Chance Bid 'Monkey'

16.1 Bay Gelding ex- Hong Kong Race Horse

Monkey raced in England and Hong Kong before being given to Alex's mother in Hong Kong when he was a 4 year old. Hugely talented and equally hugely opinionated, he quickly earned the name of Monkey after the iclonoclastic  Monkey King of Chinese literature. Alex started show jumping him when he was 11, popping round 1.10 classes on the buckle. Monkey's favourite trick was to happily canter round any competition until Longleat in June when every year he would dig his heels in and refuse to continue.

Monkey and Alex progressed through the eventing ranks to their first Olympic qualifier at Chatsworth in May 2007. With a leading dressage and a couple of poles show jumping under their belt the pair set off on their first ever three-star course in the pouring rain. One third of the way round the course Alex's stirrup broke. He stopped, pulled off the hanging leather, threw it to the judge and completed, sadly not within the required time for a Olympic Qualifiying Round.

This was the last time that Monkey completed any cross-country at any level. He just could not be bothered, even when Clayton rode him. On 23rd May 2008, Monkey performed an outstanding dressage, a clear showjumping round in the Novice (CNC*), popped over the first two fences and then stopped. He had retired himself. He now lives happily in a field next to Stonehenge.