’s illustrious heritage goes even further — Chico Bella P is half-sister to CCI5* eventer Collien P. The six-year-old Chilli Rocks, who has since been gelded but has plenty of straws available, is also the foal of two senior championship teammates. He is the homebred embryo transfer son of multiple four-star winner Quicklook V and the great eventing stallion Chilli Morning, who were both on the British side at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Gemma told H&H that she is “such a special foal” and is “steeped in eventing bloodlines”.

Badminton winner Paulank Brockagh welcomed a filly by thoroughbred stallion Centennial, for her breeders Frank and Paula Cullen.

Paula told H&H at the time that all the mare’s connections are “so excited” about the new arrival and “Brocks the wondermum” is loving her new role.

“Brocks was born and bred here and now her baby has been too — in the same stable that her mother was born in,” she said.

Willa Newton’s 2016 Blenheim eight- and nine-year-olds winner Caja 20 (Carenza x Ragtime), owned by Joey Newton and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, has had a filly by Tarjassi. The thoroughbred sire’s (Trempolino x Big Spruce) other progeny include Alfie’s Clover, who was seventh at Burghley 2018 with Richard Jones.

It’s not all about the fillies as there have been some exciting new colts among the new arrivals.

Jeanette Brakewell’s CCI5* ride Lets Dance (Croft Another Love x Leuchtfeuer), owned by Ruth Williams, had had a colt by fellow five-star eventer Leprince Des Bois, who twice finished in the top 10 at the eventing World Cup finals.

Lydia Hannon’s Badminton and Burghley ride My Royal Touch (Touchdown x Cavalier Royale), owned by Carol and Christopher Harris, has had a Jaguar Mail colt named Jagger.

Roll on Le Lion 2026 and beyond…!

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Chilli Morning’s three clones are in the process of being started under saddle and will be used for breeding in the future.

The stellar eventing stallion himself died on Tuesday this week (25 August), but owner Chris Stone is excited about the future with his three-year-old clones — Deuce, Trey and Quattro — who are growing up at Chris’ West Sussex yard, Tattleton.

“The way it works is that the laboratory we worked with arranged for a vet to come here to us here at Tattleton and take three little biopsies of flesh from under where Chilli’s mane falls so you wouldn’t see the scars,” explains Chris.

“Those plugs of tissue were flown to a lab in Texas and they then culture that tissue until you have complete strands of DNA. Then they take a healthy egg from another horse, take out all the DNA and replace it with Chilli’s DNA. That fertilised ‘re-DNAed’ egg goes into a healthy recipient mare and 11 months later, out comes a Chilli Morning.

“To be sure of getting one, we started three because all sorts of things go wrong — and all three worked.”

The clones stayed at Bruce Davidson’s farm in Philadelphia until they were 18 months old and then travelled to Tattleton, where Gemma Tattersall is based.

The youngsters are all an identical shade of chestnut to Chilli and have the same white markings, but the size and final shape of those markings varies somewhat because the skin cells move around as the foetus develops in the womb.

“They all have the same quite prominent wither as Chilli, a slight Roman nose, the same bone structure,” says Chris. “But their personalities are different because they pick up characteristics from the mare who carried them while they are on the ground with that mare for six months.”

Two of the clones have started under saddle and the third is in the process of being backed.

“From what we’ve understood clones can be small, but I think they are all going to be a good size,” says Gemma. “The first one we backed is quite colty — he likes to tell us he’s a stallion — but with the second you wouldn’t even know he’s a stallion. I think they are all going to be slightly different, but they are all kind, intelligent horses and want to learn. It’s kind of weird but amazing.”

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Gemma adds at this stage the clones will just learn to walk, trot, canter, go for a little hack and jump a small fence.

“Next year, they will come in and do some proper work — Gemma will keep one and the others will go to different riders,” says Chris.

The owner also plans to breed from the colts in the future. Their registered parents are Chilli’s sire (Phantomic) and dam (Koralle, by Kolibre).

“It’s Chilli’s sperm — identical DNA,” said Chris.

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Following this morning’s sad news (25 August) that eventing stallion Chilli Morning has died, aged 20, we take a look back at highlights of his competition career.

Chilli Morning was the greatest eventing stallion in the history of the sport. From his 45 international eventing starts, he finished in the top 10 no less then 23 times and is one of only two stallions to win a five-star event.

Owned by Chris Stone and his wife Lisa, Chris had been enjoying hacking Chilli out during the stallion’s retirement, and even took part in some in-house dressage competitions from their base in West Sussex.

“He had his own turnout paddock, which he was in this morning when he just collapsed and died instantly. It was very quick and he didn’t suffer,” Chris told H&H’s eventing editor Pippa Roome.

Chilli started his competitive life with Nick Gauntlett, who produced the horse up to four-star level with great success.

Nick’s notable results with Chilli included:

• Winning Longleat CCI3*-S in 2008
• Fourth in the CCI3*-S at Barbury in 2008
• Winner of the CCI3*-L at Weston Park in 2008
• 10th at Blenheim CCI4*-L in 2009
• Winner of the CCI4*-S at Houghton Hall in 2010
• Jumped clear across country at Burghley in 2011

Chilli then went on to spend a short time with Mary King before the ride was passed onto William Fox-Pitt as Mary found him too strong. William and Chilli became one of the great partnerships of the sport and Britain’s best performers at the annual senior championship on every occasion they were on the team — in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

William’s notable results with Chilli included:

• Winner Badminton Horse Trials in 2015
• Winner of the CCI4*-L at Bramham in 2012 and 2013
• Fifth in the CCI5* at Pau in 2012
• European individual bronze medallist in 2013
• Winner of the CCI4*-S at Bramham in 2014
• World individual bronze and team silver medallist in 2014
• 12th at the Rio Olympics

Highlights of eventing stallion Chilli Morning’s career

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Chilli Morning, the most successful eventing stallion of all time, has died, aged 20.

“I’ve been riding him a lot during lockdown – he’s been my happy hacker and I’ve been riding him in our in-house dressage competitions,” owner Chris Stone told H&H. “He went for a hack yesterday and had been doing some jumping last week with one of the girls here.

“He had his own turnout paddock, which he was in this morning when he just collapsed and died instantly. It was very quick and he didn’t suffer.”

Chris added that Chilli’s impact on the sport “has been enormous”, as the most successful eventing stallion of all time, but he has also had “a huge impact” on his and wife Lisa’s lives.

“We’ve had so much fun and without Chilli, there would have been no Event Rider Masters,” said Chris, explaining that owning Chilli meant he became interested and invested in eventing and so set up the lucrative series.

Chilli, by Phantomic, was initially produced by Nick Gauntlett, who took him up to four-star (now five-star) level. He then spent a brief period with Mary King, before she decided he was too strong for her and passed the ride on to William Fox-Pitt, forging one of the great partnerships of the sport.

The pair were Britain’s best performers at the annual senior championship on every occasion they were on the team — in 2013, 2014 and 2016. In 2013 they were individual bronze medallists at the European Championships in Malmö, in 2014 they were individual bronze and team silver medallists at the World Equestrian Games in Caen, and in 2016 they finished 12th at the Rio Olympics.

Rio was one of the great “if only” stories of the sport – Chilli led the dressage and showjumped clear in both rounds, but had 20 penalties across country. The pair’s participation was a huge achievement in itself as William had suffered serious head injuries in a fall the previous autumn.

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Aside from championships, Chilli won Houghton CIC3* (now CCI4*-L) with Nick Gauntlett in 2010 and triumphed three times at three-star (now four-star) at Bramham with William Fox-Pitt, taking the long format class in 2012 and 2013 and the short format in 2014.

His greatest moment came when he won Badminton 2015. Chilli is the only stallion to win a top-level horse trials (now five-star), apart from Darren Chiacchia’s Windfall II, who won the short format CCI4* at Kentucky in 2004, the year the event ran experimental long and short format competitions.

Chilli was retired after the Rio Olympics and spent his final years at Chris’s Sussex home, Tattleton, where Gemma Tattersall is based and the Stones’ have a breeding programme based around his progeny. They have frozen semen from Chilli, as well as three clones of the stallion who will be used for breeding in the future.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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Big Star, Valegro and Chilli Morning are set to make guest appearances at Cheltenham’s Countryside Day next month (15 November).

Sir AP McCoy will also be trying his hand at dressage in a lesson with London 2012 Olympic team gold and individual bronze medallist Laura Tomlinson.

The day is a fundraiser for the Countryside Alliance and also this year for Equestrian Team GBR, to raise money towards the expenses of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“I am very excited about giving AP a lesson on one of our homebred grand prix horses,” said Laura. “It should be very entertaining seeing how he handles a very different type of power to what he is used to!”

The demonstration will take place at 11.45am in the parade ring, ahead of the racing.

This is not Sir AP’s first foray into dressage at Cheltenham — in 2015, the 20-time champion jockey returned to the paddock for a lesson aboard Barolo with Charlotte Dujardin.

“I don’t think AP has cantered this slowly in his life before,” said Yogi Breisner at the time.

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AP McCoy turns his hand to dressage at Cheltenham

AP McCoy performed a dressage demo with Charlotte Dujardin at Cheltenham

Big Star back in the ring — with John Whitaker on board

I‘ thought I could show them all how it’s done!’

Multiple Olympic gold medal-winners Big Star and Valegro and 2015 Badminton victor Chilli Morning will be parading for fans.

They will be joined by dual Champion Chase winner Sprinter Sacre, one of the most successful and much-loved chasers of recent years, who completes the quartet of retired equine sporting heroes.

A silent auction, which will start on 26 October and run until 15 November, is expected to be one of the main fundraisers. This will include money can’t buy lots, donated by top British riders.

Gates open at 10.40am and racing starts at 12.30pm.

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Equine sporting stars will parade in Blenheim’s main Marlborough Arena ahead of the final CCI3* showjumping.

Badminton winner Chilli Morning heads the list of 16 Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain (SHB (GB)) stallions who will parade in front of the stands at 11.15am on the last day of the SsangYong Blenheim Palace Horse Trials (Sunday, 16 September).

He will be joined by his son Party Trick, as well as Welton Double Cracker, Sir Shutterfly, Timolin, Future Gravitas, and Britannia’s Mail, whose dam was the triple CCI4*-winning mare Headley Britannia.

The stallions will be followed by the traditional parade of hounds from the Heythrop, Four Shires Bloodhounds and Royal Agricultural College Beagles.

Cheltenham hero Big Buck’s tops the line-up in the lunchtime Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) parade.

The French-bred gelding, formerly trained by Paul Nicholls, won the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival four times and bagged £1.3 million in prize money during his glittering career.

He will be joined by The Queen’s Barbers Shop, who achieved considerable success during his time in training and in his post-racing showing career, winning the supreme championship at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2017.

Also on parade at 1pm are Annacotty, Dodging Bullets, Times Up, Wild West and Zarkandar.

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“It is a privilege for RoR to be invited to parade in the main arena at Blenheim Palace Horse Trials,”said RoR chief executive Di Arbuthnot.

“The occasion provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase the versatility of the thoroughbred and the range of careers open to racehorses when they retire from racing.

“The parade line-up includes several horses who will be familiar to the racing public due to their exploits on the track and others who may have less distinguished racing credentials but who are now excelling in a different equine discipline.

“What they all have in common is that they are enjoying a fulfilling second career after racing, which is the core aim of the charity.

“Whatever their ability as a racehorse, our role is to protect and promote their welfare, so every racehorse can enjoy a new life after racing.”

The SsangYong Blenheim Palace Horse Trials in Oxfordshire runs from 13 to 16 September and features a CCI3* as well as the CIC3* for eight- and nine-year-old horses.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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Planning to breed in 2018? Check out our round-up of 12 super stallions you should know about this year

1. Dream Boy (Vivaldi x Ferro)

This elegant, long-legged Vivaldi x Ferro son made his dressage grand prix debut with Holland’s Hans Peter Minderhoud in January, scoring just a shade under 75% and looking every inch a future international star. His foals inherit his lightness across the ground, impressive hind leg and modern type, and he has a number of licensed sons, the oldest of which turn five this year.

Age: 10

Studbook: KWPN

Stud fee: €1,750+VAT, elitestallions.co.uk

2. Delatio (De Niro x Rubinstein I)

Delatio boasts a super temperament and passes on reliable rideability. By the legendary De Niro, and out of the Rubinstein mare Rubina, Delatio is a strong British contender for this year’s World Equestrian Games with Britain’s Emile Faurie, having qualified for the World Cup final in Paris. He has already produced successful offspring, including the keur mare Elhouette and small tour horse Emando.

Age: 14

Studbook: Hanoverian

Stud fee: €1,200+VAT, elitestallions.co.uk

3. Taloubet Z (Galoubet A x Polydor)

Having retired triumphantly from international showjumping in January this year, this multi-medalled stallion will now concentrate on his breeding career, with chilled semen available this year for the first time. A neat, quick jumper with superb technique, Christian Ahlmann’s Rio bronze medallist has already produced some exceptional offspring, despite his limited availability until this season. These include his daughter Taloubetdarco K Z, who also jumped in Rio for Japan.

Age: 18

Studbook: KWPN

Stud fee: €1,400 + VAT, elitestallions.co.uk

4. Big Star (Quick Star x Nimmerdor)

The Rio 2016 Olympic champion needs no introduction, and is once again standing in the UK for 2018. He passes his athleticism and great temperament on to his foals, as well as boasting high quality semen. His offspring are proving hugely popular, with a Big Star x Tinka’s Boy foal being sold for £92,000 at the Bolesworth Elite Auction in 2017.

Age: 15

Studbook: KWPN

Stud fee (UK): £3,500 + VAT (fresh/chilled), £900 + VAT per straw (frozen), stallionai.co.uk

5. Jaguar Mail (Hand In Glove x Laudanum)

The highest ranked stallion standing in the UK for 2018, this outstanding dual-purpose sire has produced top eventing offspring including Michael Jung’s European team and individual gold medallist FischerTakinou, and double world young horse champion Tenareze. He himself showjumped at the 2008 Olympics with Sweden’s Peter Eriksson. The Hand In Glove son brings plenty of blood, being 82% thoroughbred, as well as rideability and a generous character.

Age: 21

Studbook: Selle Francais

Stud fee: €1500 + VAT, elitestallions.co.uk

6. Checkter (Cellestial x Lord Pezi)

This striking, super careful young stallion, currently standing at the Böckmann stud in Germany, dominated his 2017 performance test, scoring 9.66, including 10 for his technique and 9.8 for rideability. His sire, Cellestial, jumped at international grand prix, while his damline has an impressive performance record and has also produced several licensed sons.

Age: 5

Studbook: Oldenburg

Stud fee: €1000 + VAT, elitestallions.co.uk

7. Woodlander Wild Love (Woodlander Wild Child x For Compliment)

This son of Woodlander Wild Child is in his first season of breeding, but looks to be just as impressive as his record-breaking sire, whose dam is the double world young horse champion Woodlander Farouche. Wild Love was champion of both his Hanoverian and WBS-UK licensings and was also the top-scoring two-year-old of the Futurity series in 2017, prompting Woodlander stud’s Lynne Crowden to describe him as “the best stallion we have ever bred”.

Age: 3

Studbook: Hanoverian

Stud fee: £750, woodlanderstud.com

8. Murka’s Gem (Good Twist x Noble Jay)

The clone of the legendary showjumper Gem Twist, Murka’s Gem is now publicly available for breeding and produced an exciting first crop of foals in 2016. Genetically identical to the Olympic medallist Gem Twist, Murka’s Gem is a very correct, careful jumper, and an exciting prospect for anyone looking for a thoroughbred stallion.

Age: 7

Studbook: AES

Stud fee: £800 + VAT, stallionai.co.uk

9. Elton John (Clearway x Kannan)

This fantastically scopey nine-year-old comes from a super jumping damline — his granddam Llotte produced Marcus Ehning’s superstar showjumper Plot Blue, also a renowned sire. Now competing at grand prix himself, Elton John has reached the world young horse championships at Lanaken three times and passes on his power and easy ability to his offspring.

Age: 9

Studbook: KWPN

Stud fee: €750.00 + VAT, team-nijhof.nl/en

10. Foundation (Fidertanz x De Vito)

This 10-year-old Fidertanz son is virtually unbeaten at international small tour with Germany’s Matthias Rath. He combines immense power with suppleness and elasticity, and scored 10 for both trot and canter in his performance test. This impressive stallion already has a number of licensed sons and Bundeschampionate finalists among his offspring.

Age: 10

Studbook: Hanoverian

Stud fee: €1,200 + VAT, schockemoehle.com

11. Dante’s Jr (Dante Weltino x Sir Donnerhall I)

A modern, classy stallion in his first year of breeding at the Schockemöhle stud in Germany, Dante’s Jr is pleasing on the eye and demonstrates incredible balance and cadence in all three paces. His stunning sire, Dante Weltino, led Sweden to bronze at the 2017 European Championships, also finishing fourth individually.

Age: 3

Studbook: Hanoverian

Stud fee: €1,000 + VAT, schockemoehle.com

12. Party Trick (Chilli Morning x Tolan R)

An exciting young stallion by none other than Badminton winner Chilli Morning, Party Trick was champion of his SHB(GB) grading in 2016 and his offspring include the filly Saxon Party, who was awarded an elite premium score at last year’s Futurity. Party Trick, who reached the Burghley young event horse final, boasts a wonderfully trainable attitude, plenty of scope and has proved highly fertile.

Age: 6

Studbook: SHB(GB)

Stud fee (UK): £650, gauntlett.me.uk

Don’t miss this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (5 April 2018), with our 44-page breeding pull out

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Rio legends Valegro, Chilli Morning and Big Star together with their long-serving grooms will parade in front of their fans at Cheltenham.

The trio will be joined by charismatic chaser Sprinter Sacre, who retired from his stellar racing career last year.

The one-off parade will take place on day two of Cheltenham’s April meeting (20 April).

Alongside the equine heroes will be those who have cared for them.

These are: Alan Davies, who has travelled all across the world with Valegro; Mark Beever, who has been at the heart of Nick Skelton’s team for 35 years; William Fox-Pitt’s head girl of 25 years, Jackie Potts; and head lad Corky Browne, who has been at Nicky Henderson’s yard for 40 years.

They will parade in the paddock at around 5.50pm, ahead of the start of the Pertemps Champions Willberry Charity Flat race at 6.15pm.

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Former eventer Chilli Morning became the first stallion to win Badminton, taking the 2015 title with William Fox-Pitt.

The combination finished 12th at the 2016 Olympics and the son of Phantomic has retired to stud.

Rio was also the final competition for dressage superstar Valegro, who successfully defended his London 2012 Olympic gold with Charlotte Dujardin. He officially retired in an emotional send-off at Olympia in December.

Meanwhile, Big Star is the only one of the four still competing. Described by Nick as the “best horse he has ever ridden”, the combination won team gold at London 2012 and took top individual honours at last year’s Olympics.

Meanwhile, Sprinter Sacre won an amazing 18 out of 24 races during his career on the track, including a 19-length victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival.

He returned from a series of setbacks to regain the Queen Mother Champion Chase crown in 2016 to tremendous acclaim.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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Chilli Morning has left William Fox-Pitt’s yard to start his retirement.

The chestnut stallion retired from eventing last season and will stand at Tim and Jane Holderness-Roddam’s West Kington Stud in Wiltshire this year.

“The amazing Chilli Morning left us yesterday for a happy retirement,” said a statement from Fox-Pitt eventing on Wednesday (11 January).

“A very emotional day for us all.”

Chilli’s final event was the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where he finished 12th — the highest-placed British horse.

A statement from the stud said it is “thrilled” that Chilli — the most successful stallion in British eventing history — will be standing there this season. Chilli visited the stud on numerous occasions for breeding duties during his eventing career.

Chilli was ranked 22nd on the British Eventing top 50 sires of young horses for the 2016 season and some of his progeny are already enjoying eventing success.

Chillis Gem was seventh with Gemma Tattersall at the seven-year-old World Championships for young horses in Le Lion last year, while Chilli Knight scored multiple wins at novice, also with Gemma, and came third at Gatcombe CIC* as a six-year-old. Meanwhile Jalapeno, partnered by Belgium’s Karin Donkers, has scored victories at one- and two-star level.

A remarkable career

The 17-year-old, who won Badminton with William in 2015, is the only stallion to have won a European CCI4*. Windfall, ridden by US eventer Darren Chiacchia was the first stallion to take top honours in a four-star, winning the experimental short format competition at Kentucky in 2004.

Chilli finished in the top 10 in 23 out of his 45 international eventing starts, with the Badminton victory his crowning achievement.

Owned by Chris and Lisa Stone, the son of Phantomic was initially produced by Nick Gauntlett, who took him up to four-star level.

Article continues below…

Related articles:

• What makes Chilli Morning so good?
• Chilli Morning’s career celebrated in pictures
• Could Chilli Morning sire a future Badminton winner?

Their achievements together included wins at Longleat CIC2*, Weston Park CCI2* and Houghton Hall CIC3* as well as a cross-country clear at Burghley in 2010.

Chilli spend a short time with Mary King, before she decided he was too strong for her and William took over the ride.

Together the pair have been Britain’s best performers at every senior championship for which they were selected.

As well as their Badminton and Rio results, their other notable successes include wins at Bramham CCI3* in 2012 and 2013 as well as the CIC3* in 2014, individual European bronze in 2013 and World individual bronze and team silver in 2014.

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Four legendary sport horses plus one human equestrian star have been inducted into the British Horse Society’s hall of fame.

Newly appointed British performance coach Chris Bartle was enrolled earlier this month (24 November).

Outstanding event horses Opposition Buzz, Chilli Morning, and Avebury have also been recognised, as well as showjumper Philco.

Plaques to commemorate all of those inducted are displayed on the wall of the Household Cavalry’s barracks in Knightsbridge.

A panel chaired by the previous BHS chairman Claire Aldridge, former H&H editor Lucy Higginson, showjumper Liz Edgar, eventing stars Mary Low (née Gordon-Watson) and Lucinda Green and dressage rider and trainer Carl Hester, made the hall of fame selections.

Chris said being included in the hall of fame was a “lovely surprise”.

“It is a great honour, especially when I see all those successful and well-known members of the equestrian world who are already laureates.

“I would like to dedicate this award to my mother, Nicole Bartle. She is sadly no longer alive to see me receive it, but she is hugely responsible for it.”

Chris has been national coach to the German eventing team since 2001 and will start his new role as part of the British World Class eventing programme in January.

The 64-year-old won Badminton in 1998, was a European team gold medallist in 1997 and reserve for the 2000 Olympic team.

He also rode at the top level in pure dressage and finished sixth in the dressage at the 1984 Olympics.

Eventing legends

Rosemary Search, owner and breeder of Opposition Buzz, said it was “absolutely incredible” to see ‘Dodi’ recognised in the hall of fame.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” she said. “Dodi was just very special to me, not only because I bred him, but also because I delivered him myself.”

The popular multi-medalled horse died just seven weeks into his retirement last year (9 November), aged 17.

Dodi was ridden by Nicola Wilson and best known for the enthusiasm he showed when going cross-country and his unusual jumping style.

He took team gold at the 2009 European Championships and the 2010 World Equestrian Games, as well as team silver at the 2012 Olympics and team bronze at the 2011 European Championships.

Ridden by William Fox-Pitt, Chilli Morning was retired after the Rio Olympics.

‘Chilli’ is the greatest eventing stallion in the history of the sport — the only one to win a four-star, apart from Windfall II, who won the short format CCI4* at Kentucky in 2004.

William Fox-Pitt and Chilli have been Britain’s best performers at the annual senior championship on every occasion they have been on the team — in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

“Chilli for me has been a horse of a lifetime, and as a stallion he is also one in a million,” said William.

“He was just such an amazing all-rounder who loved his job.”

Meanwhile Avebury won Burghley on three consecutive occasions with Andrew Nicholson.

The outstanding horse was put down in September, aged 16.

“He was an out and out winner throughout his life — something he loved doing,” said Andrew.

“Equally special was the fact that he was so kind and genuinely loved people.

“It was an honour to breed and ride him, and he is missed by everyone who was associated with him.”

‘A wonderful horse’

Philco, who was ridden by showjumping legend David Broome, made a name for himself in the late 1970s, jumping 29 clear rounds in succession at Wembley International Horse Show.

Philco retired from competition at the age of 16 and lived out his days with David until he died at the age of 32.

Continued below…

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“It’s a great privilege for Philco to be recognised in the Hall of Fame,” said David.

“He was a wonderful horse for me, especially in the big competitions.

“He was very agile and always so neat and careful. He was also quite a tough horse, he certainly didn’t let me down very often.”

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After Chilli Morning's victory at Badminton Horse Trials last month (10 May 2015), Horse & Hound asked the stallion's owners, rider and eventing legend Lucinda Green what makes him so successful

The stats

17hh, 15yo Brandenburg chestnut stallion

Stable name: Chilli

Owners: Christopher and Lisa Stone

Successes: won Badminton CCI4* 2015, World individual bronze 2014, European individual bronze 2013, 1st Bramham CCI3* 2013. 1,581 British Eventing points.

What makes Chilli Morning so impressive?

‘It’s not coincidence that it’s taken this long for a stallion to win Badminton,” says Chilli Morning’s rider, William Fox-Pitt.

“Chilli is one in a million, an astonishingly good-natured stallion. Life is tougher for competition stallions, and he’s managed it despite the handicap.”

With European and World individual bronzes under his girth, it would be ridiculous to suggest that Chilli had not fulfilled his potential. But Badminton etched his name in history.

“Perhaps it’s taken longer than if he were a gelding,” says William, “but he has nothing to prove now.”

Badminton final scores

Chilli’s owners, Christopher and Lisa Stone, never considered castrating the horse that wowed them a decade ago in Germany.

“He is just about perfect as he is,” says Lisa, who bought him with London 2012 in mind. “Incredibly relaxed and easy to handle.”

William agrees. Although he’s “a man’s horse” to ride, he’s a doddle on the ground.“He is a gentleman,” he says. “He’s soppy and loves his cuddles. You could leave a child in the stable with him — although we wouldn’t. We take absolutely no risks.”

Chilli is turned out alone in a high-fenced paddock, and led to the field in a bridle and lunge line, where he decides when he’ll be caught — “he has a sense of humour,” says William.

But when Chilli’s blood is up, every ounce of rippling chestnut flesh shouts: “Look at me, I’m the best.”

“He goes from sleepy to seriously strong in a moment,” says William, who rides him in a curbed gag. “It took me time to learn how to switch him on and off.

“He’s very tough. Even when he’s tired, I can give him a nudge, and he’ll roll up his sleeves and say, ‘Let’s go’. When he’s with you, he’ll jump through the eye of a needle for you.”

London may have come too soon, but Rio beckons.

Continued below…

Could Chilli Morning sire a future Badminton winner? [PICS]

The record-breaking eventing stallion Chilli Morning has numerous progeny on the ground. Could one of these horses follow in his

Lucinda Green’s take on Chilli Morning’s conformation

Overall impression

“He looks like a racehorse here — although he moves like a warmblood,” says Lucinda Green, who knows what it takes to win Badminton.

“Every year, he gets sleeker and fitter. He’s like an Iron Man nowadays — seriously tough.

“Not only does he look like a thoroughbred when he’s not, he doesn’t look like a stallion when he is,” she adds. “He has the reverse of a cresty neck, which shows how you can change a horse’s shape through work.”

Quarters

“While I’d give his front 100%, his back end is slightly less impressive, but actually it reminds me again of a racehorse,” Lucinda says. “His second thigh has less width than I’d expect and his hock is not over-strong, but he is quite long from hip to hock, which often helps them jump well.

“He has a long underbelly — from elbow to stifle — compared to his topline, which denotes scope in the stride. He has a lovely deep girth.

“None of my Badminton winners were structurally this close to perfection — with the possible exception of George [1977].”

Front end

“He has the most wonderful foreleg, and in an impressive vertical line from fetlock to forearm,” says Lucinda. “I’ve learnt that power and scope starts at the front, and his is pretty faultless. His forearm is perfectly proportioned.

“He has a lovely sloping shoulder, which helps with shock absorption and therefore soundness, as well as freedom of movement and scope.

“He is well-built for soundness: his tendon structure is excellent — they go up wide to the knee — and his feet also look exceptional, with good heels and a straight line from foot through pastern.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (28 May 2015)

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To celebrate the stallion Chilli Morning winning the 2015 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials under William Fox-Pitt, we bring you a gallery of his offspring, sent in by our readers.

Originally produced by Nick Gauntlett, Chilli Morning is the only stallion to ever win the prestigious Gloucestershire four-star event.

Chilli Morning, owned by Christopher Stone is a TB/Trakehner cross, but with the TB stallion Deadly Nightshade in the fourth generation on the dam side, he is 56.25% TB.

This is event rider Gemma Tattersall’s team of youngsters by Chilli Morning. Gemma, who is based on the estate of Chilli Morning’s owner Christopher Stone, rides many of the Badminton winner’s progeny.

Badminton final scores

Gemma Tattersall riding six-year-old one-star eventer Chillis Gem (owned by Christopher Stone) who is out of former four-star event mare Kings Gem.

10-month-old colt foal Chillis Midnight Star (pictured at 10-weeks-old, owned by Nikki Axon) is out of Midnight Wispa (a thoroughbred x warmblood mare) who is out of Welton Ballerina and by a Belgian sports pony stallion called Laban. Midnight Wispa has just returned to novice eventing after weaning.

Newborn filly foal Cool Morning, by Chilli Morning out of a thoroughbred mare, owned by Jane Smith.

A 2015 foal by Chilli Morning out of three-star event mare Quicklook V (campaigned by Gemma Tattersall) via embryo transfer.

One of the Chilli Morning-sired youngsters US-based New Zealand event rider Joe Meyer has growing up in Mamaku in New Zealand at the moment. This is a four-year-old brown filly by Chilli Morning out of Bertha (by Val D’Arno) Her grand dam has the same lines as Mark Todd’s multi-Olympic gold-medallist Charisma and Joe Meyer’s former four-star horse Sanskrit.

The 2015 colt foal by Chilli Morning out of four-star event mare Kings Gem.

Morning Chance, a three-year old by Chilli Morning owned by Lily Gilbert.

Chilli Bell (now two-years-old) by Chilli Morning out of a mare by the prolific Hungarian sport horse showjumping stallion Randi. Photo courtesy of Craig Payne.

LG Chill Out, out of thoroughbred National Hunt winner Clair Valley.

This 10-month-old foal (pictured at four-months-old), is called Wilde Nights, by Chilli Morning out of a Coolmore Stud bred Thoroughbred mare by Oscar, owned by Suzanne Harley-Davies. This colt will eventually be evented by Yorkshire-based rider James Sommerville.

Read the full report from Badminton Horse Trials in the issue of Horse & Hound out Thursday, 14 May 2015.

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Following William Fox-Pitt's second Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials title, we take a look back through the Horse & Hound picture archives to celebrate some of his top horses, including both his Badminton winners

Chilli Morning

The man of the moment — Chilli Morning, winner of this year’s Badminton Horse Trials. Here William and the Phantomic stallion are pictured during the 2013 European Championships, where they took home the individual bronze medal. William took over the ride on “Chilli” in 2012, after the horse had spent a brief time with Mary King. He was produced to CCI4* level by Nick Gauntlett, who rode him at both Burghley and Luhmuhlen.

Parklane Hawk

William riding Parklane Hawk to win Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in 2011. This was the horse’s first CCI4*, and the pair won with more than a fence in hand from thier closest rivals, Andrew Nicholson and Nereo. They have enjoyed multiple successes at Burghley, taking third in 2012 and fourth in 2013, as well as winning Kentucky CCI4* in 2012.

Tamarillo

Badminton final scores

The famous Tamarillo, out of an eventing mare formerly ridden by Lucinda Green and by the Polish endurance stallion Tarnik, was a great partner for William, with wins at both Badminton and Burghley as well as team medals in an Olympics, two World Equestrian Games, and a European Championships. His clone, Tomatillo, was born in 2013 in New Mexico, a foal that William described as “stunning”.

Seacookie

Seacookie joined William’s yard in 2008 from Ingrid Klimke, who had produced him since a four-year-old. “Cookie” had finished second at several events, including Burghley in 2010, before clinching his most notable win in the CCI4* at Pau in 2013, with William remarking that he “deserved to win one”. Seacookie was retired from competition at the age of 16 in March 2015.

Stunning

Stunning, an ex-racehorse by Ring The Bell, was ridden up to CCI3* level by Mark Todd before joining William’s yard in 1999. He was fourth at Kentucky CCI4* in 2002 but he was a real three-star specialist, with wins at Blenheim, Thirlestane, Chatsworth and Lulworth to his name as well as taking the Britsh Open Championship in 2003. In his retirement, he enjoyed hunting with the Portman with William’s head groom Jackie Potts.

Pie In The Sky II

Pie In The Sky II, by Sky Boy, competed with William for four seasons before eventually being bought by Philip Adkins, who also rode and owned Williams 2007 Burghley winner and 2008 Olympic ride Parkmore Ed.

Macchiato

Successful four-star horse Macchiato is an Argentinian-bred horse by Octante who raced in Australia before William bought him from a video. He won at Luhmuhlen on his CCI4* debut and won at CCI3* level at Blair and Bramham. He was retired from eventing in 2013.

Neuf Des Coeurs

French-bred Neuf Des Coeurs made his debut with William as a six-year-old in 2007, and has since enjoyed top three placings in the international classes at Blair, Chatsworth, and Bramham, as well as a third place at Luhmuhlen CCI4* in 2013.

Cool Mountain

William on Cool Mountain, a horse by the great thoroughbred stallion Primitive Rising, who also sired Grand National runner Big Fella Thanks. Cool Mountain was third at Pau CCI4* in 2013 having already won Kentucky CCI4* in 2010 with William.

Ballincoola

Crowd-favourite Ballincoola, or “Max”, finished in the top 15 at Burghley CCI4* for five successive years between 2004-2008, including a win in 2005. He was named British Eventing horse of the year in 2008 before the ride passed onto his owner’s son, Fergus Payne, who competed him at CCI2* and 3* level. Max tragically suffered a fatal heart attack while at a showjumping competition in 2010, aged 16.

Moon Man

William’s great campaigner Moon Man finished in the top five on 42 occasions during his career, including winning the British Open Championships twice. He was found by Vere Phillipps in a Sligo trekking centre as a five-year old, and was famously ridden by Madonna when she took lessons with William in 2006.

Faerie Sovereign

Faerie Sovereign was by the great Ben Faerie, who was also the sire of Ginny Elliott’s hugely successful campaigner, Priceless. William and “Bobby” were third at the National Young Rider Championships in 1990 at Bramham and competed in the CCI3* at Burghley the same year.

Chaka

Chaka, a gelding by Spectrack, was seventh at Badminton in 1993, and gave William the first of his record six Burghley wins in 1994, despite having deposited William in the ditch at the Vicarage Vee at Badminton earlier in the year.

Steadfast

“Steady”, as he was known at home, was a prolific winner for William in his days at junior and young rider level. The pair won six medals including an individual silver and two team golds, before William’s first Badminton in 1991, where they finished 19th. Steadfast was put down aged 21 after succumbing to a serious infection. William fondly described him as a “real gentleman”.

Solitaire II

WIlliam with Solitaire II, who was a successful campaigner at intermediate and advanced level. One of the few mares William has ridden in his career, the bay by Suvarov stood just 15.3hh.

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William Fox-Pitt won his second Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials trophy today (10 May) with a brilliant clear round in the influential final phase. Chilli Morning becomes the first stallion ever to win the four-star, moving up from second place after dressage, a position he retained after cross-country.

William said: “It’s been quite a long time since I won with Tamarillo [in 2004] which makes you realise how hard it is and how everything has to go right. Chilli has had a fantastic week, he’s gone wonderfully well. It hasn’t been a very relaxing day today, but it was my lucky day and Chilli jumped brilliantly.”

Overnight leader Andrew Nicholson came into the arena knowing he didn’t have a single fence in hand. When a miscommunication between him and Nereo resulted in the horse chesting fence two, it was all over. Nereo went on to have a further two fences down, dropping Andrew to sixth place.

Ingrid Klimke came agonisingly close to becoming the first ever German rider to lift the title for the second time — she also finished second with Sleep Late in 2006. She produced one of only seven clears inside the time around Kelvin Bywater’s challenging showjumping track on Horseware Hale Bob to move up two places to second.

Badminton final scores

A delighted Ingrid said: “I am so pleased, so proud [of Horseware Hale Bob]. He gave his best and tried so hard. I’ve very thankful to [German team trainer] Chris Bartle. He always believed in us and told us to keep going, so we keep going and now he’s here.”

Former Badminton winner Jock Paget finished third on Clifton Lush after having one down, while Mark Todd moved up from equal 15th after dressage to fourth by jumping clear and collecting a single time-fault. Bettina Hoy completed the top five with Designer 10.

Hard luck stories included Oliver Townend, who dropped from third to 11th when Armada produced a typically disappointing showjumping round with four down. Indian Mill had the same number of fences down under Paul Tapner to drop 10 places from sixth to 16th. Andrew Nicholson’s other ride Calico Joe had five down to fall out of the top 20.

Faults were spread around Kelvin’s course, with the first fence catching out a number of the riders in the early showjumping session.

Don’t miss our special 24-page report on all the Badminton action in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 14 May

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To celebrate the stallion Chilli Morning winning an individual bronze medal under William Fox-Pitt at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in Malmö, we bring you a gallery of his offspring, sent in by our readers.

Full report from the European Championships in the issue of H&H out Thursday, 5 September. 

If you enjoyed this gallery, here are some more picture collections from H&H:

In pictures: youngsters by Chilli Morning, European eventing bronze medallist

To celebrate the stallion Chilli Morning winning an individual bronze medal for William Fox-Pitt at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in Malmö, we bring you a gallery of his offspring, sent in by our readers.

Paras in pictures: highlights from the European Championships

As we released a bumper issue packed full of reports from the ECCO European Championships in Herning, Denmark, we published some extra pictures of the para dressage action which we didn’t have room to include in the magazine. We hope you enjoy them…

In pictures: FEI European dressage championships in Denmark

Pictures of the dressage action from the ECCO European Championships in Herning, Denmark.

Royal International Horse Show in pictures

Enjoy highlights of the Longines Royal International Horse Show 2013 through the eyes of our on-site photographers and H&H readers.

Andrew Nicholson at home: in pictures

Following his four four-star wins in less than a year, Horse & Hound visited New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson at his Wiltshire home to discuss his top horses, how he stays motivated and how he found a new edge.

Enjoy some photos from the shoot, plus some pictures of Andrew in competition.

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Owner Chris Stone tells H&H about the laid-back stallion whom he bought for his wife’s birthday.

Fact file

Stable name: Chilli

Age: 12

Height: 16.3hh

Sire: Phantomic (German thoroughbred)

Dam: Koralle

Discipline: eventing

Owners: Chris & Lisa Stone

Groom: Jackie Potts

Best ever result: won Bramham CCI*** and came fifth at Pau CCI**** in 2012.

Four things you didn’t know…

1 His damline goes back to Kassette, one of the few original Trakehners from the East Prussian Stud that survived the 600-mile march to escape the Soviet invasion in 1945.

2 Chilli is the fourth stallion William Fox-Pitt has competed. “His temperament is exceptional. He travels and rides alongside other horses but we wouldn’t lead him in a headcollar down the stable lines,” says William.

3 The Stones have seven Chilli foals, all chips off the old block. “Other people have bay or even grey offspring, but all mine are chestnut with a white blaze,” says Chris. “I struggle with my three children’s names, but have no chance with Chilli’s offspring.”

4 Chilli’s stud fee, which started at £650, is now £1,000.

To read the full interview with Chris Stone about Chilli Morning see 4 January issue of H&H

Read all the latest eventing news

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William Fox-Pitt (pictured) has the ride on four-star stallion Chilli Morning.

Chris Stone’s horse was produced by Nick Gauntlett before joining Mary King earlier this season, but following elimination at Belton she decided to give up the ride.

William’s website says: “I have been offered the ride on the stallion Chilli Morning and I am excited to see how I get on with him.

“Mary King, who took over the ride from Nick Gauntlett at the beginning of this season, had been finding him quite big and strong so after Belton suggested to his owner Chris Stone that maybe I should see how I get along with him.

“He is a lovely horse who has been very well produced by Nick and I am very much looking forward to him arriving in the next few days.”

William’s team of four-star horses also includes Parklane Hawk, who is entered for Rolex Kentucky and the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, plus four other Badminton entrants: Seacookie, Macchiato, Lionheart, Neuf Des Coeurs. He also has Pau winner Oslo aimed at Chatsworth CIC***.

Although Chilli Morning holds a Badminton entry and a rider can be substituted, William can only ride two horses there and with the event only four weeks away, it seems unlikely that the world number one would want to run him in place of one of his other mounts.

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Mary King has decided to give up the ride on the four-star stallion Chilli Morning.

Chris Stone’s Chilli Morning was produced by Nick Gauntlett and Mary took on the chestnut at the start of this season.

Last year’s world number one led the dressage in advanced section N at Belton Horse Trials last weekend on Chilli Morning, but was eliminated for three refusals across country (they are pictured at Belton before their elimination).

“He’s a top-class horse, but he’s not the right horse for me,” Mary told H&H. “I’m not strong enough to ride him without a stronger bit, but he’s used to a soft bit and a strong man and he doesn’t like a stronger bit. That’s what went wrong at Belton.

“Even showjumping I find it really hard to stay in balance on him – I feel like a novice flopping all over the place.

“From the horse’s point of view, he needs someone else on him because he is a really good horse. It’s the first time I’ve given up the ride on a top-class horse, but I can’t do him justice.”

The decision leaves Mary with just one Badminton ride, the white-faced chestnut Apache Sauce, as she has decided not to take her two London Olympic front-runners Imperial Cavalier and Kings Temptress to a four-star this spring.

[Update: 4 April 2012, 1:45pm]

William Fox-Pitt has taken over the ride on Chilli Morning.

Full report from Belton in H&H out tomorrow, 5 April.

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Four-star event stallion Chill Morning has moved to a new rider, Mary King.

Chris Stone’s 12-year-old by Phantomic has been produced by Nick Gauntlett throughout his eventing career, which started with a win at pre-novice in 2006.

The horse joined the rare group of stallions who have completed a four-star when he finished 42nd at Burghley last year with a clear jumping round across country.

Owner Chris Stone explained his decision to move the horse to Mary’s yard to H&H.

“Nick and I set off on the dream of the London Olympics together on the day that we were awarded the games, and he did a great job in finding and producing the horses to give both them, and him, a shot at selection,” he said.

“That dream has unfortunately come to an end, as it is clear that none of my horses are high enough in an extremely strong UK line-up to have a realistic chance of selection. This has led to my wife [Lisa] and I discussing what we would like to do next, which included possibly selling Chilli, and although we had a couple of offers, we decided that we would see what might happen with a different rider.

“We were thrilled when Mary told us that she thought she might have room to ride him this year. Obviously, he is a long way behind Mary’s world-class horses in terms of potential team selection, so it was actually a relief to take that pressure out of the equation.”

Chris added: “Nick has a good string of horses and a very loyal support team around him, and I am sure that he will do very well this season. On a non-horsey topic, my wife and I wish him and Amanda the very best of luck for their married life!”

Nick proposed to girlfriend Amanda Eaton on Christmas Day.

A statement on Nick’s website dated 12 January said: “Following Saturday night’s prestigious British Breeding awards dinner where Chilli and his son topped their respective sections, Chilli’s owners Chris and Lisa Stone telephoned to tell me they wanted Mary King to take the ride! Chilli is an amazing horse with whom I have enjoyed some great times and some notable successes.

“After nearly six years together, our final competition was at Burghley (pictured) where we jumped clear round the biggest four-star I have seen; Chilli jumped brilliantly but due to returning from a long lay off with a tendon injury, we collected some time-faults.

“I think Burghley has set Chilli up for a very competitive run at Badminton this spring and I wish Mary every success with him.”

Chilli Morning’s good results with Nick include finishing second in the six-year-old section of the Pavo British Eventing Breeding Championships in 2006, winning Longleat CIC** and Weston Park CCI** in 2008 and victory at Houghton CIC*** in 2009.

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The 2011 BEF Futurity continued on Friday at Solihull 2. There were seven Elite scores awarded across the eventing and dressage sections.

Competing stallion and Burghley 2011 entrant Chilli Morning sired the top two Elite premium scorers of the day and the Woodlander Stud also had two youngsters attain Elites.

Early Morning took the highest score of the day for Nick Gauntlett. This colt foal by the Phantomic (TB) son Chilli Morning scored 9.21 in the eventing section. Early Morning is out of the thoroughbred mare Tenderfoot, by Be My Chief.

Filly foal Tretinney took an Elite score of 9.07 also in the eventing section. She is owned and was bred by Vin Jones of Preci-Spark and is also by Chilli Morning, out of Treliffick, who is by Hand In Glove.

The Woodlander Wavavoom sired Woodlander Wonderful World took an Elite of 9.04 in the dressage section for Lynne Crowden. This filly foal was the fifth Woodlander Wavavoom foal to take an Elite award in the 2011 Futurity. Woodlander Wonderful World is out of Dulicema by Don Davidoff.

Two-year-old Rosie Green attained an Elite of 9.04 in the eventing section for breeder Robert Lindsay Parkinson. She is by thoroughbred sire Green Card, out of Criminal Law mare Law-Wood Rosabelle.

Azikiwe, another eventer, also scored 9.04, this two-year-old gelding is owned by Dr Carol Brawn and was bred by the Picanini Stud. He is by Dalcotes Kreighoff and out of Lux Z mare, Nkwezi.

Darlingscott, a three-year-old dressage filly achieved an Elite of 9. She is by Jazz, out of Promisses by Flemmingh. Darlingscott is owned by Michelle Dawson and was bred by Nicola and Sam Burton.

The Woodlander Stud took the final Elite of the day with Woodlander Betty Boo, a two-year-old filly. She is by Benetton Dream out of St Pr Limoncello, by Londonderry. She scored 9 for Lynne Crowden in the dressage section.

For further information on the BEF Futurity Evaluations, visit www.britishbreeding.org

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now