Badminton 2004 Winner Tamarillo To Retire

Tamarillo | Badminton 2004 Winner

One of the outstanding event horses of recent years, Tamarillo, is to retire from international competition. He will parade and there will be a presentation in his honour on the final day of the 2011 Badminton Horse Trials, prior to the prizegiving, so that all his fans can pay tribute to a great horse.

Tamarillo's owner, Mary Guinness writes:

Tamarillo’s unique combination of grace and athleticism combined with a dash of rebellious cheek has gained him and his rider William Fox-Pitt a place in the hearts of eventing fans all over the world. Bred by Finn and Mary Guinness in 1992, Tamarillo’s part-bred Arab pedigree is apparent in his light and extravagant movement in dressage and his speed and nimbleness in cross country and show jumping. He has been both an ambassador for British breeding as well as for Arab blood lines.


Tamarillo and William began their successful partnership in 2000 with a surprise victory at the Blarney Castle 2 star Event. He followed up that triumph by winning the Intermediate British Championships at Gatcombe Park and that autumn he narrowly missed another first prize at Blenheim’s 3 star being just ¼ point behind his stable-mate.

2001 was a slow year for eventing with Foot and Mouth disease disrupting competition throughout the United Kingdom but Tamarillo was back on track in 2002 for his first appearance at Badminton and a second prize. This result started Tamarillo’s career here and we have since seen him become a horse with one of the best ever Badminton track records. That Badminton performance won the combination their debut on the British team at The World Championships in Jerez where their immaculate clear show jumping round helped secure a team bronze medal for England.

After some time off in 2003 the pressure was on Tamarillo and William to complete Badminton in 2004 in order to qualify for the Olympics. This they did in the utmost style with a decisive win in a dramatic deluge of rain. There were high hopes for them in Athens where the British team ultimately won silver, but heartbreakingly for Tamarillo, after a stunning cross-country round that left them in 5th place, he was found to have mysteriously fractured a stifle and was forced to withdraw from the competition.

Tamarillo’s comeback at Badminton the following year earned him another runner-up prize and he followed this with an excellent performance that autumn at the European Championships at Blenheim, which won them individual silver and team gold medals. The combination’s second World Championships in 2006 at Aachen in Germany earned them yet another team silver medal.

Tamarillo’s final major achievement was earned in 2008 when William was able to take him round Burghley Horse Trials for the first time. The weather was less than ideal but Tamarillo galloped through the muddy conditions to triumph.

Tamarillo’s consistent performances around the hardest courses in the world, skipping through the largest and most complex combinations with ears pricked, show his amazing agility and indomitable spirit. Tamarillo is a great example of the outstanding bloodlines we have in England.