Navigator, who won Bramham in 2008 with William Fox-Pitt, is now enjoying a second career on the hunting field.
The 18-year-old gelding had been competed for the past three years by Sophie Beaty (pictured, below), granddaughter of one of Navigator’s owners, Catherine Joice.
Sophie Beaty riding NAVIGATOR in the CIC ** Section of the Burnham Market Horse Trials, near King's Lynn in the UK on 22 September 2013
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Navigator has now been retired from competition and has been seen out with the Bicester and Whaddon Chase and the Pytchley.
“Navigator has given my mother incredible enjoyment — and heartache when injured — over the years,” Annabelle Beaty, Sophie’s mother, told H&H.
“It is great that he has retired sound and is very much enjoying another life — I am just hoping that by next season he might be sensible enough for me to hunt too.”
The former four-star eventer is still owned by William, alongside Catherine and Lynne Earle.
As well as his Bramham win, Navigator was runner up at Pau in 2010 and last year finished 18th in the CIC at Bramham with Sophie. Before coming to the UK he raced in Australia.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“He is the kind of horse that is your best friend when you are riding him but is a grumpy old man to look after on the ground, who at times won’t even be caught in the stable,” said Sophie.
“He is a big horse at 17.2hh, but is a complete gentleman to ride. He has only ever been ridden in a snaffle and he has gears like a racing car.
“We would always compare him to a Ferrari as he has such an amazing rhythm and gallop when watching him cross-country.”
She added that it has been a “privilege and great experience” to have had the ride and that he is “thoroughly enjoying” his time hunting.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.
