Charlie and Pippa Hutton's Abira Passed Away

Dressage

Great Britain

Abira, Charlie Hutton's British Young Riders Team ride and Suzanna Hext's triple European para gold medal winner, has passed away. He was 20 years old.

Abira was a Danish warmblood gelding by Dom Perignon out of Mie (by Dolomit x Racot).

Sold to Pammy Hutton at the Talland School of Equitation in Great Britain in 2003, the gelding became the young rider's horse for her children Charlie and Pippa Hutton.

Young Riders Horse

Charlie competed Abira at the 2006 and 2007 European Junior Riders championships and the 2008 and 2010 European Young Riders Championships. In 2010 they were the British Winter Inter I freestyle Champions.

"Thank you Abira for teaching me so much. Your grit and strength will never be forgotten," Charlie took to Facebook.

Younger sister Pippa Hutton briefly competed Abira at international Young Riders level in 2012 and competed him through 2014.

Para Winner

In 2015 the horse was partnered with British para rider Suzanna Hext, three years after the devastating riding accident that left the former eventer paralysed.

The partnership had their heyday at the 2017 European Para Dressage Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, where they won triple gold at Grade III level.

“At the Gothenburg Europeans all my dreams came true and more,” Hext told Horse & Hound. “I never necessarily thought I’d enjoy my life after my accident, to the same extent as before. However, Abira gave me a reason to fight hard, even through the tough times. He went through the archway at the Europeans and grew a hand! He said to me, ‘Let’s do this’, and on the final day when my body was in pieces he took over the reins and showed me the way.”

Colic

Abira had struggled with bouts of colic in his lifetime and was twice operated on already.

Pippa and Abira at the 2012 CDI Moorsele

“Three or four months ago he had a bad colic day and settled down, but he didn’t deserve to ever be in agony again, and I knew it was time. We have to be fair to our older horses and it’s better to say goodbye a week too early than a day too late," Hutton told Horse & Hound

Charlie wrote on Facebook that "Abira was a true survivor, he had the heart of a lion and the courage of a tiger. He touched so many people hearts and I and truly grateful for the journey I shared with him."

Source: Horse & Hound