‘Bags of carrots on the other side’: farewell to much-loved medal-winning horse

A horse described as “the friendliest you’ll ever meet”, who won world and Olympic medals and top grands prix has been reunited with his former groom after his death aged 21. Cortes C, who helped the US to team silver at the 2016 Olympics with Beezie Madden died peacefully yesterday (13 July) after a happy retirement.

The huge Belgian-bred gelding, named Tiny owing to his 17.1hh+ height, joined Beezie in 2011, owned by Abigail Wexner, having had success as a young horse with Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet.

“He stayed the friendliest horse on the farm until the end, loving to greet tours and take pictures with fans who visited him in Cazenovia, New York,” a spokesman for Beezie and her husband John said. “There was no one who had the pleasure of meeting or working with Tiny, whose life he didn’t impact.”

The spokesman said Tiny’s signature cross-legged pose over a fence had helped win him “legions” of fans, and that he was immortalised as a Breyer model horse in 2016.

Tiny and Beezie’s successes included contributions to many Nations Cup teams, including at three successive Nations Cup finals, and winning the Global Champions Tour Chantilly grand prix in 2013 and back-to-back King George V Gold Cups, in 2014 and 2015.

He was on the US team that won bronze at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, where he and Beezie also took part in the “final four” individual competition. Tiny won the best horse title, Beezie individual bronze.

“Cortes C helped Team USA towards a silver medal in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio before an injury sidelined him before the team final,” the spokesman said. “He was officially retired from competition in 2017.

“Clark Shipley, his former groom who passed away in 2020 after a battle with cancer, once said to the Chronicle of the Horse that Tiny was ‘the friendliest horse you’ll ever meet in your life. He’s all over you at all times, mauling you. He loves attention. You could pretty much do anything to him. If you walk him around, he mauls every person standing around. He drags you over there. He’s always had this personality. He’s been friendly from the start’.

“We have no doubt Clark was waiting for Tiny yesterday with bags of carrots on the other side.”

Beezie said Cortes C was “one of a kind”.

“With top results as a young horse with Gregory Wathelet and then years of being at the top of the sport with our team, I was blessed to have him in my life,” she said. “I will for ever be thankful to Tiny and Mrs Wexner for our years together. His passing leaves a hole in all our team’s hearts.”

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