Ballaghmor Class retires sound at 19 — and the tour starts in November

The facts

Horse

Ballaghmor Class, known at home as Thomas, grey, aged 19

Retirement ceremony

Main arena, Defender Burghley Horse Trials, Sunday 6 September

Record

Four five-star wins — two at Burghley, plus Kentucky and Maryland — and 10 further five-star top-10 finishes

Championship

Member of the gold-medal British eventing team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Next appearance

Retirement tour begins at Your Horse Live, Stoneleigh Park, 6–8 November

He came into the arena with the only rider he has ever had internationally, did a lap of honour, then stood in the middle with his three owners — Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan — while the saddle came off for the last time. There were apples and carrots. There was a standing ovation. Townend, asked what the horse meant to him, could not get the answer out at first, then said that Thomas had turned a child's ambitions into reality.

The line worth holding onto came earlier in that same short speech: the horse has finished his career extremely sound, and well covered. That is not luck alone. It is a decision made on a good day rather than a bad one, after a career that included wins on three continents.

Most of us will never stand in that arena. But the choice is the same choice. A horse who is still enjoying the work is easier to stop than a horse who has broken down, and the paperwork side of it — where he lives, who pays, what happens if the owner's circumstances change — is far easier to sort while nothing is wrong. Ballaghmor Class stays with Townend. Plenty of horses leaving competition yards do not have that settled in advance.

If you want to see him, the retirement tour starts at Your Horse Live over the weekend of 6 to 8 November at Stoneleigh Park. Accommodation near Stoneleigh for that weekend goes early, so decide before you commit to travel.

What this means for you

Anyone hoping to see the horse in the flesh

Your Horse Live, 6–8 November at Stoneleigh Park, is the first stop on the tour. Plan the trip around that weekend, not a later date.

Owners of a horse in their late teens still competing

Sound-and-fat is a target, not a happy accident. Book the conversation with your vet about a step-down plan while the horse is still working well.

Owners whose horse lives on someone else's yard

Retirement changes the arrangement. Get clarity in writing on who keeps the horse, who funds him, and what happens if that person's situation changes.

Grooms and yard staff

Thomas's groom Jess McKie was part of the ceremony. Long-term care is what produces a sound 19-year-old, and it is worth saying so out loud on your own yard.

What to do

1. Put 6–8 November in the diary if you want to see Ballaghmor Class at Stoneleigh Park

   Now, before travel and beds are gone

2. Write down, in one paragraph, where your horse will live when he stops competing and who funds it

   This week

3. Raise a step-down plan at your next routine vet or physio visit rather than waiting for a lameness

   Next scheduled visit

4. Check your loan or livery agreement for anything covering retirement, long-term keep, or change of ownership

   Before the horse needs it

5. Check your insurance wording on what cover ends when a horse stops competing

   At renewal