ZABANTOS was a lovely strong, bold stallion with good confirmation and very expressive movement.

It is with great sadness to write we had to say goodbye to our beloved Zabantos who was with us for such a short time. After competing at Falmouth Horse Show on July 23rd 2011, he suddenly developed colic the following day (Sunday) and sadly did not pull through surgery.

ZABANTOS was a lovely strong, bold stallion with good confirmation and very expressive movement. He caught our eye as a beautiful 3-year old when we first saw him in Holland in 2007. He had exceptional bloodlines such as Julio Mariner, Investment, Voltaire, Grace-Kelly, Nimmerdor. His grand sire is the great BALOUBET DU ROUET who can undoubtedly be rated as one of the best show jumpers at the turn of the millennium. 

BALOUBET's rise to fame began early at the age of seven when he became French champion. An incredible competition record followed under the rides of Nelson and Rodrigo Pessoa. In 1998 he won the world cup in Helsinki as well as the individual 11^th and team 5^th at the world equestrian games in Rome.  In 1999 he won the world cup in Gothenburg for the second year running, an incredible achievement seen by only  three horses since the start of the competition. Many other accomplishments include 1^st in the Paris bercy grand prix, 6^th in the Paris bercy world cup, 7^th in the German nations cup at Aachen, 3^rd in the grand prix at spruce meadows, 4^th in the grand prix at Monterrey and 3^rd in the grand prix at Geneva. Winner of the world cup in Las Vegas 2000 and many more.

In his tragically short life and having enjoyed a successful show jumping season in 2011, including qualifying for the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), ZABANTOS was proving true to his forebears showing the scope and ability to go a long way in his show jumping career. He was extremely bold and brave and this legacy he has already passed on to his offspring but he was also kind and generous and he leaves such a gap in our lives.

Life of course goes on but we can never replace him.  We have his son to continue his legacy, so he will never be forgotten.

A shining star that will never fade, never age, he stepped into our lives on a whisper and nestled quietly within our hearts where he will remain forever.

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