Nick Skelton Taking it Day by Day with Big Star…

Nick Skelton and Big Star in London last year
Nick Skelton and Big Star in London last year
Nick Skelton and Big Star in London last year
-->

It’s now been just over a year since Big Star has been seen in a competition arena, but rider Nick Skelton reports that all is well with the London 2012 Olympic gold medal winner, and a comeback for the pair could be in the cards this upcoming fall.

The 12-year-old KWPN (Quick Star x Nimmerdor) stallion that is owned by Mrs. B Widdowson was last seen competing at the 2014 Longines Global Champions Tour of Estoril, Portugal, where he placed 3rd with Great Britain’s Skelton in the €300,000 LGCT Grand Prix CSI5* of Estoril.

But shortly afterwards Big Star was found to have torn his lower suspensory, an injury that required significant time off to heal, and a carefully planned rehabilitation program as Skelton and his team slowly brought the stallion back to work (a similar injury in September 2013 sidelined Big Star for nine months.)

“He’s jumping again at home,” Skelton said. “He’s been jumping now for two or three weeks, and he might go to his first show in October.”

But Skelton happily confirmed that Big Star is back in full work at his home stables in Alcester. “He’s jumping again at home,” Skelton said. “He’s been jumping now for two or three weeks, and he might go to his first show in October.”

Which show that might be is as of yet undetermined, but Skelton added that if all goes according to plan, he’ll bring the stallion to compete throughout the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. Again if all goes well, Skelton hopes to be considered for the show jumping team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

“He’s only 12,” Skelton added. “I’m just going easy with him, to take it day by day.”

Skelton and Big Star’s incredible 2012/2013 run included Team Gold for Great Britain at the London Olympics, and victory in the 2013 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen. Nick Skelton and his partner, American rider Laura Kraut, are based at Skelton’s yard in Alcester, outside of Birmingham, England in the spring and summer, and in Wellington, Florida in the winter.