Rider who lost dream horse after husband’s accident finds him years later — and he stars in music video

When Lisa Rae’s husband Sam suffered life-changing injuries in a car accident six years ago, Lisa thought her chance of owning her dream horse was over.

She had put down a deposit on Spanish cremello three-year-old Principe Bonito; having sold her previous cremello to pay for her wedding the best part of 20 years ago, she had always wanted to own another. But with Sam in intensive care, which was followed by a long rehab, she had to let go of the chance to buy Principe Bonito.

“I was heartbroken,” Lisa told H&H. “As soon as I saw him, I wanted him. But my husband had to learn to walk again, so horses had to go into the background.”

Some years later, with Sam well on the mend, Lisa was browsing horse adverts during lockdown and a cremello came up.

“I wasn’t allowed to go and see him so I bought him unseen,” she said. “I wouldn’t recommend that but I did have him fully vetted and it was fine, although he did bite the vet! I took the chance; the owner was selling him because of her health problems and was having surgeries so although I bought him in the July, he didn’t arrive till the September, so you can imagine the suspense.”

When the horse arrived, Lisa said, the first thing the transporter said was “Oh my god, he was a nightmare to travel”.

“He came off the lorry like a stallion,” she said. “He didn’t have the best manners, and was a bit of a biter, but my yard owner said there was a good horse in there, waiting to come out.”

And it was a week or two before Lisa knew exactly what she’d bought.

“When I saw the passport, I realised,” she said. “It was my Principe, who I’d put the deposit on and lost years before. I couldn’t believe it, I was absolutely bursting.”

Lots of work followed and “Ignatio” became Lisa’s perfect all-rounder; competing in dressage, jumping and showing. But he now has another string to his bow, having appeared in a music video for RoRo’s new song Mr Right.

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“I applied and they said they were looking at more than 2,000 horses,” Lisa said. “But I sent off his pictures and videos, and the singer chose him.”

Lisa took Ignatio, who now travels well, to the recording studio on the Isle of Dogs.

“All the schoolchildren were coming out and taking pictures of him, and when we went into the studio, it was tiny,” she said. “He was on stage, with lights all round and music blaring, and he was as good as gold.”

Ingatio was ridden by RoRo and an actor in the video, who had never been on a horse before.

“The director was shouting ‘Horse!’ when it was his turn, and he did everything like a true professional,” Lisa said. “All the dancers were giving him Polos and he was an angel. He was an angel, and he loved every minute of it.”

Lisa said seeing Ignatio’s credit on the video was “unbelievable”. He is also signed up with another modelling agency, but she said the fact she has him is enough.

“People say he’s my heart horse because I bought him with my heart,” she said. “Sometimes you go with your gut instinct and it’s meant to be.

“I can’t believe how it’s all worked out; I can’t tell you how happy I am to have him, it’s a dream come true. The video is called Mr Right and he’s definitely mine.”

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