Chance Encounter, who helped Ireland secure its historic team silver medal at the Agria Blenheim European Eventing Championships last month, has died aged 16.
The Irish Sport Horse gelding, owned by Belline Estate Equestrian and his rider Robbie Kearns, was taken to an equine hospital and treated for colic and sepsis, but could not be saved.
Robbie and Chance Encounter, known at home as Harry, made their championship debut at the European Championships where they helped the team win silver, the country’s first senior European eventing team medal in 30 years. The pair finished 18th individually.
Richard Ames of Belline Estate told H&H the team is “absolutely distraught”.
“Harry was a member of the family and he was just coming to the top of his career. He had his loving groom Maxine Rae, who always looked after him, and Robbie, who got on exceptionally well with him,” said Richard.
“My wife Tanja and I, and the rest of the team at Belline, all loved him to bits.”
Richard bought Harry as a three-year-old and his career started with Caroline Powell, when she was based with Richard and Tanja in Suffolk. Caroline and Harry finished eighth in the six-year-old class at the young horse World Championships at Le Lion in 2015.
The Ames family moved to Ireland, where Harry was ridden by Belline’s former riders Daniel Alderson and Gillian King, then Robbie took over the reins in 2022. The pair made their five-star debut together at Luhmühlen in June 2023, jumping clear across country, and they completed their second five-star at Pau that autumn. This summer they finished 10th at Luhmühlen. They also had top-10 placings at four-star, including fourth in Ballindenisk CCI4*-S in April.
“Robbie and Harry absolutely gelled together, they just seemed to click,” said Richard.
“It was almost like a human relationship, where you just meet the right person. You wouldn’t have said it was love at first sight, but they got to know each other, which made it a very special relationship. They trusted each other implicitly and it enabled them to do what they did. It was wonderful to see.”
Chance Encounter leaves his connections with lots of happy memories.
“Finishing 10th at Luhmühlen, then helping the Irish team get their silver medal with a fabulous performance, those were the two big highlights of the year – but there’s lots of other highlights,” said Richard.
“At Pau last year when we all needed our wetsuits, Robbie and Harry just clicked. He was one of those horses that when he finished, whether it be a five-star or whatever he was in, within two or three minutes he’d say, ‘Come on, let me go and do it again’.
“It’s been a family affair; from Tanja and I, his groom Maxine, and Robbie, we couldn’t be a closer family. But the tribute is to Harry, he had an amazing character, was an amazing jumper and he was a lovely horse to have around. We’ve been very lucky to have lots of good horses and some good ones pensioned off here, but Harry was just that very special person and he’s been robbed of us too short.”
Robbie, who is in his first year at vet school in Surrey, told H&H that Harry was “my best mate for the last three years”.
“Even though I only met him a few years ago, it was like I knew him my whole life. I can’t quite put into words how much he meant to me,” he said.
“He was an incredible horse. There was no character like him, every time you saddled him up he gave you 100%. He almost tried too hard on the flat sometimes, which made him a bit excitable, but he became way better over our time together. He was a super cross-country and jumping horse, he hardly ever had a rail.”
Robbie said the European Championships was “an amazing experience”.
“It felt like a culmination of years of hard work that came to fruition and it was really nice because that doesn’t always happen. It was so special to do it with Harry, and to have his groom Max, who has looked after him his whole life, there helping me with him,” said Robbie.
“I had a fall at Blenheim the first year I rode Harry there in 2023, so I had a few little demons going out on the cross-country and the same fence was on the course this year, but he just soared through. He was amazing, and nothing ever felt like a challenge. I was hoping to line him up for Badminton next year, and I’m really sad that didn’t happen for him because he deserved to go.”
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