Hickstead

For those of you who do not know who Hickstead was, shame. Hickstead was one of the greatest show-jumping horses in the world. He almost never knocked a rail down. When watching Hickstead, you could see in his eyes that he wanted to win. He was the most awesome horse ever.

Hickstead and his rider, Eric Lamaze, took the show-jumping world by storm in 2007. Lamaze became the first Canadian rider to break into the top 10 world rankings. In 2008 Lamaze and Hickstead won the individual gold in the Beijing Olympics. The team only had one rail down during the entire show. Lamaze and Hickstead went on to win many more Grand Prix events around the world. They won the  $1 million International CN Cup and the  $200,000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (four times!) at Spruce Meadows.

While competing in the Rolex F.E.I. World Cup in Italy, Hickstead collapsed after finishing his round. He went into a spasm, and all Lamaze could do was call for medics and watch. The medics were too late, however, and Hickstead died within minutes of collapsing. An autopsy is being completed within the next few days, and the cause of death will be announced. Vets think it was most likely a heart attack.

It was a shock to the equestrian world when Hickstead died on Sunday, November 6. It is a great loss to show jumping, and Hickstead will never be replaced.