‘A quirky horse with a heart of gold’: Oliver Townend says farewell to his first Burghley winner
The elegant grey, who won Burghley in 2009, has died aged 25 following a long retirement
Oliver Townend
One of the leading British event riders, Oliver Townend has represented his country on a number of occasions, including helping the British team to win gold at the 2017 European Eventing Championships in Strzegom, Poland riding Cooley SRS.
Hailing from Yorkshire, but now based in Shropshire, Oliver’s first team call-up came when he was just 13-years-old when he rode in the pony European Eventing Championships.
Oliver has since gone on to compete in five senior European Championships, and two World Equestrian Games. In 2009 he won both Badminton and Burghley riding Flint Curtis and Carousel Quest respectively.
Career highlights
- won Badminton and Burghley CCI4*s
- won team gold at the 2017 European Championships
- former world number 2
- held all 3 British National titles (Open, Intermediate and Novice)
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Top lot at Tattersalls event horse sale fetches €37,000 as Oliver Townend buys two
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