THE passing of Gelvin Clover last week came somewhat out of the blue to the Scott family at Mountcastle Farm, where the Clover Hill stallion lived for some 23 years until his final breath.

Although 26 years of age, he was full of life until going downhill very quickly last week. However, Robert and May Scott have one very special memory in the centre of their kitchen following – a portrait with their dear stallion just days before he died.

The couple were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and the portrait was a gift from their grandchild. “It is worth one million pounds to them now,” said their son David this week.

Bred in Swinford, Co Mayo by Kieran Rowley, Gelvin Clover is out of the Ginger Dick mare Culdearg. He was spotted by Mervyn Boyle as a two-year-old at Rowley’s farm jumping natural fences in a field.

He later phoned David Scott with the news about Gelvin Clover. “He phoned me and he said ‘listen I went to Kiernan Rowley’s place, there is a chesnut colt by Clover Hill, he looks a bit special.”

Gelvin Clover arrived at Mountcastle Farm in Donemana, Co Tyrone, to be broken and backed by David as a three-year-old when he was described as a “winner and a fighter”.

David rode him as a four and five-year-old at shows and it was in his five-year-old year that the Scott family eventually bought him from Boyle. There was one condition – his name couldn’t be changed as it represented where Boyle came from – Gelvin Road in Derry.

Scott had a bad accident when Gelvin Clover was six and he passed the ride over to Trevor Barlett, who took the horse to championship wins all around Ireland and further afield.

“Trevor did a fantastic job with the horse,” David explained. “He went to a four-day show in Scotland, and jumped eight clear rounds and won the championship, half of England and Scotland were after him.”

Thrill

However, the family held on to the stallion and it was worth it because the thrill of what was to follow for the horse could never be matched.

Clem McMahon was a rider destined for the big league at the time and he was next to have a go with Gelvin Clover. “Clem was on fire. Gelvin jumped his legs off and his heart out for Ireland,” David continued.

The pair won classes and were part of winning Nations Cup teams all around the world. A day in Gijon, Spain, especially stands out for the family, when the competition came down to a jump-off and Gelvin Clover won it for Ireland. “My mother cried for 48 hours!”

He jumped on an Aga Khan Nations Cup team at the Dublin Horse Show in 2005 – “that was a dream, to have a horse jumping in the Aga Khan.”

He later retired from show jumping aged 15 and although he didn’t cover a whole pile of mares afterwards, he has some excellent progeny, including the Cheryl Broderick-bred gelding Super Chilled, who has jumped at 1.60m level with Kevin Babington.

Robert Scott has three youngsters at home to look forward – a five, six and seven-year-old. “We covered a few mares but he didn’t owe us anything. He took my parents around the world, he was a fantastic horse.”

RIP Gelvin Clover (1993-2019)