Sefton Passes onto Greener Pastures at The Horse Trust

The Horse Trust is very sad to report that ex Household Cavalry, Sefton was quietly put to sleep at the sanctuary on Tuesday 27th March.

Sefton, who was retired from the Household Cavalry, Knightsbridge to the charity’s Home of Rest for Horses based in Speen, Buckinghamshire in 2005 will be missed by all the staff and visitors to the sanctuary.

Sefton was proud to bear the name of his famous predecessor, the horse so badly injured in the Hyde Park Bombing on 20th July 1982 who lived at The Home of Rest for Horses for ten years until his death in 1993.  Sefton suffered 37 wounds from flying metal when he was caught within yards of the explosion, cheating the terrorist bomb which claimed the lives of four soldiers and seven horses of The Household Cavalry.

The original Sefton bore a white blaze and four white socks, very different from the latter Sefton who was entirely black apart from a few flecks of white on his nose.

This 25 year old, 16.2 hh, black gelding’s  last official engagement was the day before he retired to The Trust at Her Majesty The Queen’s Life Guard Parade at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehallon 24th July 2005.

Sefton had always been “full of beans” and despite all the grooms efforts to keep him slim he survived quite happily on fresh air and was on a constant diet.”

Shirley Abbott, Yard Manager at The Trust said, “Sadly, this week, Sefton’s health went down-hill very rapidly and unfortunately his quality of life was deeply compromised.”  She continued, “Old age had finally caught up with him and the difficult decision was made to quietly put him to sleep.”

He will be sadly missed by everyone but particularly his groom, Kate Cutler, and his girlfriend, 15.1 hh bay mare, Ruby Tuesday.

Kate said, “Sefton had 2 sides to his personality.  He wouldn’t harm a fly, was really placid and you could do anything with him but when he saw Ruby he would shoot off at speed to be by her side again.”  She continued, “Towards the end when he became very poorly he was certainly not the Sefton I had come to know and love so well.  He had lost that special twinkle in his eye.”

The grooms are really pleased that Ruby Tuesday has made a new friend – 17hh Chiswick on respite from the Metropolitan Police.  Maybe it’s because he bears a striking resemblance to Sefton?