Some of the greatest jumping achievements are still standing the test of time
In 1978, when just 21 year old, Nick Skelton and Everest Lastic cleared seven feet, seven and five sixteenths of an inch – the British High Jump record that still stands today. This type of high jump pre-dates the Puissance wall that we see today.
It took Nick three attempts. Hard to imagine riding at that fence once, let alone three times. What an amazing partnership between horse and rider.
“It was quite scary as the high-jump was wider and I think more difficult and daunting than the wall and he was not a big horse” says Nick. “After Lastic smashed through it the first time I was ready to leave the arena but I was told to go back in and in those days I did as I was told
Lastic was a gray Trakehner gelding, sired by Lateran, who proved to be a very influential sport horse sire. No one can say that those Trakeheners can’t jump.
When Skelton won the individual Gold medal in showjumping in 2016 on Big Star, he described the Dutch Warmblood stallion as “the best horse that I’ve ever had or likely ever will.” Hard to imagine a horse with more talent than Lastic, or to have a career bookended by such amazing jumpers.
Holy cow. I can’t even imagine jumping something that big and daunting. What a great horse and boy look at his body language afterwards….in the street venacular, ‘yeah, we bad, we bad’. Lastic KNEW he’d done something exceptional.
Oh, gosh, and of course he’s a grey Trakehner, just like the fabulous Abdullah…
Hey there guys
Ive just done an article on how to master riding a related distance.
It’s what I have been couching and using myself for several year, and it works.
Feel free to have a read, and try it for yourself. If you stick with it for a few months, you’ll get awesome results.
Anyway, hope you find it useful, just click the link below
Regards
Dave Miller
What ever happened to Lastic?
I was there the night that Nick Skelton and Lastic won the high jump record. It was a thrilling moment in sport that I’ll never forget. I remember stamping wildly on the floorboards!! It was equally thrilling watching on TV when he and Big Star won the Olympic Gold Medal in show jumping in Rio in 2012. A true hero of the sport.
That must have been a huge thrill!
That was such a fantastic jump.Must have been daunting,not only to rider but also Everest Lastic.Just magnificent and that record still stands today.Amazing!