The horses that meant the most…

ARKO III

LISA HALES says of the family’s Argentinus stallion: “Nick and Arko [pictured] had such an amazing partnership. British showjumping has a lot to thank Arko for – if he hadn’t brought Nick out of retirement, there would have been no Big Star and no Olympic gold.”

Nick adds: “Arko was such a beautiful, classic style of jumper. He wasn’t the easiest horse because he was a bit mouthy, but he was very careful and extremely brave. He was special.”

BIG STAR

NICK teamed up with the Widdowsons’ Dutch warmblood stallion “Henry” as a five-yearold and the son of Quick Star became only the second horse after Hans Günter Winkler’s Halla in 1960 to win gold at two Olympic Games.

“He’s the ultimate horse – brave, with all the scope, he’s careful, he has so many gears and he’s clever,” says Nick. “Big Star felt as if he could jump absolutely everything. I always thought if there was a horse that could win gold, it was him.”