‘I owe him so much’: farewell to dual Olympic gold medal-winning horse, aged 30
Tributes have been paid to showjumper superstar Authentic, the “true championship horse” who won three Olympic medals with US showjumper Beezie Madden.
Yesterday (10 April) his owner Abigail Wexner and a spokesperson for John and Beezie Madden announced that Authentic, “the king of Madden Mountain” had died, aged 30.
Beezie and Authentic were part of the team that won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Two years later they won team and individual silver at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, and in 2008 they helped the US team retain their title at the Beijing Games, where Beezie and Authentic also won individual bronze.
“Bud was a true championship horse, logging countless clear rounds for the USA,” said the spokesperson.
“John and Beezie first met Authentic as a three-year-old in 1998, at Stal Heins, under Johan Heins and Harrie Smolders. Even at that age, they felt he was something special and with the help of Mrs Elizabeth Busch Burke, he came to John Madden Sales as a coming six-year-old”.
Authentic was given the stable name Bud in honour of Mrs Burke’s brewing company Anheuser-Busch, whose brands include Budweiser.
“John, Beezie and Mrs Burke eventually put together a syndicate that got Authentic to his first Olympics. After Athens, the syndicate had a significant offer for him to go to a European rider, at which point Mrs Wexner stepped up to purchase Authentic, so that he would stay with Beezie and continue to compete for the United States,” said the spokesperson.
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Beezie added that looking back, Mrs Wexner stepping up when she did “ultimately meant Authentic’s place in the history books was guaranteed”.
“She trusted our partnership and never put pressure on him or me. Whatever he needed, he got, and when it was time for the competition days to be behind him, she never wavered in his support. Every horse should have an owner like her,” she said.
Beezie and Authentic’s other achievements included big wins on home soil such as the Budweiser American Invitational, being crowned two-time US Equestrian showjumping horse of the year and winning the grand prix of Aachen.
“Bud’s intelligence and cheerful personality made him exceptional to work with and carried him through his many great accomplishments, as well as his long retirement. So many of my big ‘firsts’ of my career were with him as a partner,” said Beezie.
“I owe him so much and am grateful to everyone, especially Mrs Wexner, who made it possible for him to be such a special part of my life for so long.”
Authentic retired in 2009 to John and Beezie’s farm Madden Mountain.
“Authentic took over caring for the weanlings and yearlings, as Uncle Bud, and enjoyed posing for photos with endless visitors, especially if they came with carrots,” said the spokesperson.
“His longtime groom, Clark Shipley, was able to watch Bud grazing in his pasture from his window before Clark passed away in 2020.”
The spokesperson added that John and Beezie are “endlessly thankful to have had Authentic in our lives for nearly 11 years of competition followed by 15 years of peaceful retirement” – and that “he had no shortage of family, both horse and human”.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.