Final farewell to a top sire, plus more things the horse world is talking about

Final farewell to a great sire

The owner/breeder of Carrick Diamond Lad has paid tribute to the prolific Irish sport horse stallion, who has died aged 31 – leaving a legacy of descendants across the world. Tom Jones, of Greaghwillan Stud where the Flagmount Diamond son was born in 1993, described Carrick as “an exceptional sire in every way”. “We had serious belief in him from day one. He was a lamb. You would never think he was a stallion, he would come running up to you in the field and was just so delicate and a loving individual,” said Tom. “Myself and my family were very, very upset by his loss. We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has been part of Carrick’s journey, in particular the staff who lovingly cared for him, ensuring he had the long and wonderful life he deserved.”

Read the full tribute

The first British thoroughbred census

The results of the inaugural British thoroughbred census have been revealed, following more than 8,000 responses. The census was undertaken by Hartpury University, in collaboration with the racing’s Horse Welfare Board, and means the industry is now able to account for an estimated 80.1% of the retired racehorse population in Britain. Hartpury’s head of research and associate professor Jane Williams told H&H that the findings give “real opportunities for education and influence”. “Like most of these things, it’s led to more questions, but it’s a really good line in the sand,” she said. “I think it’s potentially a game-changer in terms of where we are and how we should look at monitoring horses’ information. I’m a really strong believer in evidence-informed decision-making, and we can’t do that if we don’t understand the state of play.”

Find out more about the census

Rosie Smith’s winning debut

Talented teenager Rosie Smith, the 13-year-old daughter of Olympic showjumper Holly Smith, made a winning debut in children-on-horses classes with her mother’s well-known rides Azolette and Fruselli. Rosie claimed a one-two in the show’s opener, and repeated the feat in Sunday’s 1.25m final to take the children-on-horses crown. “She’s grafted away all her life on a lot of different horses and ponies and I thought I’d give her a shot on some good ones,” said Holly. “Azolette is very straightforward and a really forward going mare who is good against the clock — it says a lot about her that a 13-year-old can get straight on her and jump these kinds of courses.”

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