Andrea Morris has paid tribute to her much-loved, quirky, gifted superior occasion horse Mud In The Wind, who has died aged 31.
Andrea informed H&H she needed to let “Murphy” go, on the identical day as his finest good friend, fixed companion Cool Waters Blue, a 26-year-old former two-star eventer owned by Lorraine Elliott.
“He’s been a very good lad for me,” Andrea stated. “I by no means knew if he’d retire as he was so switched on however along with his good friend Blue, he had a dream retirement. They had been like Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and we all the time thought that we’d should allow them to go collectively.”
Andrea purchased Murphy as a four-year-old, from an advert within the Farmers’ Guardian, as he was native and she or he had had one other horse by his sire, Euphemism.
“That pricked my ears up, and as quickly as I noticed him, I stated to my mum ‘I hope this horse jumps as a result of I actually like him’,” she stated. “He had that presence; I form of knew, right away. I’d by no means taken cash for a deposit once I went to see a horse however for some purpose that day, I had money, so I left a deposit there after which.”
Murphy got here with a status for being sharp, Andrea stated; she needed to “construct the bridle on his head”, and couldn’t contact his ears.
“The evening earlier than he went, it was odd; I used to be giving him a very good groom and he let me brush his forelock, which he’d by no means let me do his entire life,” she stated. “He was quirky, all proper, however from once I noticed him leaping down a grid as a four-year-old, I knew he’d make the highest degree.”
Andrea and Murphy certified for the Burghley younger occasion horse remaining in his four-year-old yr, they usually went to the eventing younger horse World Championships in Le Lion three years later. That they had good outcomes at Blenheim, Boekelo and Bramham three-star (now four-star), and Andrea stated her spotlight was profitable the eight-year-old problem at Wilmslow in 2001.
“That win at Wilmslow was a bit particular,” she stated. “I’d had that seven- and eight-year-old problem in thoughts from the beginning however the yr earlier than, he went lame on the day with pus within the foot. He was completely raring to go the following yr however every thing was cancelled due to foot and mouth illness.
“Wilmslow ought to have run within the April however that they had it in the summertime so I took him to Longleat for a run earlier than and he was so opinionated, so match, and with all the ocean lions barking, his dressage was terrible. He had three showjumps down so I withdrew, went to Wilmslow, and though he was wild at first on the cross-country, he obtained his repair and was simply mega.”
Andrea stated her one remorse was that Murphy by no means obtained to do Badminton or Burghley; he certified aged 9 however she thought it could be too quickly, then she had a nasty harm when a horse got here down on her on the highway and needed to have a yr off. Though, she added, Murphy was liable for Andrea’s comeback, with a top-10 end at Bramham, every time he was being aimed for a four-star (now five-star) occasion, he was dominated out within the run-up owing to lameness points.
“I’m gutted he by no means obtained to do a five-star as he was so gifted,” Andrea stated. “Each time I went overseas, somebody needed to purchase him. He was all the time on monitor, sensible on the strains, so courageous and with a beautiful method. I all the time knew I may belief him.
“He was a prima donna! However with a lot of character. He didn’t like a fuss however he was essentially the most beneficiant horse, who all the time needed to strive.
“It was a giant loss, with Blue too; they’d given us just a few scares however they had been powerful – I don’t suppose they construct horses like that any extra – and day by day was particular.”
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