Marius Silver Jubilee, better known as '' Milton'' (16 February 1977 – 4 July 1999) was a successful
showjumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...
horse ridden by
John Whitaker. He was a
grey
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
gelding
A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...
and stood {{hands, 16.2 high at the withers.
Biography
Foaled in 1977, Milton was by
Dutch Warmblood
A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands (KWPN), which governs the breeding of competitive dressage and show jumping horses ...
Marius, out of
Irish Draught Aston Answers. His lines included successful sportshorses in both paternal and maternal lines, his sire being an international level and his dam a Grade A national level jumper.
When Milton was young, Caroline Bradley, who had ridden Marius to international success, told her parents he would be her Olympic mount. She trained him until her death in 1983, after which many offers were made to her parents to buy the gelding, who had already proven his talent. They kept the horse. Stephen Hadley, known later as a FEI TV show jumping commentator, rode Milton for a short time, before he became a mount of the world-renowned international rider
John Whitaker. Milton entered international competition in 1985.
Career
During his competitive career, Milton achieved many international victories, and became the first horse outside the racing world to win more than £1 million in prize money. Throughout his career, Milton rarely touched a rail or refused a fence. The gelding was a favourite with the crowd, many times ending a successful round with a leap into the air. Even after his retirement at the 1994 Olympia Horse Show, he was adored by all. Milton died on 4 July 1999. He was buried on the Whitakers' farm in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
.
Achievements
* Over £1 million in prize money won
* Winner of the 1986 Du Maurier Limited International competition,
Spruce Meadows
Spruce Meadows is a multi-purpose sports facility near Calgary, Alberta built by the Southern family which opened in 1975.
The facility contains an equestrian show jumping complex that comprises . The current president and CEO of Spruce Me ...
, then the richest (in total prize money) show jumping competition in the world.
* Individual Silver and Team Gold 1987 European Championships in
St Gallen
* Individual and Team Gold 1989 European Championships in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
* Winner of the 1990 FEI World Cup Final in
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
* Individual Silver and Team Bronze 1990
World Equestrian Games
The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
* Winner of the 1991 FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg
See also
*
List of historical horses
This list includes actual horses that exist in the historical record. For fictional horses, see: List of fictional horses.
Racehorses
A
* Adios Butler: famous harness racer
* Affirmed: U.S. Triple Crown winner (1978)
* Ajax: 18 consecutive ra ...
References
European Championship pdf. fileWorld Cup Finals
External links
Pedigree and photoHorse & Hound - Great Horses in History
Show jumping horses
Individual warmbloods
Individual male horses
1977 animal births
1999 animal deaths