Ian Stark’s Arakai put down

Ian Stark’s European team gold medal-winning eventer Arakai has been put down, aged 19.

Ian said: “He was the best all-round athlete I’ve ever had.”

Ian took over the ride from Vaughn Jeffries in 1996, marking a turning point in Ian’s career.

The pair were team gold medallists as well as 10th individually at the Burghley European Championships in 1997.

They then came 10th in the individual competition at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and fifth on Arakai’s final fling at Lexington Horse Trials the following year.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (16 August, ’07)

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