‘Fly high, my beautiful boy’: farewell to horse who showed that ‘miracles can happen’

The owner of a horse who excelled across the country has paid tribute to the “miracles” that can happen with a strong partnership – and a “heart the size of a lion”.

Becky Taylor’s Important Moment (Mo) had to be put down in March after an injury, aged 16. In the years Mo and Becky were together, they won the Silver Spur and the Harborough hunt races, came second in the Wynnstay and Gloucestershire steeplechases and finished third in the Melton and Quorn hunt races. They also “won” the Golden Button; they finished first but as Mo’s weight cloth came off before the last fence, they did not officially take the title.

“I wish I could bottle the feeling he gave me; he felt like he would do anything for me,” Becky told H&H. “It was just ecstatic. He was the horse of a lifetime, in so many ways.”

Becky bought Mo, who had point-to-pointed, in early 2019, with the aim of fulfilling her “burning ambition” to compete in hunt races.

“And he just turned out to be amazing,” she said. “In all ways; not just the races but in temperament and how easy he was. He was my world.”

Covid scuppered Becky’s initial plans but they hunted when they could, which Becky said was a positive as they both enjoyed it, and built their partnership.

“Then I decided to go for it and entered the Wynnstay, my first ever hunt race – and we came second,” she said. “A really kind man called Paul Ikin, who had done lots of races, said I should sit middle of the pack on my first one, so that was the plan, but Mo just dragged me all the way to the front, and we were top three the whole way.

“It was surreal, and I think if I’d had more experience, we could have won, but I was over the moon with second, and had such a buzz from it. Then I think our next one was the Silver Spur, and we won, which was amazing.”

Mo had that summer off, then the pair started hunting again, with an eye on the next February’s Golden Button.

“The entries opened in November but I fell asleep on the sofa!” Becky said. “They filled up straight away, and I woke up the next day horrified I’d missed it.”

Becky and Mo were put on the waiting list, and they got their ticket.

“I went into the Golden Button not really knowing how massive it was – and had the ride of my life and won,” Becky said. “But the twist was that I lost my weight cloth just before the last fence, and got disqualified because of course I couldn’t weigh in. We’d won by a long way, round such a huge course, and the organiser was so kind, and did give me a golden button. So I didn’t get the official win, but I had never jumped hedges like those, and Mo was just insane.”

But shortly afterwards, Becky did get her “ultimate dream” win, in the Harborough ride.

“That’s our home race as I’m with the Fernie hunt,” she said. “It was a super-long course and we won by such a long way; he was fantastic.

“That was the best day ever – better than my wedding! My husband knows that, and he’s fine about it. That year, 2022, was the best of my life; the Golden Button, the Harborough, other races, and I got married. Ollie my husband doesn’t mind; he always knew he was below Mo in the pecking order!

“Mo was at my wedding; I wasn’t sure whether to have him there but he was a saint and I’m so glad he was there. He loved it.”

Mo had a break while Becky was pregnant – and Becky said the timing fitted perfectly.

“I pulled up in the 2023 Harborough as he didn’t feel quite right,” she said. “It turned out he’d picked up a thorn so he had some time off, and I thought ‘Now’s the time to have a baby; while he’s off, I can be off’! I had my little girl, Winnie, and my sister Penny kindly got him fit for me. So 10 days after giving birth, I went for a hack, and three days after that went hunting. I couldn’t get my boots on as my ankles were so swollen but I was determined to go with him because he was the best boy.”

Becky praised Mo’s gentleness, especially with Winnie, and how easy and relaxed he always was.

“He and my sister’s horse Problem, who she raced, were the ultimate best friends, they were inseparable,” she added. “He did fabulously in the Harborough the other week, and Penny took a bit of Mo’s tail, so he went round with her.

“He was unbelievable. I didn’t really know what I was doing but the partnership we had – we aren’t professional, or have the facilities to train to our full potential. But it just shows if you have a horse who has a heart of a lion and the partnership me and Mo did then miracles can happen, and boy did that happen for us.

“What a horse. Fly high, my beautiful boy. I owe you everything.”

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