After a long and fantastic career, Carlo 273 (Contender x Cascavelle) will be retired from the sport at the age of 17. 

A crowd favourite for almost a decade, Carlo 273 has stolen many hearts – first with Nick Skelton and later with Sergio Alvarez Moya in the saddle. The flamboyant grey has jumped at the Olympic Games, made three appearances at the European Championships as well as competing in two World Cup Finals. 

With Skelton in the saddle, Carlo won the individual and team bronze medal at the European Championships in Madrid in 2011 before he was sold in the autumn of 2012 and Moya took over the reins. Together, Carlo and Moya went on to take several big wins: The CSI5* Grand Prix of La Coruna in 2012 and the CSI5* World Cup in Zürich in 2015 being two of them. The pair also finished 4th in the World Cup Final in Gothenburg in 2013 and 6th individually at the European Championships in Aachen in 2015.

“Carlo has been great in and out of the ring,” says his rider Sergio Alvarez Moya to World of Showjumping. “He has such a character and is such a charismatic horse, and for sure the best horse I have had so far in my career! He is super sweet in the stable, and such a fighter in the ring – he has it all. Carlo has actually become so popular that people that meet me sometimes refer to me as Carlos,” Sergio laughs. “I want to thank Marta for giving me the opportunity to ride such a great horse!”

“Carlo is obviously a superstar for everyone who can appreciate showjumping...,” says his owner Marta Ortega to World of Showjumping. “But above all he’s a special soul for all of us who are lucky enough to be his family. He has seen my son grow as they arrived together, and he has been for us a source of joy, forming an outstanding winning couple with Sergio throughout these years as well as he did before with Nick. The mixed feelings of not seeing him perform in the ring anymore are by far compensated by seeing him enjoy his more than well-deserved unlimited holidays in the green fields of Casas Novas!”

Carlo 273 will get his official retirement ceremony during the CSI5* World Cup event at Casas Novas in La Coruna, Spain – the home of Marta Ortega – in December. 

At World of Showjumping, we wish Carlo the happiest of retirements!

Text and photo © World of Showjumping