Nick Skelton’s groom of 35 years, Mark Beever, has been honoured for a lifetime devoted to his horses by receiving the prestigious Ryan’s Son Trophy.
The award is given annually at Olympia by Clare and John Whitaker to recognise a contributor who has delivered greatly to the sport of showjumping and past recipients include David Broome, Bob Ellis and Nick Skelton himself.
But Mark, who still looks after Big Star and was part of the team in Rio when Nick won Olympic gold, says the whole award came as a complete surprise.
source: H&H