Yesterday (December 3) you read on Equnews that American Mclain Ward is forced to retire his top mare Clinta. Ward describes Clinta as the highest quality athlete he has ever ridden. We look back on her career with you.
The OS-bred grey mare was born in 2007 and is an offspring of Clinton and Last Flight (Lord Pezi). Her career started under the saddle of the British Stacey Willsone. Soon the exceptional talent in Clinta was noticed and so she came under the saddle of some big names. Spaniard Manuel Fernandez Saro took over the reins from Willsone, followed by René Tebbel (Ukraine), Daniel Neilson (Great Britain) and the world's number three Henrik von Eckermann (Sweden). In 2016 it was Ferenc Szentirmai who saw Clinta, from then on owned by Paul Schockemöhle, leave for German rider Philip Rüping. Then in 2018, the Ward-Clinta partnership came about thanks to Susan Heller and the Sweeney's.
Together they made it to the very highest level, where they were hugely successful. In the same year (2018), the duo won the CSI5* Grand Prix of New York. A match made in heaven was born...
A few months later, they wrote off the CSIO5* 1.60m Prize of North Rhine-Westfalia in Aachen, won the CSI5* Rolex Grand Prix of Dinard two weeks later and, as icing on the cake, grabbed the team GOLD at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon in September 2018. In the individual standings, they finished a handsome fourth. Their latest victory was recorded at the CSIO4* 1.50m class of Wellington in early 2019.TEAM GOLD at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon 2018
Winning round in the Rolex Grand Prix of Dinard
Ward and Clinta continued to be hugely successful together until the mare suffered an injury in late 2020. For a year, the American, is cooperation with the owners, tried to ensure that Clinta could make her sporting comeback. Unfortunately, and this is how Ward himself describes it, it was impossible for the mare to cope with the physical pressure of the very highest level.
However, Clinta will be used for breeding. Her entourage chooses to let her carry and raise the foals herself.
While the equestrian sport is saying goodbye to a great athlete, Clinta's qualities will live on in her offspring.
Thank You Clinta.