Eventer Laura Collett has retired her 4-star ride Rayef.

The 15-year-old will be staying with Laura at her Lambourn yard to enjoy his retirement.

“We’d already decided not to do a 3-day again,” Laura told H&H. “He’s had leg injuries and he doesn’t stand up to the work as he used to.

“He’s feeling fantastic, but he just doesn’t seem to love eventing anymore.”

The pair won team and individual gold at the junior Europeans in 2007 and the young rider Europeans in 2009.

He was 8th on his Badminton debut in 2011, gaining Laura her first senior squad call-up, for the European Championships that year.

Rayef was also long-listed for the London Olympics.

Rayef was being aimed at Hambleden on 18 April, but was withdrawn.

His last competition was Lincolnshire in March, where he finished 23rd in his open intermediate section.

“He just wasn’t interested at Lincoln,” Laura added. “Normally he’d be pulling my arms out but he wasn’t feeling it.

“He has nothing to prove and I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened and he couldn’t enjoy his retirement.

“He’s done such a lot for my career, he owes me nothing and I owe it to him.”

But Rayef may yet be seen in other disciplines.

“We’ll play it by ear and maybe do some showjumping or dressage, just see how he feels,” she said.

“He’s full of beans at the moment, he bolted across the field with me just the other day. He’s a real character and I know him inside out.”

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Event rider Laura Collett is back in the saddle and jumping her horses, after her serious accident last month.

“It’s very exciting to be back riding again,” she told H&H. “It’s all going well and I’m feeling fine. It just feels normal, and it’s nice to be back doing my usual things.”

Laura posted photos of herself jumping “Super Steve” aka Noble Bestman on Twitter this morning (Thursday 8 August).

“I schooled him at the weekend, but this has been the first time I’ve jumped him since my fall,” she said. “He was very good, and I’m not sore at all. I’ve been very lucky.

“They’ve all been very good, my head girl Felicity has been keeping them ticking over and Yogi [Breisner, British Eventing team manager] has been down to ride them too.”

She also had a sit on her stable star, Rayef, today (pictured).

“It was lovely to be back on him,” she said. “He’s grand to school but he can be a bit naughty out hacking, so I’ve told Felicity she can keep doing that for the time being!”

Laura suffered serious crush injuries — including lung damage and rib fractures — during a rotational fall from Tis A Beauty at Tweseldown on 8 July.

She spent some time at Oaksey House, the Injured Jockeys Fund rehabilitation centre in Lambourn, Berks, after being discharged from hospital. But she’s aiming to be back competing as soon as she can.

“I’m still signed off eventing so I won’t be competing for a bit — but as soon as I’m allowed to I’ll be back,” added Laura. “I’m doing lots of physio at Oaksey House still. It’s hard work — mainly because I’m doing exercises I’m not used to. But it’s nice to know that I’ll be fitter after this than I was before when I was eventing.”

She added that she’s “trying not to overdo it”.

“That’s really hard for me, but everyone is telling me I need to be sensible so I’m trying to do that.

“I haven’t ridden Kauto Star yet — Yogi’s ridden him — but I might have a go next week.”

And in her absence last week (Thursday 1 August) showjumper Trevor Breen took the ride on Noble Bestman in the eventing grand prix at Hickstead. The pair finished 5th.

“It was nice to be back at Hickstead — I used to do showing there,” she added. “Seeing Steve in the eventing grand prix was great though, I think he was surprised to have such long legs round him. Trevor rode him beautifully, but it was very nerve racking watching — I’d much prefer to be riding.”

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Laura Collett says she is the “happiest girl in the world” after confirmation that her top ride, Rayef, will be staying with her for the rest of his life.

Laura had been trying to form a syndicate to keep the ride on the 14-year-old bay gelding. Rayef’s owner, Jason Houghton, is understood to be going through a divorce.

But yesterday, Mr Houghton told Laura that he will not sell — and Laura can keep Rayef when he retires.

“I am so relieved and grateful that he is staying with me for life,” said Laura.

“Anyone who knows me knows that Rayef is genuinely part of the family,” she told H&H.

“He’s done so much for me and my career — he owes me nothing.”

Rayef, who is being aimed at Badminton, was long-listed for the London Olympics. The pair won team and individual gold at the junior Europeans in 2007 and the young rider Europeans in 2009.

He was eighth on his Badminton debut in 2011, gaining Laura her first senior squad call-up, for the European Championships that year.

The 23-year-old rider explained that she had not been able to raise enough money to form the syndicate. She was hoping to sell 25 shares at £5,000 each — putting Rayef’s value at £125,000 for a two-year lease of ownership.

After speaking to agents, Mr Houghton decided it would not be worth his while selling Rayef. Laura will cover the horse’s running costs and give any prize-money to the owner.

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Laura Collett is seeking to form a syndicate, in order to keep the ride on her top horse, Rayef.

The 14-year-old bay gelding, who was long-listed for the Olympics, is not available on the open market. But his owner, Jason Houghton — who is understood to be going through a divorce — has given Laura until 1 March to form a syndicate.

Laura hopes to sell 25 shares at £5,000 each, to cover a two-year period.

“It’s a lease of the ownership,” Laura told H&H. “He’s going to run under the Team Collett name, so he’ll basically be mine, then we will reassess after two years.

“If he does have an injury in those two years, then we will put another of my young horses in; we don’t want people to feel that they don’t have anything [if Rayef is injured].”

Rayef missed the end of last season, due to what Laura described as “a bit of heat in his leg” but is back in work, jumping and cantering — and is being aimed at Badminton.

Last season, he was third in the CIC*** at Aachen and sixth at Bramham CIC***. Rayef made his debut at Badminton in 2011, coming eighth. That result helped Laura gain her first senior squad call-up, for the 2011 European Championships — at the age of just 21.

“I think he’s come on from then, and can hopefully get a good result [at Badminton],” said Laura.

“Then perhaps we might be up for selection for the European Championships.

“He’s a high-class horse and he’s definitely good enough to be competitive at the very highest level,” she added.

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Young eventer Laura Collett tells H&H about her attention-loving four-star ride.

Fact file

Stable name: Henry

Age: 13

Height: 16.3hh

Breed: Dutch warmblood

Sire: unknown

Discipline: eventing

Owner: Jason Houghton

Groom: Felicity Roberts

Best ever result: third at Aachen CIC*** 2012 and eighth at Badminton CCI**** 2011

Five things you didn’t know…

1. Laura is banned from tacking him up as it takes her half an hour to put the bridle on. “Rayef likes to rest his head on my shoulder and go to sleep,” she says.

2. He loves Polos. He got through 10 packets at Aachen CIC***.

3. He only likes the field right next to the yard. In other fields, he will walk, canter and gallop up and down, finally lying down and putting his legs under the gate to make his point.

4. He likes swimming, up to twice a week when he’s getting fit.

5. He isn’t allowed to hack out on the road because he kicks cars as they go past.

To read the full interview with Laura Collett about Rayef see 6 September 2012 issue of H&H

Read all the latest eventing news

Laura Collett says vets have helped to explain why her top ride, Rayef, was so under par at the European Championships (news, 1 September).

Blood tests have shown that his muscle enzymes were “really high”, which indicates muscle soreness.

The gelding amassed three refusals on the cross-country course. Laura initially thought a virus might be to blame.

She told H&H: “We’ve had the vets checking everything. We think the soreness might have come from pulling a muscle on the course, or from catching himself on a fence.”

Although things did not go to plan for the youngest member of the senior British squad, Laura described the experience as “incredible”.

Rayef will be aimed at South of England later this month.

H&H vet Karen Coumbe added: “Muscle problems are well recognised in athletes, who can explain how uncomfortable they feel but it can be harder to identify in horses.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (15 September, 2011)

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Following her call up to the senior British squad at the age of just 21, H&H visited Laura Collett at home and our exclusive interview with the young eventing star is published in today’s magazine (21 July).

Laura has been selected for the European championships in Germany with her top horse Rayef, on whom she won junior and young rider individual gold medals in 2007 and 2009

Rayef fact file

Age: 12

Stable name: Henry

Owner: Jason Houghton

Breeding: unknown, but came from Holland as a five-year-old

Background: bought from Andrew Fielder, former showjumper

Best results: four under-21 medals, eighth Badminton CCI**** 2011

Laura says: “Rayef has far more natural talent and ability than [my first top horse] Fernhill Sox, but Sox was straightforward, while Rayef’s mind is on everything else, spooking and being a nightmare sometimes. They end up on level pegging because Sox tries harder, but Rayef’s more talented.”

Laura Collett talks about Rayef