The Great Mr Springfield Retires
The prolific winning Mr Springfield owned by Jimmy McCloskey was officially retired from competition at the Belfast International Horse Show (25-26 October) at the age of 15.
Mr Springfield came to Robert as a seven year old, having been bred by Robert Gallagher and produced in Ireland by Jimmy McCloskey. Robert Smith and Mr Springfield (known as Jimmy) went on to become one of the best combinations in international show jumping, amassing over £278,000 in prize money during his career.
In 2004, Robert and Mr Springfield were selected for the Olympic Games in Athens where they put in a fantastic performance to finish 4th, only narrowly missing out on an individual medal. Just a couple of weeks later, they finished third in the richest show jumping competition in the world, the Spruce Meadows Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, Mr Springfield suffered an injury that kept him out of competition for the next three years, which meant a move back to Northern Ireland to continue his recuperation with his owner Jimmy McCloskey.
Following a period of rest, Mr Springfield made a great comeback at Olympia in 2007 where he won the Accumulator. He also went on to win the third leg of the 2008 British Open back in April.
The Irish bred gelding by Western Promise now retires in Northern Ireland at Jimmy McCloskey’s stables in County Derry.
