‘We can never repay him’: final farewell to ‘glorified carthorse’ eventer who brought joy to three generations
The owners of a “glorified carthorse” who excelled at eventing, brought joy to three generations and was shortlisted for the Horse & Hound Awards have paid tributes to their horse of three lifetimes after his death aged 34.
Carrie Mitchell’s supercob Half A Guinness (Pepsi) was “put to sleep peacefully without fear, pain or stress, surrounded by his family” at the end of last year. Carrie told H&H Pepsi was happy and full of life until the end, and had been enjoying his hacking until his final weeks.
Carrie said it was fate that led her to buy Pepsi in the 1990s. She had just finished university and moved back home to the Edinburgh area, and he was being kept at the same yard as her horse at the time.
“There was this yard full of thoroughbred crosses and warmbloods, and then there was this glorified carthorse,” she said. “But something drew me to him. Luckily for me, his owner got pregnant and asked me to ride him, so I did; we did some riding club stuff and went to the national championships, which was wonderful.
“I didn’t want to lose him so I asked if I could buy him. She said yes, on condition I kept him for the rest of his life. Little did I know that would be 27 years.”
Carrie wanted to event, which she said was “madness” as the lowest level of affiliated competition at the time was pre-novice, now BE100. But they excelled, season after season.
“He was very hot-headed in a cold-blooded body so it took him a season to get more settled in the dressage but after that he was unbelievably consistent at pre-novice,” Carrie said. “He had a natural shape over a jump and hated touching a fence so he jumped double clear after double clear, which was amazing. He even won a section with Ian Stark in it, which was mega for me as I’d grown up watching him and he was my idol.”
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Carrie and Pepsi contested a few novice classes but although Pepsi was still jumping clear across country, he was not making the time, and some of the showjumping tracks were slightly too technical for a horse of his size.
“He was incredible,” Carrie said. “It’s a shame they didn’t have the leagues then that they do now as he’d have been amazing. He was one of those horses who got as far as he did because he just tried his absolute damnedest. And the reason I didn’t keep going at novice is that I felt he was struggling a bit, and that could have broken his heart.”
In 2006, when Pepsi was 16, Carrie handed the reins to her mother Jacky Chalmers, as she was pregnant with her first child.
“I thought he might have another seven or so years with her – he had 18,” she said.
Jacky and Pepsi competed in dressage up to elementary level, then when Covid hit, the third generation of the family got involved.
“My youngest daughter, Jess, got interested in horses,” Carrie said. “I hadn’t pushed her but during lockdown, we’d go up and sit in his field.
“He competed in dressage into his 20s and Mum was still having lessons till he was about 30. Then Jess had a few lessons, and he introduced her to dressage competition when he must have been 31.
“We gradually reduced his work but he was still hacking out at walk; the last time he was ridden was two weeks before he died. And aged 34, he could still walk away from any horse in the yard.”
Carrie said she always kept a sharp eye on Pepsi to make sure he was happy to be hacked out.
“He’d charge down the drive, leaving horses a quarter his age in his wake,” she said. “He was always forward and happy, and he’d have been bereft if we hadn’t ridden him. He was always happy to see you, you’d get on and he’d be away.”
In 2022, Pepsi was shortlisted for the Agria horse of a lifetime category of the H&H Awards, a title won by The late Queen’s pony Emma. Carrie and her family travelled to Cheltenham racecourse for the awards.
“That was an amazing trip,” she said. “We knew The Queen’s pony would win but what a great thing, for people like me to come to a do like that with the people you idolise.”
Carrie said a couple of Decembers running, Pepsi developed an oedema under his belly, seemingly linked to a swing in temperatures, and this was always cleared up by steroids.
But last year, for the first time, the steroids had no effect.
“He looked amazing,” she said. “The vets used to laugh when they saw him because the word ‘fat’ is a dirty one with horses but at 34, they were delighted he was holding his weight. They said he had the teeth of a 15-year-old; he ate normal feed and had maintained good muscle.
“But when we realised the steroids weren’t working, I knew I couldn’t let him suffer and go downhill so that was that. The vet, Louise Cornish, couldn’t have been kinder. She was amazing.”
Carrie said Pepsi never once kicked or bit, and was “an absolute gentleman”.
“He was the kindest horse,” she said. “You could trust him 100% to ride, and I just had to think something and he’d do it. I think I paid £2,500 for him, including a full wardrobe but the saddle. What a bargain. An ordinary, extraordinary horse.”
In 2022, Carrie told H&H: “Pepsi is the horse not only of my lifetime, but also of my mother and now my daughter. We can never repay him for what he has done for all of us.”
“And even more so now,” she said.
On social media, Dick Vet Equine paid tribute to one of its longest-standing patients.
“He was a truly outstanding boy, turning his hoof to many disciplines and being a gentleman to handle, whilst maintaining his own firm opinions on life!” they said.
“Of course, age doesn’t come by itself, and he has needed extra care over the past few years. All credit must go to his owners who have put considerable time, emotional energy and finances into keeping him fit and well until the very end. Few horses have the privilege of a life like Pepsi’s, and few families are lucky enough to care for such a horse.
“Pepsi was put to sleep peacefully without fear, pain or stress, surrounded by his family.”
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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.