Contrary to rumors circulating the Internet today, Ballynoe Castle RM, the 2011 U.S. Eventing Association Horse of the Year and Buck Davidson’s mount for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, has not been sold to Dutch rider Raf Kooremans.
“It’s not true. My phone started going crazy with calls and texts, and I had no idea,” said Davidson. “I called the U.S. Equestrian Federation, and they called the USEA [which had briefly posted the announcement on its Facebook page]. I guess someone had read it in a gossip column in an eventing magazine in England.
“As Carl [Segal, owner of ‘Reggie’] said to me, there’s nothing further from the truth. He’s going to Kentucky, [where Davidson will compete Absolute Liberty and Titanium] and then competing at the Jersey Fresh CCI*** with me,” Davidson continued. “He’s still with me, thankfully, and he’s not going anywhere.”
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When Reggie’s name showed up with Kooremans’ on the entry list for the Fontainebleau CIC* (France) for the weekend of March 25, Segal was completely surprised. He and wife Cassandra plan to keep the horse for the rest of his life—he’ll be retired at home when his career with Davidson eventually ends.
“It’s a total error,” Carl said. “I couldn’t tell you what the mechanical reason was, but mistakes happen.”
While Kooremans’ FEI record does list him as having completed the Fontainebleu CIC* on Reggie, in 69th place, it’s likely nothing more than an autofill error in the FEI system. Kooremans’ other one-star mount’s name starts with the same three letters—Balougrain V Z.
