Carling King (1991 – 16 February 2014) was a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

that was ridden by the Irish international

showjumper Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Equest ...

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 United States, 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 The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive S ...

Jerez Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Located in southwestern Iberia, it lies on the Campi� ...

, Spain 2002, won multiple international Nation's Cups in 2003, and was the 2001 Samsung Nation's Cup leading horse. Kevin and Carling King placed 4th individually at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

in Athens. After winning several major

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

competitions in 2004, King was sidelined with an injury to one of his

ligaments A ligament is a type of fibrous connective tissue in the body that connects bones to other bones. It also connects flight feathers to bones, in dinosaurs and birds. All 30,000 species of amniotes (land animals with internal bones) have ligam ...

but has since returned to competition successfully. Before his arrival in the US, "King", as he was nicknamed, was crowned the 5 year-old champion at the prestigious RDS Dublin Horse Show with rider Michael Buckley. The class was renamed in his honor as the "Carling King Five Year Old National Championship". King was famous for his incredible consistency in competition and his stylish technique. Although most of his grooms managed to find a softer side, he was known for being somewhat tough and would, on occasion, bite the arm of those not paying enough attention. Carling King was officially retired on 9 March 2007 at the age of 16. He was

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

on 16 February 2014.

References

{{Reflist
Irish Draught SocietyIrish Horse Board
– Ireland's Sport Horse Studbook

External links

Photo of Carling King and Kevin Babington competing at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.KevinBabington.com - About Kevin Babington
Irish show jumping horses 1991 animal births 2014 animal deaths Individual male horses Irish Sport Horses Horses in the Olympics