- .Michelle Wrenn wanted to give an old horse a home in rural Devon
- .She bought 23-year-old Nata to save her from being slaughtered
- .But it later emerged she was ridden by polo star Carlos Gracida
- .He was the former coach of Princes Charles, William and Harry
When Michelle Wrenn bought Nata from her former owner, she thought it was a gesture of compassion for an unremarkable animal.
She had paid £450 for the beautiful 23-year-old chestnut horse, who could have been sent to the slaughterhouse, after her owner realised Nata was much older than previously thought.
Though she thought she had 'seen something special' in the ageing animal, Mrs Wrenn, 54, never thought to look in to her past until her curiosity was stirred by the animal's exceptional grace when being ridden by a friend.
Michelle bought Nata, a beautiful 23-year-old chestnut to save her from the slaughterhouse. But she had no idea of her polo-star past.
But in fact Nata, here ridden in the O2 Arena by Royston Prisk, was playing competitively as recently as this year
But after investigating Nata's pedigree, Mrs Wrenn was stunned to discover that Nata was one of the world's greatest polo horses, who moved in the same circles as the Royal Family.
Calls to a vet who had formerly cared for Nata revealed that the chestnut mare was once the mount of polo legend Carlos Gracida, a man who was once considered the greatest player in the world.
Mr Gracida is also a friend of Prince Charles, and his former coach, who also trained Prince William and Prince Harry.
Mrs Wrenn, a mother of two, had been looking for a horse to care for in her rural Devon home, and fell in love with Nata as soon as she saw her.
Her former owner had bought Nata under the false impression that she was just 13, and resolved to sell her quickly or - if that wasn't possible - send her to slaughter.
Mrs Wrenn said: ‘As soon as a friend told me about Nata I went to see her and I was struck by just how beautiful she was.
Nata was also formerly owned by Carlos Gracida (centre) who coached Prince Charles (right), here wearing the number 4 polo shirt
‘She was facing a very uncertain fate and I didn’t want to see her suffer. I saw something special in her and bought her.
‘Nata had been passed between dealers and didn’t have a proper home. The last owner hadn’t done their maths properly and thought she was only 13.
‘When they worked out her true age they simply didn’t want her.’
Mrs Wrenn decided to research Nata’s history when she saw her being ridden by a family friend and suspected the graceful animal was a thoroughbred.
She said: ‘I had her passport and there was one stamp from an English vet. When I called him and said Nata’s name, he said he would call me back in 10 minutes.
‘He then phoned and confirmed it was the well-known polo horse.'
The association with Prince Charles, left, and Carlos Gracida, right, proves Nata's place on the polo scene
She also discovered that Nata had more recently been owned by socialite Royston Prisk, who had ridden her competitively as recently as this year.
She managed to contact Mr Prisk, who was shocked to hear how close the 'extremely special' horse had come to death.
Mrs Wrenn also contacted Mr Prisk who was shocked to hear his former mare had come so close to being destroyed.
Mr Prisk, from Windsor, Berkshire, said: ‘She is an extremely special horse. We had a great connection and were very much in tune with one another.
‘I had her for around six years and she’s one of the best horses I ever rode. I rode her at the O2 arena this year in the Gaucho International polo event. She was such a reliable horse.
‘She recently suffered from an injury and because of her age, I thought it was best that she retired as I thought it was unfair to keep playing her.
‘It’s great to know that she is being loved and well looked-after by Michelle. It would be great to visit Nata, to meet Michelle and visit her in her new home.’
No comments:
Post a Comment