Richard Spooner’s partner for numerous major show jumping wins, Cristallo, died Sept. 12 at 26. He was euthanized after being diagnosed with a neurological condition.

Spooner, who paired up with the Cristallo when the Holsteiner (Caretino 2—Cambrina, Cicero) was 5, called him a once-in-a-lifetime horse. Together they won five-star classes in Chantilly (France), La Coruña (Spain), Geneva, Spruce Meadows (Alberta), St. Gallen (Switzerland) and Rome. He competed in five FEI World Cup Finals and represented the United States on numerous winning Nations Cups teams.

Spooner counted his third win of the Monte Carlo GCT Grand Prix (Monaco) as their favorite accomplishment together.

Spooner and his family moved to France for several years largely in order to campaign Cristallo in Europe during the height of his career.

“He really changed my life and my family’s life, not just where we lived but the experiences that we had,” said Spooner, Ocala, Florida. “We revolved our entire lives around Cristallo.

“My wife and he would go on long trail rides when we lived in California and in France,” he added. “They really had a lot of joy together going on those trail rides. That was a big part of his life, and it brought a lot of joy in his life.”

Reflecting on 21 years together, Spooner compared the gelding to Michael Jordan, saying that he built a string of horses around Cristallo to support him. He recalled Cristallo as remarkably sound throughout his long career.

“As a competitor in the ring, that horse could do things that you didn’t think were possible,” he said. “There would be times where I’d be in the air over a jump, and I would have a hard time concentrating on what I was doing, because the feeling he would give you off the ground was awe-inspiring. Sometimes you’d put him in a [tough] position, and you’d think, ‘There’s no way we’re getting out of this,’ and somehow he would rise to the test.

“In the beginning of the year you could basically just pull out the [Fédération Equestre Internationale] calendar, and say, we’re going to go to this show, this show, that show, and this show,” he continued. “You would pick the shows you wanted to go to, and he was always ready; he never missed a day. He was just that strong. It was bizarre how strong and how fit he was, and he was only about 15.3 hands, just a tiny little guy.

“He was just an amazing physical force and mentally so strong,” he added. “He won so much over those years, and you could just count on him. Every time you went in the ring, you knew you had a chance to win the class. It didn’t matter if you were in Rome or Monaco or where you were.”

Spooner expressed thanks to Tracy Katayama Esse, with whom he owned Cristallo and who also co-owned his previous top horse, Robinson.

“The amount of wins that she’s had as an owner with those two horses is pretty amazing,” Spooner said. “She’s really stood behind me and those horses through thick and thin, ups and downs. It was hard for Tracy when Cristallo passed.”

Cristallo retired from competition in 2018 at the age of 20, and he continued to live with Spooner, moving to Ocala with him in 2020. Spooner said he loved going out in a big grass field with a buddy, “loitering around and doing nothing,” enjoying occasional short trips with competing horses.

“I took him to shows with me until about a year ago because he really enjoyed the shows,” said Spooner. “He loved it; it really made him happy to go. He was really fit, physically didn’t have any problems. He wasn’t lame. He was great. He was in wonderful shape.”