Remembering Kilronan

Paul Tapner and Kilronan were one of the dream teams of eventing. We pay tribute to the superstar horse, who was sadly put down last month

GETTING ROUND A course like Burghley is no mean feat, so when you consider that Kilronan finished in the top 25 of every four-star event he entered, it’s fair to say he was one special horse. The 16-year old gelding was sadly put down last month after suffering from a condition that was affecting his central nervous system. It was planned that he’d compete at two-star level this year with his rider Ben Edwards after stepping down from four-star competition at the end of 2015. One of the many highlights of Kilronan’s career was when he took Australian event rider Paul Tapner around Badminton in 2014. The pair finished fourth, the best result of Kilronan’s career. Writing on Facebook, Paul Tapner’s team described Kilronan as a “highly sensitive soul”, but added that “his sensitive nature completely vanished when he launched out of a cross-country start box, transforming into an exceptionally talented and brave cross-country horse, with an ability to make it all seem easy and effortless during his partnership with Paul.”