Cooley Rorkes Drift.

Photo credit: Jonty Evans Eventing Facebook page

By Equestrian Life

Irish eventer Jonty Evans will retain the ride on his Rio Olympic horse, Cooley Rorkes Drift, following a very successful crowd funding campaign that raised £500,000.

A month ago, interest from a number of buyers meant that Cooley Rorkes Drift’s owner, Fiona Elliott, had to consider selling the horse. Jonty managed to secure some funding towards purchasing the horse, and began a crowd funding campaign to raise the remaining amount needed. Two big donors — one who donated £150,000 and another who contributed £100,000 — went a long way towards securing the target. 

The target was reached just in time: Jonty was due to leave for the European Championships and couldn’t do so until the horse’s ownership was resolved.

Jonty and the 11-year-old finished ninth — and were the best of the Irish — at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Dubbed “the people’s horse”, no doubt there will be plenty of eyes on Cooley Rorkes Drift and his dedicated rider as they head towards WEG 2018 and Tokyo 2020!

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