‘It broke my heart but he went happy’: farewell to triple gold medal-winning pony aged 32
A pony who won three European gold medals and made riders’ dreams come true has died peacefully at the age of 32.
Master Bill, who had competed at top level with a number of riders, then taught children to jump, died on 13 July. Ernest Connell, who rode Bill to two team golds and one individual, told H&H: “It broke my heart. But the main thing is he went happy.”
Bill was bought as a seven-year-old for Ernest’s sister Emma, who enjoyed British Showjumping success with him, then Ernest took the reins.
“He just went on in leaps and bounds from there; I wasn’t expecting what he went on to do,” Ernest said. “None of us were.”
Ernest described Bill as “a jumping machine”.
“He was phenomenal,” he said. “He had a bit of cob in him, and compared to the ponies these days, you wonder if he’d have run with them — but for sure, he would have.”
The combination won individual and team gold at the 1999 pony Europeans, then team gold the following year. He jumped on Nations Cup teams, won the pony showjumper of the year title at Royal Windsor in 1999, and at South View the following year, and won £2,000 for victory in the JA winter classic final.
“He was 100%; I could do anything with him,” Ernest said. “He was so loving; anyone could ride him, and he never had any soundness issues.”
When Ernest came off ponies, Bill went to Jessica Botham, who also enjoyed success at events including Horse of the Year Show, then to Laura Hutt, Andrew Mizon and Katy Ford.
“Then about five years ago, the people who had him rang and asked if I’d buy him back, so I did,” Ernest said. “I went down south, loaded him up and he came home.
“He’d done enough competing by then but with my neighbour Par [Shepherd, of Croft End Equestrian Centre], he taught the kids to jump; he put smiles on their faces.”
When Bill had had enough, Ernest went to pick him up.
“I jumped on him with a headcollar, took him over a low vertical, then gave him a pat and said ‘That’s it’,” Ernest said. “I just wanted to get on him once more, and he had a good canter and had done nothing since.”
Bill went to be a companion for a horse belonging to Julie Derbyshire, mother of showjumper Amanda, who rang Ernest last week.
“He had a bit of colic last year and when she rang, I knew in my heart it was his time,” Ernest said.
“He lived to a very good age, and when he was first sold, he was always going to come back to me for his retirement. I always wanted him back because if it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I am.”
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