SHANE Sweetnam’s European gold medal-winning mount Chaqui Z has been retired to stud after a touching retirement ceremony at the National Horse Show in Lexington last week before the Longines FEI World Cup qualifier.

The 15-year-old stallion, who is owned by Sweetnam’s great supporters Spy Coast Farm, was a stalwart of the Irish senior show jumping team for a number of years and was part of the brilliant team who won gold at the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg, as well as jumping at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon.