THE legendary show jumping stallion Arko III passed away this week at the age of 27. The Argentinus-sired stallion is famed for his jumping career under Britain’s Nick Skelton and his breeding career as a renowned stallion.

Skelton credits him as hugely influential in his comeback after he broke his neck. He arrived to his yard as a five-year-old after costing close to £300,000 and the pair went on to earn £1.2 million in prize money, with big Grand Prix wins in Spruce Meadows, Estoril, Leipzig and Rome.

The pair were part of the winning British team at the 2005 and 2008 Dublin Horse Show and also represented Britain at the European Championship in 2003 and 2005, as well as the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 2004, where they were in contention for a gold medal but eventually finished 10th. He was retired from the sport in 2008.

He was the number one horse in Europe three years running, while his owners, John and Lisa Hales were crowned the FEI Winning Owners of the Year twice during his career. Writing on her Facebook page, Lisa Hales announced the news.

“Today is the saddest day we’ve had at Shaw Farm Stud. We have said our final goodbyes to the legend Arko. We have so much to thank him for he really was a horse of a lifetime. At the moment all our hearts are broken but we have so many happy memories. Fly high big man, you will live on in your offspring,” Hales said.

His offspring include Anthony Condon’s Nations Cup mount SFS Aristio, also owned by the Hales family, John Whitaker’s Argento and Laura Renwick’s Arkuga.