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 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.

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Known for his quirky attitude, this spooky part-bred Arab proved brilliantly athletic after a sticky start. Catherine Austen pays homage to this class act as we celebrate Horse & Hound’s 140th anniversary in 2024

“He was an absolute showman, but in no way was he arrogant; a show prince who wanted to look lovely, but needed your approval and reassurance. He felt he was important, but not superior,” says William Fox-Pitt. Anyone who took even a passing interest in eventing in the first decade of this century knows which horse he is talking about – the quixotic, charming Tamarillo, whose unmistakable dished face revealed his Arab blood.

Together they won both Badminton and Burghley and several medals for Britain but, such was Tamarillo’s brilliance when on form that one almost feels they never quite achieved the one pinnacle they deserved – that championship victory.

“We had sad losses – Olympics and the World Equestrian Games [WEG] were all within his reach when stupid things happened,” says William. “What might have been! We had a few heart-breakers; the Athens Olympics was one of them as he cracked his stifle after a lovely clear round – I didn’t even know he had hit a fence. He won Badminton, but he could have won two more. He missed those moments, but that’s how good he was. He wasn’t a normal horse.”

Tamarillo didn’t enter William’s orbit until the Hon Finn and Mary Guinness’s home-bred was seven. He had been produced by Diana Burgess, who was based at their Biddesden Stud, and she had evented him up to his first few intermediates.

“It all happened because I parked next to Mark Todd at Tidworth around 1998, and was talking to him and the Guinnesses,” says William. “I said I was looking for horses, and the Guinnesses said they had some that Toddy didn’t want because he was retiring after Sydney. They said, ‘Why don’t you come and have a look?’

“I went and saw them, and Mary said, ‘Now look at this one – he is my golden jewel. You can look but you can’t touch – he is far too precious.’

“I had only seen Tam over the stable door, but a little while afterwards I saw him in the showjumping warm-up at Bicton, where things weren’t going to plan. As I walked past Mary, she said, ‘I might give you a ring next week.’ She did call, and said, ‘You’d better try that horse – maybe he needs a man on him.’”

William Fox-Pitt’s inauspicious start with Tamarillo

When William went to try Tamarillo, he admits he couldn’t get him over a single fence.

“I did think, ‘What’s the point?’ but I was young and he was pretty so I had nothing to lose,” he says.

Tamarillo, who had never been ridden by anyone except Diana, arrived at William’s yard in Stratton Audley in the early summer of 1999.

“I remembered my mother saying to me when I was young, ‘Sometimes you have to go fast enough that the horse just can’t stop,’” William says. “I had that in my ears as I thought, ‘Right, Tam, you and I are going to have a go and we will see if you are going to go or not.’ And gradually he did start to go. I had learnt in the hunting field and was slightly gung-ho in my approach.”

They were second at Cornbury on their first outing, then won at Knaptoft and Hartpury.

“We went round those first events so quickly that we would probably have got lots of penalties for going too fast these days,” he says. “I think going quickly got his blood up and gave him some adrenaline, so he was excited and thought, ‘Right, I’d better go.’”

William remembers going to another event and “getting cocky, thinking I was going to win”.

“We did a lovely dressage, a clear showjumping round and then on the cross-country he jumped up the bank with me going like the clappers and somehow managed to stop,” says William. “I flew over the fence coming down the bank and landed in the field on my feet. At that point I realised things weren’t quite sorted yet! He was too scared to jump off the bank by himself, so I got back on him and carried on, as you could in those days, and actually I think in his mind that he realised it was easier to go.”

The following year, 2000, William and Tam won their first three-day event, the CCI3*-L at Blarney Castle, won the intermediate championships at Gatcombe and were second in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim.

“I was feeling now that I had a bit of apparatus under me, but it was a very sticky beginning,” says William. “He was the classiest, spookiest horse I have ridden in my life. That spooking defined him and it lost him many a moment in his career.”

They finished second behind Pippa Funnell and Supreme Rock at their first Badminton in 2002 and made their first team appearance that autumn at WEG in Jerez, where tripping up the step coming out of the water resulted in 20 penalties.

“He took some managing,” says William. “The year he won Badminton [2004] he had only done Tweseldown open intermediate beforehand. How many horses go round Badminton that well with only a cross-country school, essentially? He was never a horse you could enjoy as much as you wanted to – I had to save him for the big days.”

There were other big results – second at Badminton in 2005, individual silver and team gold at the Europeans that year – but probably Tam’s greatest achievement was his final one, that 2008 Burghley victory.

“That was very special because he had come back from a lot of things, and he hadn’t been selected for the Beijing Olympics that year, which I was very sad about,” says William. “But he won Burghley in the mud; he was in a class of his own across country that day. Being a really athletic blood horse, the terrain there meant nothing to him, and remember he was 16 at the time.”

His owner and breeder, Mary Guinness, points out: “He won both Badminton and Burghley in wet mud; people forget that Arabs are bred to go their best in the sands of the desert, which is very deep going. He bounced off the ground and at no time did he make one of those big tracks look intimidating or anything but straightforward.”

Mary went to every competition Tam did, and says: “When he did a leg and was taken swimming to help his recovery, I drove a 200-mile round trip every time to be with him in case he started to panic. He knew me so well – the horse whisperer Gaynor Davenport said he thought I was his mother.”

Tam’s quirks remained with him all his life.

“He was very cold-backed; you practically had to rebreak him after his winter holiday, and put a saddle on him in the stable and leave him there for a bit,” says William. “And he loved women, but not men. There were days when I would go into his stable and not be able to catch him. Even in his last years, you could never assume anything with him – you would get on slowly and not do up the girth too tightly too quickly.”

He continues: “Tam always kept me on my toes and he was electric when on form. I think he really is my horse of a lifetime. Chilli was amazing, of course, but Tam was a freak who had everything in excess; more jump, more blood, more movement, just different.”

“Darling Tam”

“If Tamarillo had been a man, I’d have married him,” says his owner Mary Guinness. “He was a dream. He was bred for the job and I knew what I had the moment I saw him. No one else did, because he was so pretty, but I knew his parents and the sport.

“He was very petted – ‘Darling Tam, one day you’ll win Badminton,’ I used to say to him, and I probably petted him too much. It was a big wake-up call when he went to William, because he was expected to behave like a grown-up, but they were a match made in heaven.

“He was a wildly intelligent horse, and so athletic and beautiful. My most special moment with him was actually when he won Blarney in 2000; everyone had laughed at me about Tam for so long, and having lived in Ireland I knew half the people there at Blarney. It was a real step into the unknown and a proper course. When we won, I couldn’t quite believe it and I smiled and smiled all the way home. I felt vindicated.”

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Tamarillo’s clone Tomatillo has won his first event — and his connections believe he has the talent and brain to go a long way.

The Hon Mr and Mrs Guinness’s eight-year-old stallion, clone of William Fox-Pitt’s Badminton and Burghley-winning ride, topped his novice section at Tweseldown on 20 May with Aaron Millar.

Aaron, who has jumped clear at both Badminton and Burghley, and represented Britain at junior level, took the ride on “Tom”, last winter; the horse had been competed at BE90 and BE100 level with Melissa Townshend and Bella Innes Ker.

“He’s been a very good boy,” Aaron told H&H. “I hunted him over the winter and he’s done three events this season, and jumped double clear in all of them.

“He has all the attributes to be a five-star horse; William’s convinced he will be and he definitely feels like he could be. You have to get inside his head a bit but he’s got the sharpness in his brain, in a good way; he’s so quick with his legs across country and so aware of everything, which makes a phenomenal cross-country horse.”

Aaron said that not only is Tom identical to Tamarillo in looks, the way he moves and jumps is exactly the same.

“We have to treat them all as horses in their own right and on how they feel, but I’m constantly on the phone to William to ask what Tamarillo was like with this or that,” he said. “He’s very involved, and he’s great to bounce ideas off. He said Tamarillo was quite tricky in the mouth and Tom’s exactly the same, I ride him in a straight, soft Nathe bit, even across country. I’d rather he took hold on the run than was nervous about what’s in his mouth.

“I once said to William that Tom can be everything in the same moment; sharp, spooky and lazy, and William laughed and said Tamarillo was exactly the same.”

Aaron said Tom raises intriguing questions over the nature/nurture debate, and that his career will develop in the way that is best for the horse.

“We have to treat him as his own horse, and they always tell you when they’re ready to move up,” he said. “He’s phenomenally talented and he doesn’t know the difference between a BE100 and a novice, and won’t between a novice and an intermediate – when he’s ready, he’ll move up. It’s really exciting.”

Aaron described Tom as “quite cheeky, and with a lot of self-belief, in a good way”.

“He doesn’t think he’s only 15.3hh,” he said. “I think he thinks he’s about 18.2hh, and sometimes I think to myself it’s as if he’s been there and done it all before, although I know that’s not true!

“He definitely enjoys it and he loved hunting in the winter; he was always intrigued by watching the hounds work.

“I’m really excited by him, and very grateful to the Guinnesses [Tomatillo and Tamarillo’s owners and breeders] for giving me the opportunity to produce him.”

Mary Guinness told H&H: “It’s just been such an unbelievable experience.

“William was such a partner of Tamarillo, and knew him inside out, and as a result he knows Tomatillo inside out too. Tamarillo was a man’s horse, he was so wilful, and Tomatillo is exactly the same, but Aaron seems to have got to the bottom of him immediately. My fingers are crossed for Aaron, that this is the start of a big run, because he deserves it.”

Mrs Guinness agrees that the two horses share a mindset, and that Tomatillo has the ability to go to the top.

“You can see it in him,” she said. “When you see a horse who really makes so little of any kind of track, and takes it in his stride, you can see it’s in him; it’s so obvious how talented he is, and it’s Aaron who’s really bringing it out.

“Tamarillo would have been lost had William not taken him on; he was full of problems but he took him on and we all know what William did with him.”

Mrs Guinness said she knows what Aaron means about almost feeling the horse has been here before.

“We were lucky enough to clone him, but it was a project that William, me and my husband had thought about for a long time,” she said.

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“A lot of people didn’t really see the point of cloning the horse but if you find one as talented as that and it’s not entire; we really cloned him to be a sire for the stud but we’ve got so into the excitement of competing.

“Aaron’s absolutely wonderful with Tomatillo; you just stand there and it fills your heart.”

Mr Guinness added that there were some small and interesting differences between the two horses.

“Of course Tomatillo is a stallion, so there are some extra complications for him, and he may have a better walk than Tamarillo,” he told H&H.

“We’ll just have to wait and see [what Tomatillo goes on to do]; you just never know till you get there.”

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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Tomatillo, clone of the great Badminton and Burghley winner Tamarillo, has moved from William Fox-Pitt’s yard to a new rider.

Melissa Townshend, a pupil of William’s, has taken on the six-year-old stallion, who is owned by the Honn Finn and MW Guinness of Biddesden Stud.

Mr Guinness told H&H Melissa took on the ride because William is too tall for Tomatillo, who stands at 16hh.

“Tamarillo was a bit bigger — it is believed that generally geldings grow a bit bigger than stallions and of course you don’t have a direct comparison usually but in this case it’s more or less the same genes and same environment so it’s interesting he is coming out a bit smaller,” said Mr Guinness.

“He went to William’s yard a year ago and Andrew McConnon rode him in the early stages under William’s supervision, but Andrew went back to America where he has an eventing yard so this is the solution, that Melissa has taken him on.”

Mr Guinness said Tomatillo will be used for breeding and “if all goes well” he will event in future.

“Our main aim was so we could breed from the equivalent of Tamarillo and we’ve got two sets of foals and more mares in foal this year,” said Mr Guinness.

“Tomatillo is due to go to the stallion parade at Addington on 16 February and the sports horse breeding stallion grading in April. These are two activities for him as a breeding horse, then we have our eye on competitions after that.”

Tomatillo is now based with Melissa, who has competed up to three-star level (now four-star under the new FEI ratings), at her parents’ yard in Dorset, and the aim is for her to compete him.

“Everything is going ok so far, but he’s still quite green. It’s awkward in this case because we have high expectations. With a horse of that age, normally you don’t really know how they’re going to go, but we have those expectations,” said Mr Guinness.

“We’ll have to see step by step. In this case we’re confident he has the genes for it, but there is the added difficulty with the hormones.”

Mr Guiness said there are some similarities and differences showing between Tomatillo and Tamarillo.

“It’s possible that Tomatillo has some areas where he’s better than Tamarillo,” he said. “His walk seems to be better; it was never Tamarillo’s best point. The trot is the same – that was a special feature of Tamarillo. We hope his flying changes will be better. Tamarillo’s flying changes were a problem as he wasn’t taught them at an early age because they weren’t in the dressage test – when it was introduced into the advanced test, he hadn’t learnt it as a young horse and it was extra difficult for him.”

Melissa, who has trained with William for more than three years, told H&H she is “very excited” about the ride.

“I’m really grateful to the Guinness family for giving me the opportunity. Sadly Tomatillo came out a bit smaller than the original Tamarillo so Mr Guinness asked William to find someone and he very sweetly suggested me – I was quite shocked when I heard,” said Melissa.

“I had my first sit on him during the first week of January. It was amazing to see how he quickly improved from the first time I sat on him to just before we took him home – credit to the team at William’s. They did an incredible job laying the groundwork.”

Melissa said the aim is to do some events when Tomatillo “is ready”.

“There will be lots of eyes on him and we don’t want to rush him. We’ll try and get him out to some local showgrounds and take him for training,” she said. “It’s about showing him the world, doing some showjumping, cross-country schooling and just opening his eyes. He’s so green, he’s six but is like riding a four-year-old, but he’s so well behaved – we’ve got mares on the yard and he’s very good with it all.”

First foals by Tamarillo’s clone are born

See pictures of the first foals by Tamarillo's clone — Tomatillo — born at Biddesden Stud

Tamarillo cloned: watch the foal at 6 weeks

Following the exclusive news in today's Horse & Hound magazine that Tamarillo has a clone, watch a video of the

Melissa said she feels “a bit of pressure” taking on the ride, but will continue to train with William.

“It’s a big opportunity and I definitely don’t want to let anyone down, but I like a bit of pressure. I’m incredibly lucky – these opportunities don’t come up often. It will be a good challenge and I’m excited about it, we all are – the whole team and the connections,” said Melissa.

“I go to William’s usually twice a week. He’s an amazing coach for me and we work well together. I’m very very lucky to have him, he has a wealth of knowledge – I just have to try and keep up.”

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Tomatillo’s first foals have been born.

The clone of Tamarillo stood at stud for the first time in 2016 and six foals are expected by him this year.

Owner The Hon. Finn Guinness told H&H the first four of these have arrived, with two more still to come.

The first two to be born at the Gunnisses’ Biddesden Stud, both fillies, are out of Anglo Arab eventer Turkish Candle (by Bajazeth) and her daughter Imbroglio (by Indoctro). Both mares and fillies, who are also owned by Finn, are doing well.

“It is extremely exciting as it always is with foals, but particularly the first foals of a stallion,” said Mr Guinness. “It is interesting to see their way of going.”

He added Tomatillo “has a slightly better walk” than Tamarillo and this is where the latter was pipped in competition by Pippa Funnel’s great campaigner Supreme Rock when the two were eventing at the same time.

Partnered by William Fox-Pitt, Tamarillo’s list of eventing achievements include wins at Badminton and Burghley as well as European, World and Olympic medals.

Turkish Candle evented in the UK and Canada, reaching two-star level before retiring to become a broodmare.

Imbroglio also competed up to CCI2* and this is her first foal.

Article continues below…

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Tomatillo, who is rising four and is owned by Finn and MW Guinness, will stand at stud again this season and is currently in training at William Fox-Pitt’s yard.

Tamarillo was cloned at Replica Farm in Texas and H&H revealed his existence to the world in September 2013.

“People are all asking whether we are going to compete [Tomatillo] and that is not the primary aim of the whole project,” Mr Guinness told H&H earlier this year.

“He is very like Tamarillo, but as similar as an identical twin would be, not exactly the same.”

Tamarillo, who was put down in 2015, was out of MW’s Anglo Arab event mare Mellita (by Master Spiritus), by the Anglo Arab Tarnik. These are also the genetic parents of Tomatillo.

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Tomatillo, clone of the great event horse Tamarillo, is to stand at stud this year with a stud fee of £800.

H&H revealed Tomatillo’s existence in the magazine in September 2013.

The cloning of the Badminton and Burghley winner was carried out by Replica Farm, Texas, at a cost of $165,000 (£104,00 at the time) and partially funded by a group of anonymous shareholders, who will earn a percentage of his stud fees.

He belongs to the Honn Finn and MW Guinness, who bred and owned Tamarillo, and will stand at their Biddesden Stud, on the border of Hampshire and Wiltshire.

Three-year-old Tomatillo has been at William Fox-Pitt’s yard being long-reined and broken in. The photo above shows him with American rider Andrew McConnon, who works for William.

“I’ve always thought of him as part William’s. He looks unnervingly like Tamarillo in the photo,” MW told H&H. “He is back home now and taking mares.”

MW’s daughter Rebecca added: “We are not planning a terribly busy year for him, but we have three mares of our own who will be put in-foal to him and a couple of visiting mares pencilled in. In terms of his career under saddle, this will all very much hinge on what William feels is best.”

The mares the Guinnesses plan to put to Tomatillo this year are Give A Lot (“a nice thoroughbred by Generous”), Turkish Candle (a former two-star eventer by Bazajeth) and her daughter Imbroglio, who is by Indoctro and has also competed at two-star.

“Turkish Candle and Imbroglio are on the small side, so we hope he will give a bit more size and scope,” said Rebecca.

Tamarillo, who was put down last July, was out of MW’s Anglo Arab event mare Mellita (by Master Spiritus), by the Anglo Arab Tarnik, so they are also the genetic parents of Tomatillo.

Continued below…

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Celebrate Tamarillo’s standout career *PICTURES*

In simple terms, cloning works by a tissue sample being taken from the horse’s neck and a nucleus from one of those cells being put into an unfertilised egg that has had the DNA removed. This is stimulated with a small electrical shock to develop it into an embryo.

It is then transferred into a recipient mare and follows a normal gestation, with the foal being a 100% genetic match to the original. Tomatillo’s surrogate dam was called Blondie.

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For eventing fans across the globe, William Fox-Pitt‘s 2004 Badminton winner Tamarillo will be the standout horse of a generation — the one that you had posters of on your wall as a teenager and madly kept track of during the season.

On hearing the news that the Olympic silver-medallist was put to sleep yesterday (28 July 2015) at the age of 23, we’ve dug deep in to the archives to take a look back at some of his career highlights in pictures.

Tamarillo in pictures

2002: Badminton Horse Trials

At Tamarillo’s first Badminton in 2002, the pair finished in second place.

Continued below…

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2002: World Equestrian Games, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

The 16.2hh gelding and William were part of the bronze medal-winning team in Jerez for the World Equestrian Games in 2002, following on from their success at Badminton earlier that year.

2004: Badminton Horse Trials

An unforgettable Badminton: William achieved his lifelong ambition of lifting the Badminton trophy in 2004 with Tamarillo, who was bred by the Guinness family in 1992 at the Biddesden Stud.

2004: Olympics, Athens, Greece

Following on from William’s Badminton Horse Trials win, the pair were part of the silver medal-winning team at the Athens Olympics — although Tamarillo had to be withdrawn from a promising individual place after an injury on the cross-country.

William and Tamarillo during a photocall for members of the British Olympic eventing squad for Athens in 2004, at a press conference at Waresley Park, Befordshire.

2005: European Championships, Blenheim Horse Trials

At the European Championships at Blenheim in 2005, William and Tamarillo claimed the individual silver medal as well as being part of the gold medal-winning team. Earlier that year the pair had finished second at Badminton.

2008: Burghley Horse Trials

In 2008 the pair secured the Burghley Horse Trials title, with Tamarillo rounding off his four-star career in typical style — ears still pricked.

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William Fox-Pitt’s Olympic silver medal-winning partner Tamarillo has died aged 23.

The gelding was put down yesterday (Tuesday, 28 July), due to old age.

“Very sadly Tamarillo was put to sleep — at 23, age had simply caught up him,” read a statement on William’s website.

With William Tamarillo won countless events, including Badminton in 2004 and Burghley in 2008.

By Tarnik and out of Mellita, Tamarillo was bred by the Guinness family in 1992 at the Biddesden Stud.

He formed a wonderful partnership with William throughout his career and was a popular sight at British Eventing (BE) fixtures and a staple on British championship teams.

He started his eventing career under Diana Burgess in 1997, when he was placed fifth in a pre-novice section at Tweseldown. Diana evented him up to intermediate level, before William took over the ride in 1999, after a lucky suggestion by Mark Todd.

William always spoke highly of the horse, but admitted that he was no easy ride.

“He can be everything all at once — spooky, lazy, sharp, exuberant, sensitive. He’s extraordinary and unique,” he told H&H while the horse was competing.

The pair won the two-star at Blarney in 2000, before finished second at Blenheim later that season.

In 2002 he was second at Badminton, securing him a place on the bronze medal-winning British team for the World Equestrian Games (WEG).

In 2004 he won Badminton, and competed at the Athens Olympics, where they won team silver although Tamarillo had to be withdrawn from a promising individual place after an injury on the cross-country. The next season the pair competed at the Europeans, where they won individual silver and team gold.

He represented Britain for the final time at WEG in Aachen in 2006, and was part of the team that won silver.

Tamarillo rounded off his stellar career in 2008 with an emotional win at Burghley.

He was retired from eventing at the end of 2009 after a reoccurrence of an old leg injury.

“Tamarillo earned 1,636 BE points, and was one of the world’s most successful eventing horses, and his huge personality came through in his performances earning him fans worldwide,” continued the statement.

“He has spent a long and happy retirement under the watchful eye of Jackie Potts [William’s longstanding head girl] — who travelled with him to every major championship and did the most wonderful job in keeping him in peak condition for so many years, he was in great shape right until the end.

“We are so sad for MW, Finn, Rebecca and Rory Guinness, who have owned and cherished him throughout his life. All of us at Fox-Pitt Eventing will miss him hugely.”

However, his genes will live on as his clone remains. In 2013 H&H broke the news that Tomatillo, a colt, was born in San Antonio, New Mexico.

The colt looks like Tamarillo’s 100% match, with William describing it as “uncanny” when the foal was born.

Despite his resemblance to Tamarillo, it is still unclear whether Tomatillo will compete.

“We will breed from him as soon as possible to see what kind of animals he produces,” MW Guinness said last year.

“We wouldn’t dismiss the idea of having him in competition, but breeding is the number one objective of this exercise.”

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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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Shortly before Horse & Hound broke the thrilling news that former British eventer Tamarillo has a clone on the ground, we canvassed our reader panellists for their views.

We asked them, if you could see any former British team horse cloned, who would you choose? And what was their opinion on cloning horses as a concept? Here is what they had to say…

Jennifer Hart

Candidates for cloning: Supreme Rock, Tamarillo, Drivetime.

Should we clone? NO, on ethical grounds.

Danielle Dawson

Candidates for cloning: Opposition Buzz, Miners Frolic.

Should we clone? UNSURE. It’s a step further away from nature, but I can see it becoming the norm.

Sarah Merchant

Candidates for cloning: Milton, King William, Get Smart

Should we clone? YES. It’s a long time since domesticated animals were allowed to breed in a wholly natural manner, so I see no distinction.

Amanda Myall

Candidates for cloning: Big Star, Valegro, Toytown

Should we clone? UNSURE: It’s no guarantee of success, as still exposed to injuries, training and different riders.

Amy Bratt

Candidates for cloning: Milton

Should we clone? NO. Not viable and potentially gives a horse an unfair advantage in competition.

Here is how you responded to the news on social media:

Gillian Lillis

Who’s going to be cloned next then; Valegro, Frankel, Milton? It’s so wrong messing with nature.

Lisa Gibbons

I don’t agree with it and I don’t think any cloned horse should be allowed to breed or compete. Nature should be left alone and not interfered with.

MayMay Lam

Cloning takes the individuality out of horses. Part of the fun is pairing horses up to see what can be produced. Besides, cloning an amazing horse doesn’t necessarily gaurantee an amazing horse as a result. Most great things come from love and good training, not just genetics. It’s very interesting though.

Nikki K Gear

I found the article interesting and given how much it costs I can’t see it happening that often.

Jackie Cook

What about genetic mutations in years to come? These horses should not be allowed to compete. It’s owners greed yet again.

@Velvet659

I don’t understand why people are so against it, I say fair play to them. If I could do it I would!

@JennaFfion

LOVE that Tamarillo has a clone!

What do you think? Send us your views to hhletters@ipcmedia.com or let us know via facebook comments below.

Watch the foal at 6 weeks old in this video

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There won’t be a dry eye in the house at Badminton on Monday (25 April) when William Fox-Pitt officially retires his much-loved partner Tamarillo from competition.

Nineteen-year-old “Tam” will be paraded in the ring on the final day of Badminton — which he won with William in 2004 — so his fans can pay tribute to this exceptional horse.

Bred by Finn and Mary Guinness in 1992, Tamarillo’s part-bred Arab heritage made him fast and nimble over jumps and across country but light and extravagant in the dressage ring.

Mrs Guinness said: “Tamarillo’s unique combination of grace and athleticism combined with a dash of rebellious cheek has gained him and his rider William Fox-Pitt a place in the hearts of eventing fans all over the world.”

William’s partnership with Tam began in 2000, with a surprise win in the Blarney Castle two-star event.

Badminton final scores

They went to take second place at Badminton just two years later and represented GB on the bronze-winning team at the World Championships in Jerez later in 2002.

The 2004 Badminton victory was followed up by second the following year, silver at the World Championship in Aachen in 2006 and then Tamarillo’s last big win — Burghley in 2008.

Tam has been in unofficial retirement since 2009. He will move back to William’s yard and will be ridden by William’s groom Jason Picton in retirement.

Fans can catch Tamarillo’s presentation and parade in the ring before the prizegiving.

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The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials got underway today with all but one of the 72 horses forward passing the first veterinary inspection in the main arena.

The trot-up got off to a less than auspicious start when the first horse in front of the ground jury, Louise Skelton’s ride Bit of a Barny, who was trotted up by Matt Ryan, was sent to the holding box. His connections breathed a sigh of relief when he passed on second inspection.

Unfortunately there wasn’t such good news for America’s Stephen Bradley and Brandenburg’s Joshua was found to be unlevel when trotted up on the first occasion. He appeared no better when represented for inspection after spending a period in the holding box and was not passed as fit to compete.

Watch Brandenburg’s Joshua trot-up

The only other horses to be represented was Shiver St George, the ride of Sara Burdess, who was accepted on the second attempt.

Horses that caught the eye during the trot-up included the crowd’s favourite Tamarillo, who showed how fit and well he was feeling with some extravagant bucks along the way.

Meanwhile Dee Kennedy got the photographer’s attention with her short ra-ra skirt and high heel boots, but the prize for the best turned out rider went to Heidi Woodhead.

Watch video highlights of the trot-up

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William Fox-Pitt will be riding the 2007 Burghley winner Parkmore Ed at this summer’s Olympic Games.

Selectors have chosen Philip Adkins’ 15-year-old Parkmore Ed over William’s two other possible horses, Tamarillo and Ballincoola, following last weekend’s (4-6 July) Barbury Castle CIC***.

William finished the Wiltshire event with all three horses in the top five, with Parkmore Ed second, Ballincoola fourth and Tamarillo fifth.

Mary King will be riding Edwin and Sue Davies and Janette Chinn’s 16-year-old Call Again Cavalier.

William and Parkmore Ed and Mary and Call Again Cavalier join Tina Cook with Miners Frolic, Daisy Dick with Spring Along and Sharon Hunt with Tankers Town to make up the GBR Olympic three-day event team.

The Olympic horses will have one final outing at Aston-le-Walls on 18-19 July, although some horses may not run cross-country.

Reserve horses are Daisy’s Hope Street, William’s Ballincoola / Tamarillo and Mary’s Imperial Cavalier.

Reserve combinations are Georgie Davies and Fachoudette, Pippa Funnell and Ensign, Rodney Powell and Zinzan II, Oliver Townend and Coup De Coeur, Lucy Wiegersma and Shaabrak and Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz.

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Tamarillo has been withdrawn from the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (3-6 May) by William Fox-Pitt.

The Hon Mary Guinness’s 15-year-old gelding would have been one of the favourites to win the event, having taken the top spot in 2004 and finished second in 2002 and 2005.

Tamarillo has had three runs this year, the most recent in the advanced at Belton, where he scored 30.7 to lie fourth after dressage, before having two show jumps down and running slowly across country.

William Fox-Pitt still has Idalgo and 2005 Burghley winner Ballincoola entered for Badminton.

Badminton final scores

Jeanette Brakewell has withdrawn both Burley Wood and Equinox Sidewinder, leaving the evergreen 19-year-old Over To You in the hunt. Lucinda Fredericks has pulled out 2002 Punchestown winner Bally Leck Boy, but still rides last year’s Burghley champion Headley Britannia.

Laurence Hunt (Phoebus) and Camilla Shepherd (Cosmos) have also withdrawn.

• www.badminton-horse.co.uk
• www.foxpitteventing.co.uk
• Tamarillo’s eventing record (British Eventing website)

Read why Tamarillo was withdrawn in next week’s Horse & Hound (19 April)

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William Fox-Pitt’s ride, Tamarillo, is on the road to recovery following surgery to remove the bone chip from his stifle joint last Monday.

Vet Ian Wright, from Greenwood Ellis & Partners in Newmarket, operated on the bay Anglo Arab, and when H&H spoke to William Fox-Pitt this week, Tamarillo had come round from his anaesthetic and was up on his feet.

“He’s due home on Friday (today) and, barring unforeseen circumstances – which you can never bar – he’ll be walking for six weeks, then have a holiday in the field before starting work with all the others at Christmas,” says William.

“The prognosis is good, surgery went according to plan, and Ian Wright feels very positive after seeing the joint.

“There’s no ligament damage, so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t come back to full form.

“He’s been sound since the show jumping day on only a small amount of anti-inflammatories, so Ian is very optimistic.

William admits that Tamarillo may not be the easiest of patients:

“He’s never been injured like this, so we have yet to find out what kind of patient he is – he’ll be irritated about not being in his field.

• This article first appeared in H&H (26 August)

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William Fox-Pitt and Tamarillo had seemingly produced a foot perfect, speedy round cross country yesterday morning, leaving the combination in fifth place and the British team in bronze medal position going into the final jumping phase of the Olympic three day event this evening.

But both William’s and British hopes suffered a devastating blow late yesterday evening with the news that the elegant Tamarillo fractured a stifle in three places at some stage during yesterday’s cross-country. The dashing duo was forced to withdraw, bringing William’s Olympic campaign to a disappointing end, and diminishing Britain’s medal chances.

The part-Arab gelding became a little lame behind and stiffened up yesterday afternoon, gradually getting worse. He was eventually x-rayed and small chips were discovered in his patella joint.

William had been in fifth place, less than ten points behind the leader, Frenchman Nicolas Touzaint with Galan de Sauvagere, and with less than one show jump between Bettina Hoy and Ringwood Cockatoo (35.6) in silver medal position, and William (38.6), in fifth, the British combination were a serious medal prospect.

Mary King’s score of 48 now comes into play, but the extra ten penalties push Britain down into fourth place, below the USA.

Britain has suffered more than their fair share of bad luck in the Athens games. Late last week Sarah Cutteridge was forced to withdraw with The Wexford Lady because of a minor injury which would, reportedly, have prevented them from completing the three phases.

However, in spite of the disasters of yesterday’s cross country – Pippa Funnell and Primmore’s Pride accrued enough time penalties to drop them six places and leave them more than twelve penalties behind the leader – Britain is just 5.4 penalties behind the USA, and likely to pounce on the slightest medal opportunity.

The injury to Tamarillo is not considered to be life threatening, although it is serious, and could potentially bring the horse’s four-star career to an end. David Sinclair MRCVS of Bell Equine, explains. “It depends on where the fracture lines lie. Some fractures could be damning for the career of a horse like that, while others may have little effect and allow him to return to top form.”

• Meanwhile, all the horses who were presented at this morning’s final inspection passed, although Australia’s Olivia Bunn, who had produced brilliant performances both in the dressage and cross country phases to be lying in 15th with GV Top of the Line, withdrew before the final inspection. Australia remains in fifth place, 0.8 of a penalty behind Great Britain.
• Utter devastation for the Belgian rider Joris Vanspringel today. His ride, Over and Over was put down this morning after an operation for a fractured stifle last night. The horse injured himself when he landed awkwardly over the middle part of the Hollow.
• Click here to visit HHO’s Olympic Games microsite for all the latest news and reports from Athens.

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View Tamarillo pictures

William Fox-Pitt’s top ride, Tamarillo, proved himself once and for all in the mud at Badminton this year. The 12-year-old gelding came back from a long six-months on the sidelines to prove that Arabs aren’t just suited to desert conditions.

He has shown sparks of exceptional quality in the past, coming second at Badminton in 2002 and second at Blenheim in 2000, when he was a mere eight years old. He is William’s major hope for Athens in August, and the apple of owner Mary Guinness’s eye.

“I worship the ground he walks on,” she proclaims. “He is an absolutely wonderful horse and is a real character.”

Tamarillo was bred by the Guinnesses out of their own mare, Mellita, a Anglo Arab mare who stems from a long family of Guinness-owned and bred pure Arabs.

Mellita was a successful eventer in her own right, travelling to Le Lion d’Angers. She was retired temporarily to have Tamarillo, but two years later, in a freak accident, she was kicked in the field and broke her leg beyond repair.

Tamarillo was raised virtually an orphan, surrounded by people and doted on as a child. “He’s completely spoilt and one of the most human horses I’ve ever known,” explains Mary.

He was shown as a youngster and was champion part-bred arab at the Arab Horse Show as a three-year-old. He was subsequently evented by Diana Burgess until William Fox-Pitt took over the ride in 1999.

Tamarillo’s sire was a part-bred Polish Anglo-Arab. His owners, Terry and Anne Sutcliffe crossed Arabs with other breeds, and were at a crossroads in their breeding program. But it occurred to them that the Eastern Europeans, and the Poles in particular, had been breeding in the same way, and they decided to make a trip to Poland to investigate.

Their adventure took them to the Janow Podlaski Stud, the oldest state-owned Polish stud, where they found Tarnik, a half-blood Polish Anglo-Arab/Thoroughbred. They brought him to England where they showed him successfully and competed in the Arab Horse Society Marathon.

Finn Guinness remembers well. “I was competing in 1977 on a different horse, and I watched Tarnik from behind for 26 miles and I was tremendously impressed.”

Tarnik won the Marathon that year, but it was far from the last the Guinnesses would see of him. “Many years later,” Finn continued, “the Sutcliffes agreed to loan him to us for stud, and we now have several progeny, of which Tamarillo was the last.

“It was a gamble, in a sense. With horse breeding you never quite know how things will turn out. There are good and bad in every breed, but it’s much better to focus on the good.”

Tamarillo has certainly turned out to be “the good”. Mary describes him as the Rudolf Nureyev of the horse world, and “just wonderful to watch when he’s moving.

“He adores eventing, and particularly the cross country. I’m told by people that can speak to horses that he likes flying round. He’s totally tuned into William, and William’s attitude makes them perfect partners,” she says.

Tamarillo’s next major outing will be the Olympics in Athens in August, where he will have a supportive crowd of fans in tow. And Arab owners and breeders all over the country will be watching and waiting for this gem to bring home a medal.

View Tamarillo pictures