Toytown (horse) facts for kids
Zara Phillips and Toytown jump the Alterian Hillside during the cross-country phase of Badminton Horse Trials 2009
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| Breed | Irish Sport Horse |
|---|---|
| Sire | Tipperary Grey (Irish Draught) |
| Grandsire | River Bank (Irish Draught) |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 1992 |
| Country | Britain |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Equestrian | ||
| World Equestrian Games | ||
| Gold | 2006 Aachen | Individual eventing |
| Silver | 2006 Aachen | Team eventing |
| European Eventing Championship | ||
| Gold | 2007 Rome | Team gold |
| Gold | 2005 Blenheim | Team gold |
| Gold | 2005 Blenheim | Individual gold |
Toytown was a famous British event horse. He was owned and ridden by Zara Phillips, a member of the British Royal Family.
Toytown was a chestnut horse, meaning he had a reddish-brown coat. He was a gelding, which is a male horse that has been gelded. Born in 1992, he stood at 17 hands tall. He had special markings, including a white blaze on his face and white spots on his body. Toytown and Zara Phillips competed together at the highest level of eventing. They continued until the horse retired in 2011. During his career, Toytown earned 1,421 points in British Eventing competitions.
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How Toytown Was Discovered
Toytown's exact family history is not fully known. He was first noticed in 1999 when he was seven years old. At that time, he was a novice eventer. Zara's father, Mark Phillips, a famous equestrian himself, saw Toytown. The horse's rider and owner, Meryl Winter, had come to him for a riding lesson.
Zara bought Toytown a few months later. She had watched him jump with her stepmother and dressage coach, Sandy Pflueger. Zara once said that when they first saw him, he "looked a bit like a hat-rack." However, she quickly felt a strong connection with him.
Early Challenges
Even though Meryl Winter described Toytown as a "cross country machine," he wasn't naturally good at all parts of eventing. He especially struggled with show jumping. For example, at the Windsor CCI** in 2001, Zara and Toytown were in the lead. But they ended up with 25 penalty points after knocking down six fences. This meant they finished far down the list.
However, Zara and Toytown worked very hard. They trained with Mark Phillips for show jumping. They also trained with Sandy Pflueger for dressage. Their hard work paid off.
First Big Wins
Their first major success came in 2002. They won the Young Rider title at Bramham Horse Trials. After that, they won an individual silver medal at the 2002 Young Riders European Championships in Austria.
Their success continued in 2003 at the Burghley Horse Trials. This was their first time competing at the CCI**** level, which is very difficult. The course was especially challenging. Zara and Toytown were in the lead after the cross-country phase. They just missed winning the whole competition by one fence. They lost to Pippa Funnell, who was the world's top rider at the time. Pippa was on her way to winning the Rolex Grand Slam.
Zara has said that Toytown was not an easy horse to ride. She mentioned that he "doesn’t like performing these days unless it really matters." At the 2007 Festival of British Eventing, he showed this side of his personality. According to BBC's equestrian reporter Clare Balding, he "went complete bonkers and started rearing" during the dressage. Zara also said that "Toytown, almost always, has to do something to show he is in control."
Olympic Dreams
Toytown faced some challenges that kept him from competing in the Olympics. A leg injury after the Burghley Horse Trials in 2003 meant he couldn't compete in the 2004 Athens Olympics. He also missed the entire 2004 season.
Later, in 2008, he got another injury during final preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This forced Zara and Toytown to withdraw from the British team.
Retirement and Legacy
Zara Phillips officially retired Toytown from competing on the last day of the 2011 Festival of British Eventing. This event took place at Gatcombe Park. The popular horse was paraded in front of fans and spectators in the main arena. After this special moment, he went to live a peaceful life in the countryside of the Gatcombe Estate.
Toytown made one public appearance after his retirement. This was with Zara Phillips at Cheltenham racecourse in 2012. It was part of the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay.
Toytown's Passing
Zara's husband, Mike Tindall, shared the sad news of Toytown's death. He announced it on Twitter on June 27, 2017.
Major Achievements
Toytown and Zara Phillips achieved many great things together:
2007
- Team gold medal at the European Eventing Championships in Rome, Italy.
2006
- Individual gold medal at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
- Team silver medal at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
2005
- Individual gold medal at the European Eventing Championships at Blenheim.
- Team gold medal at the European Eventing Championships at Blenheim.
- 2nd place at Luhmuhlen Horse Trials (CCI****).
2003
- 2nd place at Burghley Horse Trials CCI****.
2002
- Individual Silver medal at the European Young Riders Championship.
