Oliver Townend said he is feeling “mixed emotions” at the sale of his European Championship gold medal-winning ride Cooley SRS.
The 11-year-old Irish sport horse gelding has been sold to Terry Snow, with the ride going to Australian event rider Hazel Shannon.
Oliver and the Ramiro B bay, previously owned by Angela Hislop, have amassed a string of top results, including being on the gold medal-winning British team at the 2017 European Championships.
They also finished in ninth place individually at the 2014 world championships for seven-year-olds in France and were long-listed for this year’s WEG in Tryon.
“With mixed emotions we announce the sale of Cooley SRS,” Oliver said.
“I’m extremely happy to see him go to a lovely home with Terry Snow, a huge supporter of equestrianism.
“I hope he brings as much pleasure to Terry and new rider, Hazel Shannon, as he has done to both me and Angela Hislop.”
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Oliver and Cooley SRS also finished a very close second to Jonelle Price and Classic Moet at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials this year, and have had eight top-five placings at three-star level in the past three seasons.
Hazel has enjoyed a successful career in her home country, winning the Mitsubishi Motors Australian International 3 Day Event at Adelaide this month (14 to 17 November) on former racehorse Willingapark Clifford.
British riders hold the top two positions at the halfway point in the first day of dressage at Badminton Horse
The combination also won the Australian CCI4* in 2016, finished in seventh place in 2015 and 11th in 2017, and have notched up six wins and four second-place finishes at three-star level.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
