Equine farewells of 2004
Burrough Hill Lad, 28. Winner of the 1984 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Grand National, the Hennessy and a King George VI chase
Derwen Red Marvel, 27. The well-known Welsh section D sire was one of the first Cobs to be endorsed by The Hunters Improvement Society for breeding
Double Silk, 20. The outstanding hunter chaser of the 1990s was put down this summer after contracting an infection
Dutch Gold, 28. The freestyle dressage specialist recorded six World Cup wins with Jennie Loriston-Clarke and is the only British-bred horse to have won the Western European World Cup league
Echo, 32. a survivor of the 1982 IRA bomb blast in Hyde Park, the kind grey lived out the rest of his life at the Home of Rest for Horses in Buckinghamshire. He periodically suffered bouts of colic because he never got over the trauma
Eye Spy, 15. Event rider Polly Stockton’s Olympic long-listed horse was put down after a “significant injury” deteriorated. Partner to Mark Todd in the Sydney Olympics, where the combination won bronze, Eye Spy went to Polly in the same year
Hiscox Devereaux, 19. One of American dressage rider Robert Dover’s former championship rides
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In The Wings, 18. One of the most highly regarded sons of Sadler’s Wells, the champion sire was put down following severe laminitis. He won the Breeder’s Cup Turf and boasts a world-class record of 11% Stakes winners to foals bred
Jair Du Cochet, 7. Second favourite for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, the French chaser was put down a week before the race due to a severe leg injury. He won 13 of his 23 races, claiming more than £200,000 in prize-money
La Landiere, 9. Won the Racing Post Chase and the Cathcart Chase in 2003, died at stud from a haemorrhage when six weeks in-foal
Machiavellian, 17. One of Europe’s leading stallions, who stood at Dalham Hall Stud, Newmarket, the son of Mr Prospector was trained by François Boutin to be European Champion two-year-old and sired many Group One winners. He was put down after suffering from laminitis
Mayhill, 20. Put down following an injury to his pelvis. The bay eventing stallion was jointly owned by Mark and Carolyn Todd, and Edward and Clarissa Bleekman of Whorridge Farm Stud, where Mayhill stood since retiring in 1996
Periglen, 27. The undisputed lightweight hunter champion of the 1980s enjoyed wins at the Royal Show, the South of England, the East of England, Kent County and HOYS
Romeo, 23. One of Britain’s smallest advanced dressage ponies, at 13.2hh, died after a bout of colic
Royal Bronze, 21. The first recipient of the Winston Churchill Supreme at the Royal International, Royal Bronze won at the BSPS Championships 15 times and took top honours at many county shows
Secundus, 28. One of the most influential sport horse stallions to stand in Britain, Secundus, a son of Rigoletto, was bought by Dugald Low-Mitchell from his Dutch breeder as a three-year-old. He competed in show jumping and hunted with the Fife before going on to sire countless winners in every discipline
Sir Barnaby, 27. Died after a serious bout of colic. The characterful little roan was with Pippa Funnell since she was 14, and took her from the Pony Club Championships to Badminton
Small-land Mambrino, 28. By a Welsh section B stallion out of a small Thoroughbred mare, “Mamby” was one of the most influential British riding pony stallions
Vashkar, 24. Ridden by Carol Parsons on Britain’s dressage team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
This feature was first published as part of Horse & Hound review of the year (23 December, ’04).
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