Piggy March and Quarrycrest Echo at the 2019 European Championships. Photo by William Carey.
Quarrycrest Echo, a team horse piloted by Piggy March for Great Britain until December of 2019 when he was sold to Japan for Toshiyuki Tanaka, was euthanized this past weekend after suffering from eosinophilic enteritis, a rare inflammatory disease affecting the small intestine. The Irish Sport Horse gelding was 13 years old.
Quarrycrest Echo, or Red as he was known at home, found much success in Piggy March’s thoughtful program, and the pair’s record speaks for itself. Together, they completed 20 FEI events together from 2013 through 2019, when the horse was purchased by Riding Club Crane for Toshiyuki Tanaka to pilot.
Piggy and Red finished 10th individually and took home a team gold medal in Tryon at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and were also a part of the silver medal winning team at the European Championships at Luhmühlen last year. Stateside fans attending the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2019 were treated to a streak of red flashing by the galloping ropes as Piggy and the lanky chestnut managed to come home just barely over the optimum time despite a near miss on course at the Hollow. They finished in fourth place on the weekend, and Piggy would use the springboard of momentum to serve up her first CCI5* win at Badminton the following weekend.
Toshiyuki Tanaka and Red had an abbreviated start to their partnership, completing one CCI3*-S in Portugal together in February, just before the pandemic lockdown swept the world. “The Japanese were very appreciative that they were able to buy him, through Riding Club Crane, and it was a dream for Toshi to have the ride on him,” coach Angela Tucker told Horse & Hound. It is just such a shame he never had the chance to form a partnership with him.”
The EN team sends its sympathies to all who were lucky to know Quarrycrest Echo.
