As one would expect with his recent successes, most notably 9th at the Rio Games, Art has attracted a lot of attention from near and far and the cold harsh reality is that he is commanding an eye watering price tag, which his owners, with a young family, are considering.
Step up one determined Irish man, who with the help of friends, family and various generous benefactors has managed to secure a hefty proportion of the price. But – and it’s a big but – he needs more dosh…and a clever crowd funding campaign goes live tonight to help secure that Art and Jonty can never be parted.
And this is where you come in – any amount, large or small will help – Jonty, with a lump in his throat tells me a young girl from Ireland has called to offer her last 3 weeks pocket money, and that is not the only kind gesture. Since the eventing community heard of Jonty’s plight several weeks ago, the jungle drums have been sounding as we all raid our address books, bang our heads together, make connections and try and think of ways to try and get things sorted.
So, please, whatever you can donate, large or small, let’s try and make Art the People’s Horse and keep him where he belongs.
Having been with Jonty since he was a five year old, coming over from Ireland when his current owners bought him at the Going for Gold / Monart sale, Cooley Rorkes Drift and Jonty really are the dream team.
“In short, he’s my best friend – he is part of our family,” says a weary Jonty who continues, “As you can imagine, from my point of view, selling my best mate had never entered my head. It has been a horrific few months wondering if he will be sold, and praying that a solution can be found.”
Time is not on Jonty’s side with the added pressure that they have been selected to go to the European Championships in Poland in a few weeks, but if the ownership is not sorted out, he will not be able to go.
For more information and to donate, please visit:
www.jontyandart.com
“It’s not a case of IF they win a big one – more of a case of WHEN.”
Andrew Nicholson