Quarrycrest Echo, who won eventing world team gold with Piggy French before being sold for Japan’s Toshiyuki Tanaka to ride, was put down on Sunday (5 July).
The 13-year-old, known as “Red”, had been suffering from a rare disease of the small intestine, eosinophilic enteritis.
“He couldn’t have had better care from the vets at the B&W Equine Hospital at Breadstone and everything was done to save him, but it wasn’t possible,” said Angela Tucker, who has two riders from Japan’s Riding Club Crane based with her including Toshi.
“The Japanese were very appreciative that they were able to buy him, through Riding Club Crane, and it was a dream for Toshi to have the ride on him. It is just such a shame he never had the chance to form a partnership with him.”
Toshi was 15th at the World Equestrian Games in 2018, the best-placed rider in the Japanese team which finished a close fourth. He and his WEG ride, Talma D’Allou, won the CCI4*-S at Barroca d’Alva, Portugal, in March this year.
‘Such fun to ride’
“Red” and Piggy were individuals at the 2017 European Championships at Strzegom, Poland, before taking team gold – and 10th place individually – at WEG in Tryon, USA, the following year.
They were also members of the British team which won the silver medal at the European Championships in Luhmühlen, Germany, in 2019.
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When Red was sold in December last year, Piggy told H&H: “Probably my very best memories of him are winning the Event Rider Masters class at Chatsworth in 2018, and of our win at Hartpury in the CCI4*-S this year. He is the most incredible horse to ride at speed round a shorter track – I’ve never had one like it – and I’m so proud of him. He has been such fun to ride and I am very fond of him.”
The pair also finished fourth in the CCI5* at Kentucky and were sixth in the prestigious CCI4*-S at Aachen in 2019.
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