Tragically, the heroic warrior, Appleaday died suddenly on Saturday underneath the oak tree on a beautiful sunny afternoon.
He was happily grazing with his girlfriend, Whisper, that morning whilst I was getting the shepherd hut ready for the guests that were due to arrive - I watched him for a while, thinking what a beautiful horse he was and how lovely it was for him to come to somewhere were he was going to have some fun without the pressure of hard races at top weight. Little was I to know that three hours later he would be taking his last breath. Apparently he suffered a twisted gut which caused the stomach to burst, it was thankfully very quick and there was nothing we could have done, but that doesn't make it any better. Such a lovely horse who always gave his best and was 100% genuine. He always struggled with the handicapper and I was really looking forward to him having a race where he was on level weights and could perhaps be rewarded for his efforts by getting his head in front. It just wasn't meant to be.....
