British showjumper Will Fletcher has revealed “with a really heavy heart” that he has made the decision to retire his “long time companion” Persimmon.
Boasting the unique feat of representing his country in Nations Cup teams across two disciplines, eventing and showjumping, the 20-year-old gelding has enjoyed a long and illustrious career in both spheres.
Persimmon: eventing silver medallist and showjumping grand prix winner
“He really has been the horse of a lifetime and made so much possible for me, from taking me to my first Europeans where we medalled, first senior Nations Cups and first international grand prix win, even winning grands prix when he was 19 last year,” says Will. “I owe him more than I can put into words.
“But what makes him even more special is, as well as what he achieved with me he was also a senior medallist in eventing – one of very few horses to compete at such a high level at both disciplines.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“He really has been a horse that has changed a lot of people’s lives and I’m so happy that he’s retired in a good way, very happy and sound. We’ll miss having him at the stables but will never forget everything he’s given to us all.”
Will Fletcher on Persimmon: “He’s 16hh at a push and I’m 6ft 2in”
When Will took the reins on the Dutch-bred “small horse who’d fallen out of love with dressage” he explained: “We took it slowly for the first year as I was in the middle of my A-levels.
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“He did well in 1.20m and 1.30m classes but then we jumped a Foxhunter second round, which was by far the biggest course we’d done, and I thought ‘OK, this one has more in the tank than we thought’ and we went on from there.
“He’s 16hh at a push and I’m a full up 6ft 2in but his strength comes straight from his heart; he wants it more than any other horse,” said Will. “He has so many quirks though! The first time I jumped him after a break during lockdown, he splatted me like a 12.2hh pony at a tiny cross-pole and I was left on the floor with him standing over me – I’m sure he was laughing. But once he’s in the ring he’s in the zone. What he’s done to help me with my career has been unbelievable.”
Kitty KING (GBR) riding Persimmon, during the dressage phase of the Longines FEI European Eventing Championship 2015 at Blair Castle, in Blair Atholl near Pitlochry in Perthshire, Scotland, UK , on 9th September 2015
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Kitty King bought Persimmon as a rising six-year-old thinking “he could certainly go out and win a few nice classes, but I wasn’t necessarily expecting him to go on to the European Championships!”
“But he stepped up at every level and found it all very easy – he was very bold cross-country and enjoyed his jumping,” she said. “He was tough mentally and physically and although dressage wasn’t his favourite phase, you could work with him and produce the test you needed to on the day. My proudest moment was finishing fourth at the Europeans at Blair. He’s an amazing little horse.”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
