Horton Point, the Bevan family’s horse who carried Mark Todd to victory at Badminton Horse Trials as a catch ride in 1994, has been put down, aged 32.
“He wasn’t quite so happy to get up last Monday so we felt his time had come,” said Lynne Bevan.
Horton Point’s victory at Badminton in 1994 is one of eventing’s great fairy stories.
He was bought by Lynne and Ros Bevan’s father as a six-month-old foal and with older sister Ros was ninth at Badminton and fourth at Burghley in 1988. When money got tight, Ros gave up eventing and Lynne, who was primarily a show jumper, took the ride, recording three more top 20 placings at Badminton in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Finances meant the family sacrificed everything to keep the horse, including selling their farmhouse near Abergavenny and moving into a caravan.
In 1994, Lynne broke her collar bone at Bicton the weekend before Badminton and the sisters asked Mark Todd, who had helped them with Horton Point, to take the ride on the “family pet”.
Drawn as number one, the pair set the standard by taking second after the dressage. Overnight leaders Marina Loheit and Sundance Kid had a fall across country and as Horton Point had gone clear inside the time, he took the lead. On the final day he left all the show jumps standing to take the title.
Horton Point was retired from eventing after this victory, although he did continue to compete in showjumping until he was 18 and then dressage.
Horton Point still holds the record for being the oldest horse to win Badminton, at 16.
