Oliver Townend, wearing a black armband in honour of the late Queen of England, waits with Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
We’re wishing a very happy formal retirement to Oliver Townend’s multi-five-star winner and Olympic medalist, Ballaghmor Class. “Thomas,” who our U.S. fans will be quite familiar with as a former winner of both Defender Kentucky and the MARS Maryland 5 Star, was honored in a retirement ceremony on Sunday at Defender Burghley — one of his happiest hunting grounds.
Ballaghmor Class is a horse that stepped onto the five-star stage ready to become a world-beater. Most horses don’t podium in their first five-star, but Thomas did one better: he won the whole damn thing. That was in 2017 at Burghley itself, and everyone watching knew they were seeing the start of something incredibly special.
Thomas went on to earn team gold for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, smattering in three additional five-star victories (Kentucky – 2021, Burghley – 2023, Maryland – 2024) and six more top five or podium finishes beyond that. He’s a true horse of a lifetime, and at 19 this weekend, he looked every bit as well as he had in each of his five-star finishes previous.
We salute you, Thomas, and thank you for the memories!
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Roya Brinkman for Shannon Brinkman Photography.
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Sally Spickard.
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- Ballaghmor Class and Oliver Townend. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
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- The great Ballaghmor Class,
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class add another five-star win to their record. Photo by Libby Law.
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class dip slightly below expectations but still remain competitive on 25.9. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Shelby Allen.
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- Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.
U.S. Events Opening Entries Today
Waredaca Classic Three-Day Event & H.T. (MD); Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. International (GA); Windermere Run H.T. (MO); Hitching Post Farm H.T. (VT)
U.S. Events Closing Entries Today
Spokane Sport Horse 12th Annual Fall H.T. (WA); Stable View Oktoberfest (SC); Sundance Farm H.T. (WI); Jump Start H.T. (KY); Tomora H.T. (CO); Old Tavern H.T. (VA); ESDCTA New Jersey H.T. (NJ); Course Brook Farm Fall H.T. (MS)
Links & Reading
- Collegiate & Interscholastic Championships Go West in 2027
- Antioxidants and Equine Joints: What the Science Says
- Could Airborne Testing Help Against EHV-1 Outbreaks At Horse Shows?
- ‘Because of him, my dreams came true’: tears, carrots and one last standing ovation as eventing legend is cheered into retirement at Burghley
- Meet the Thoroughbred Incentive Program Champions of the #AEC2026
Sponsor Corner: Kentucky Performance Products
It’s time to start thinking about transitioning into fall feeding for your horse, and it’s worth taking the time to do a quick overview of any chances your horse may need as the seasons change and, if you compete, the show season begins to shift into a slower period.
Before making any dietary changes, start by evaluating your horse’s current body condition. Body condition score (BCS) is one way to generally gauge your horse’s fat coverage and overall health (you can also determine a horse’s weight more precisely by using a livestock scale or the formula method). Approaching the cooler months, for most horses you should aim for a BCS between 4 and 6. This range provides a buffer against weight loss during winter as your horse uses more energy to stay warm.
Horses with less body fat may need additional calories to maintain their condition as temperatures drop, while those with a higher BCS might require careful management to avoid obesity, particularly if their activity level decreases during winter.
And you can go a little deeper, too. Click here to read a full primer from Kentucky Performance Products.
Training Tip of the Day
A quick tip on the concept of getting your horse to slow down to understand a question, brought to you by British Eventing’s BE Prepared program:
Go Eventing
One last look back at Defender Burghley:
