5-star occasion rider Simon Grieve has paid tribute to the privilege of using a horse who “ought to by no means have been an eventer”, however who held his personal on the very prime stage of the game.
Maria Buckley’s Irish-bred gelding Cornacrew, whom Simon rode at Badminton and Burghley, in addition to Pau and a bunch of three-star (now four-star) occasions, was put down yesterday (24 October) on the age of 24, after an extended and joyful retirement.
“All Maria ever wished for him was that he was joyful, so it was actually necessary the time was proper,” Simon informed H&H. “She doted on him. I used to be a really shut second however she was undoubtedly his primary fan and it’s so necessary we do proper by them.
“All of us miss him a lot. However what a blast it’s been.”
Simon took on the journey of “Bozzie” in 2010; he had been competed by Martin Renfrey, Rosie Bowie, Steven James and Lucy Kemplay as much as two-star (now three-star) stage.
“When he first came visiting from Eire he did a whole lot of working hunters with Angela Taylor and he was actually good at it,” Simon mentioned. “He was fairly good at every thing actually.
“He’d been purchased on the Cavan gross sales and Martin did numerous 90s and 100s with him; as a result of he was taken actually slowly and educated so effectively, he thought he was invincible, which is why he was so good.”
Simon and Bozzie went up the degrees collectively, competing at Barbury and Blenheim, amongst others, and contesting their first top-level occasion at Pau in 2011.
“He shouldn’t have been an occasion horse, however he simply liked it,” mentioned Simon. “He wasn’t actually constructed for it, not constructed for velocity, and when he was leaping, he at all times did simply sufficient. However when it received to leaping one thing ginormous, he gave 110%.
“We did 9 five-stars and we have been at all times actually gradual! However we simply had such a good time going spherical. He was such a beautiful particular person and so humorous and entertaining – he would come and be part of us for picnics within the lorry park – he was simply sensible. I really feel so privileged and honoured to have been a small a part of his life as a result of he was a really particular being, not simply horse.”
Pau 2011 was the primary occasion at that stage for Simon, not simply Bozzie.
“He completely made all my desires come true, and made me imagine I truly might do it,” Simon mentioned. “I bear in mind coming to the final fence at Pau 2011 and we have been clear, and pondering ‘My god. We’re going to leap clear; we’re going to do it’! I’m going to overlook him a lot.”
Simon mentioned it was laborious to select the highlights of his and Bozzie’s profession collectively as “there have been so many”.
“Burghley was his speciality,” he mentioned. “Once we did it in 2013, I’d had [rare blood condition] Paget-Schroetter syndrome and hadn’t been using in any respect for 3 months. I got here again for his final run earlier than Burghley at Somerford, as I used to be decided to do it, and we jumped the primary two fences and he slipped over and I used to be knocked out. So I used to be banned until the week of Burghley. I did the OI at Keysoe, which was my first time throughout nation with him because the Could, after which went.
“I bear in mind being interviewed after the dressage and was requested why I used to be smiling a lot; it was as a result of it was superb we have been even there. Then this unimaginable horse simply tootled his approach spherical Burghley, once I shouldn’t actually have been there in any respect. Then there was our first Badminton, first Burghley, first five-star – sensible instances.”
Simon mentioned different highlights have been Bozzie’s tackle life – “he simply took the mickey on a regular basis!”
This included at all times being the horse who rolled in entrance of Badminton Home, “when he ought to have been being all posh”.
“At Pau, I used to be there alone and I took him out for some grass and he began rolling, as that was one in every of his favorite issues,” he mentioned. “Then one other horse began rolling, and one other, and one other; it was all right down to him and all of the grooms have been wanting irritated as a result of their horses have been so soiled!”
Simon mentioned Bozzie was “a sweetheart”, who would hack out calmly with anybody at dwelling, then gentle up at a giant occasion. His final of those was Badminton 2016, after which he retired to stay with Maria.
“Maria hacked him and she or he mentioned a good friend of hers went to leap him spherical a couple of fences, pondering ‘Goodie, this horse has completed five-stars’, and he was spooking and being as foolish as he might,” Simon mentioned. “He was fairly difficult within the showjumping warm-up; the primary time I rode him, I used to be pondering ‘This horse goes to be nice’ and he so almost dropped me at a cross-pole. However that was him. You needed to maintain it very small or he’d begin kicking issues out and never going close to the fences, then he’d go into the ring and switch into a professional.
“Each quirk he had was completely outweighed by his large coronary heart. I used to be so fortunate to be concerned with a horse like him, he was so particular, and a superb particular person.”
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Credit score: Future
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