Goodbye, Molokai

Molokai at Rolex in 1998. Photo courtesy of Dorothy Crowell. Molokai at Rolex in 1998. Photo courtesy of Dorothy Crowell.

Yesterday, the event world lost one of its classic horses.  Molokai passed away out in his Kentucky field at age 30.  A 1983 bay Thoroughbred registered as Surf Scene (Hawaii – Pretty Copy), Mo was a fierce competitor in the ’90s taking his owner/rider Dorothy (Trapp) Crowell to the world’s biggest events.  He earned individual silver at the 1994 World Equestrian Games in the Netherlands, and closed out his career with a second place at the 1998 Rolex CCI****.  In between, he recorded top-10 finishes at Badminton and Burghley.  Those that saw Mo on cross-country will never forget him– brilliant and bold with an effortless gallop, he made the toughest four-star courses look easy.

Dorothy sent this text out last night:

Molokai passed away tonight.  It will take some adjustments to begin my life without Mo.  He gave me my career, my medal, my farm, my family, my life.  Love you Mo.

 

I looked after Mo in his later years in life.  He always had a special aura about him; you looked into his eyes and saw greatness, wisdom, pride, and kindness.  He wasn’t a big horse– 16.2 at the wither, about 15.3 everywhere else– but standing beside him you felt small.  When he walked into the barn, every horse hung his head out into the aisle, nickered and whinnied.  He was special, and everyone knew it.  He will be greatly missed.

 

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