Carling King
Encyclopedia
| Color: | Chestnut Chestnut (coat) Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs... |
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| Sex: | Gelding Gelding A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday... |
| Born: | 1991 |
| Breed: | Irish Sport Horse |
| Breeding: | by Clover Hill (RID Irish Draught The Irish Draught horse is the national horse breed of Ireland which developed primarily for farm use. Today, they are especially popular for crossing with Thoroughbreds and warmbloods, producing the popular Irish Sport Horses which excel at the highest levels of eventing and show jumping.-... ), out of Gortnageer Star, by Chairlift xx Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed... , Grand dam: Diamond Night by King of Diamonds (RID), G.Grand dam: Ballinvullen Nan by Carnival Night xx |
| Rider: | Kevin Babington |
| Owner: | Kindle Hill Farm, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania Blue Bell, Pennsylvania Blue Bell is a census-designated place in Whitpain Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,067.... |
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
that is ridden by the Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
international showjumper Kevin Babington.
Carling King was originally bought as a 7-year-old as a mount for his owner, amateur Saly Glassman. After arriving in the USA, his talent (and a somewhat difficult nature) was discovered and Irishman Kevin Babington took over the reins shortly thereafter. Since then, Carling King was eighth in the World Equestrian Games
World Equestrian Games
The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale . The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive Summer Olympic Games, since 1990...
in Jerez, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
2002, won multiple international Nation’s Cups in 2003, and was the 2001 Samsung Nation’s Cup leading horse. Kevin and Carling King placed equal 4th individually http://www.fei.org/Disciplines/Jumping/Results/Documents/2004_OG-S_Ind_.pdf at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. After winning several major Grand Prix competitions in 2004, King was sidelined with an injury to one of his ligaments but has since returned to competition successfully.
Before his arrival in the USA, "King", as he is known around the stables, was crowned the 5 year-old champion at the prestigious RDS Dublin
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
Horse Show with rider Michael Buckley. The class was renamed in his honor as the "Carling King Five Year Old National Championship".
King is famous for his incredible consistency in competition and his stylish technique. Although most of his grooms have managed to find a softer side, he is known for being quite facetious around the barn and will, on occasion, bite the arm of those not paying enough attention.
Carling King was officially retired on March 9th, 2007 at the age of 16.