It is so sad to hear that the legendary Event Horse Tamarillo has been put to sleep. William Fox Pitt rode this wonderful horse to victory eventing at the top eventing venues, both nationally and internationally.
He was not, according to William, the easiest of rides…but it seems he was consistent and William certainly made the best of him. Looked after by The Fox Pitts’ wonderful head girl Jackie Potts at the Fox Pitts yard in Dorset, Jackie played a large part in his life. William said “he had an incredible presence, he was one in a million and I feel very lucky to have partnered him for all those special years” and there are many in the event world who will mourn his passing. Horse Scout would like to pass on its own sympathies to William, The Guiness’ and to Jackie Potts in particular.
Tamarillo was bred at the Biddesdon Stud by the Guinness family. Having started his career with Diana Burgess at Tweezledown in 1997 Tamarillo had nine years at the top of his game. William took the ride on him in 1999 and his eventing career went from good to brilliant after his first three day event in 2000 where he took 1st at Blarney Castle CCI** and also 2nd at Blenheim in the ***.
Two years later Team GB took bronze at the World Equestrian Games in Athens; the same year that he also won Badminton, the worlds seminal **** course.
He went on to take impressive prizes for William and the Guinness’s, including Team Gold at the Blenheim European Eventing Championships in 2005, Team silver at the World Equestrian Games, Aachen in 2006 and he finished his career with a 1st at Burghley CCI**** in 2008.
This impressive Gelding was out of Mary Guiness’s eventing mare Mellita (campaigned by Lucinda Green) who is also the dam of their lovely part arab event stallion Persiflage. His Sire is a Polish Thoroughbred endurance Stallion called Tarnik who was just over a 1/4 Arab and won had the 26-mile Arab Horse Society Marathon.(find out more about Persiflage here on his Horse Scout stallion listing).
For the breeding world and Biddesdon Stud it was apparent that Tamarillo had a good genetic make up and in 2013 the Guiness family were delighted to welcome Tomatillo, Tamarillos’ clone, into the world. He was born in New Mexico and has now moved, with his surrogate dam to a stud farm in New Jersey. The Biddesdon Stud will, in time, bring him home to the UK. He is a colt foal and whilst his competitive career is not, as yet, mapped out, it is certain, however, that, all things being equal, Biddesdon Stud will be breeding from him.
