Nick Skelton and Big Star photo by Kenneth Kraus
Horse and Hounds reports……..Nick Skelton’s Olympic gold medal-winning ride Big Star has picked up a leg injury which has ruled him out of competition until the start of next year.
The pair had been due to compete at the five-star show in Geneva this week (8-11 December), hoping to stake their claim on the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping and the €1million bonus on offer.
But the injury, reported to be a relatively minor twist to a leg joint, means Big Star will not be able to jump until January.
As a result, the Olympic champions will also miss the London International Horse Show at Olympia next week (13-19 December). There had been much excitement surrounding the pair’s first competitive reappearance on home soil since winning gold at the Olympic Games in Rio in August.
“He has twisted a joint, it’s nothing terrible but four to six weeks rest from top level competition is the order of the day; and it goes without saying that is what we will do,” said Nick.
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/big-star-ruled-competition-injury-606083#Vkw3HgloJbkkcLOb.99