Sport horse sire Carnaval Drum put to sleep
The popular sport horse sire, Carnaval Drum, has died at Pembers Hill stud in Hampshire, aged 29. He was put to sleep on 27 September.
Carnaval Drum, a 16.2h Dutch warmblood, was bought by Kevin and Annette Cooper as a two-year-old.
He had a successful showjumping career with Kevin Cooper – qualifying for the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), the Royal International and winning many open classes – before retiring to stud.
The elite stallion went on to sire the first British-bred World Champion, Carnavelly and produced a number of eventers, dressage and show horses.
Another Carnaval Drum son, Carnaval Spirit won the Foxhunter final in 1998 with Damian Charles.
Annette Cooper told H&H that they owed a lot to the horse.
“He set us up really,” she said. “He’s the reason we started stud work and we’re still a stud today.
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“He had a lovely temperament. We’ll never have another one like him – he was like part of the family.”
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Flora Watkins spent several years working for BBC News before moving into print, first as a staffer at Horse & Hound, before going freelance.