Mary King Loses Beloved 5* Horse
Equestrian News:: Everything Horse
British eventing superstar, Mary King MBE, yesterday announced the loss of her 5* mare King’s Tempress, stable name Tess, via a social media message.
The mare had just foaled a beautiful bay colt by Van Gogh. Unfortunately, she soon suffered complications caused by peritonitis and was sadly put to sleep not long after the feature image to this post was taken.
The shock passing left question over whether the urgent replacement for the foal would be available. King confirmed Pat Ormond, alongside the overwhelming response from Facebook members, helped find a surrogate mare. Vinny, or King Vinny as he will be known, was immediately transferred to Lazy Acres Riding.
The pretty bay mare had served the King family in many wonderful ways. Winning the 5* Kentucky event was perhaps the pinnacle of her career. However, many more prosperous outings followed including three trips to Burghley. The news came of Tess’s retirement mid-2015 after suffering ongoing lameness due to arthritic changes. Following retirement, King states the mare went on to have eight foals that will no doubt carry the mares legacy for many years to come.
King has been quietly producing a selection of youngstock at her home alongside her daughter, Emily King, who continues to rise through the eventing ranks.
