Egypt’s Nayel Nassar has announced the retirement of the 16-year-old gelding Lucifer V (Lord Pezi x Grandeur). Owned by Evergate Stables, Lucifer has had lots of success in the sport, first with Hardin Towell and later with Nassar – jumping to victories all over the world. 

With Nassar in the saddle, the versatile gelding has won everything from the CSI5* Longines Speed Challenge of New York to the CSI5* Longines Grand Prix of New York, as well as the Olympic qualifier in Rabat back in 2019 – helping Team Egypt with a ticket to the Tokyo Games. In addition to his achievements in the sport, Lucifer V is also known to be quite a character.

On his official Instagram account, Nassar wrote: 

“Special week as we send this amazing horse into retirement after a remarkable sports career. Lucifer is one of the longest tenured horses at Evergate and has given us countless great memories with @hardintowell and myself in the irons.

He always had the biggest personality in the barn, constantly poking his head into his barn mates’ stalls just to say hi or offer up some neck scratches. There is no cookie jar he couldn’t master, with his expressions and mannerisms always seeming more human than horse.

However, Lucifer was also notoriously mischievous and cheeky. He had a penchant for weaseling his way out of work with an array of moves; be it the patented face-rub to get me to drop the reins, the 💩 pump-fake so he could stop and take a breather, or how he would suddenly plant his feet and just stand there motionless so he could take in the sights. Lucifer had a way of making you work for what you wanted as if he knew it would all be worthwhile in the end.

Idiosyncrasies aplenty, it took a few months for us to find common ground and luckily Hardin was always just a phone call away. They had come up winning together, and I’m grateful I had him and @chrishoward2646 in my corner because nobody knew Lucifer or believed in him like they did.

The rest feels like a bit of a whirlwind, punctuated by Lucifer ending 2019 as one of the best horses in the world. He was an extremely versatile horse that could win a speed class, a Grand Prix and jump double clear in a Nations Cup. A true warrior. One of a kind.

Lucifer, thank you a million times over; not only for the memories, but for the trust you instilled in your people, the patience you taught your riders, and the relentless competitiveness you brought to the arena. You are special in every sense and I can’t wait to see you frolicking through retirement the way you always do. No one deserves it more. It’s been an unbelievable ride Luci.” 

At World of Showjumping, we wish Lucifer a happy retirement!