GEMMA Tattersalls’ gold medal-winning Irish-bred horse Arctic Soul sadly died last Saturday after winning the advanced at Weston Park last Saturday, his preparation run for next month’s Badminton Horse Trials. The 19-year-old gelding died of a suspected heart attack after the cross-country finish line.

Bred in Ireland by Michael Whitty, he was by Luso out of the Roi Danzig mare Dream Cocktail. He ran four times in Ireland in 2008 before being disregarded as a racehorse and it was through Irish Horse World’s eventing and sales correspondent Sally Parkyn and her husband Sean that the gelding ended up with Nicky Roncoroni.

Gemma Tattersall took over the ride in 2012 when the gelding was eight and their record at the highest level includes third place at Badminton in 2016, fourth in 2018, fifth at Burghley in 2015 and third in 2017, winner of the Event Rider Masters in 2017 and team gold at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. Arctic Soul was known as one of the best cross-country horses of the last decade.

In a touching tribune, Gemma said: “Arctic Soul my absolute hero, my bestie, my darling boy. Today we lost you but you will be with me forever and I will think of you every single day. What we achieved together was just unbelievable really, from failing as a racehorse to so many amazing achievements too numerous to mention.

“Today he won his last ever event finishing on a lovely dressage, he flew around the cross-country with his ears firmly pricked finding the next fence on his own! Words don’t even come close to what I feel right now, literally horrendous, I will miss him terribly every day. I said goodbye and I thanked him and told him how much he was loved by everyone, and obviously how much I loved him.”