‘Everybody loved Ida’: final farewell to rare-breed mare with a beautiful character

The owner of the much-loved Cholderton Ida has paid tribute to the successful rare-breed mare who has died aged 18.

During her career, Jo Strange’s mare was twice crowned Cleveland Bay breed champion and also took the Cleveland Bay champion title at Royal Windsor Horse Show.

In recent months, she won the purebred ridden Cleveland Bay class and was reserve ridden Cleveland Bay at the Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain National Hunter Championship Show in August.

“She was not a world beater, but everybody loved Ida,” Jo told H&H.

Ida was bred by Henry Edmunds at Cholderton Stud, near Andover. She had a quiet start to life and had her own foal before joining Jo as a nine-year-old.

“I was looking for a cob at the time, but thought ‘I’ll go and have a look’,” she said.

Ida quickly took to her new career, with success at major fixtures and breed shows, under side-saddle, and blossomed into the “ultimate all-rounder”.

“She had lovely manners and galloped like stink, which immediately took people by surprise,” said Jo.

She hunted with the South Downs Bloodhounds and the Staff College Drag. Jo had also been in discussions with the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) with a view to Ida becoming an RDA horse after her planned retirement from showing this year, such was her exceptional nature.

Jo added that one of her “proudest moments” was Ida giving a friend in her 80s the opportunity to carry on riding and to compete at the 2018 National Side-Saddle Show, where she won the restricted turn-out class.

“She was the ultimate amateur’s horse,” said Jo. “She was everybody’s friend. She was the nicest horse. Even my elderly friends, they would all come for a ride with me if Ida was available.”

She recalled how Ida was the “alpha mare in the herd in a quiet, understated kind of way”, keeping a close eye on youngsters, and is even credited with helping teach a friend’s horse to travel confidently.

“If she can get some other people interested in the breed, she will have left her mark, and that’s what she deserves,” said Jo.

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