Scott Brash has announced that his former top horse Bon Ami (Pavarotti van de Helle x Richebourg) has passed away, at the age of 19.

On his official Facebook page, Brash states: "It comes with a heavy heart to announce the passing of Bon Ami. He won so many classes throughout his career and helped our team to reach world number 1. He was renowned for winning some of the best speed classes in the world as well as helping us secure our first ever World Cup win in Toronto and has been a very special horse to me and my team. After retiring from international competition he spent his final years back home in Scotland where he had an amazing home with our friends and their young kids. Bon Ami will have a special place in so many of our hearts and I thank everyone who has been a part of his journey."

Together, Brash and Bon Ami were a force to be reckoned with. In addition to their World Cup victory in Toronto, they recorded wins all over the world at venues such as Aachen, Basel, Birmingham, Gijon, Helsinki, La Baule, Lamprechtshausen, Lausanne, London, Lyon, Monte Carlo, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Verona and Vienna.

Our thoughts go out to all those close to Bon Ami.