Thomas, what a horse.
It is announced today, 29th January, that Ballaghmor Class is officially retiring from competition at the age of 19, following his incredible career at the very top of eventing.
Thomas has been one of the most successful event horses in history and a phenomenal partner and team mate to me.
Thomas’s consistency at the top level of the sport has been well-documented. He won Burghley on his CCI5* debut at just 10 years old and from there went from strength to strength to achieve a further three titles at the top level, plus an Olympic team gold medal at Tokyo 2020. He completed 13 five-star events in his career and finished in the top-five 11 times.
Thank you to Thomas’s owners Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan for supporting the fantastic journey that we have all been on together with this incredibly special horse and to our team who have looked after him so beautifully over the last 14 years.
We are delighted that you will have one last chance to see Thomas in public as we will have his official retirement in the Main Arena at @burghleyhorsetrials on Sunday 6 September 2026 and he is on the cover of @horseandhound again today with a lovely piece about just how special he is.
Thank you Thomas, for everything.