Ginny Elliot on Charisma

“I HAPPENED to be in New Zealand – I was invited to compete at an event out there – when Charisma arrived at Mark’s. He said, ‘Come and look at my new horse,’ and when I did, I thought, ‘Blimey, Mark’s going to need rollerskates!’ I said, ‘You can’t be serious, he’s tiny...’

“Mark told me to wait until I saw Charisma move, and he was such a big mover that he looked much bigger than he actually was. I thought that I would watch with interest – and they clicked straight away.

“He was a very nice-looking horse; he had substance but huge quality. Perhaps it was that thing of his small size versus his big heart that made their relationship so special. And I think they had a wonderful respect and admiration for each other – they were genuinely fond of each other.”