17/08/2026
Deseado CCV — 9th May 2007 – 14th August 2026
Safe travels, Des, over the rainbow bridge… ❤️
Des was truly a horse of a lifetime. He took us all over Europe competing and, had we wanted to, I have no doubt he would have taken us all over the world.
Throughout his incredible career, he won far too many titles and championships to mention them all, but some of his many achievements included fabulous scores at FEI Grand Prix, qualifying for the Middle Tour Championship at the Keysoe High Profile Show in 2021, and numerous International and National wins in both Dressage and the Spanish showing field.
He was the UK International Adult PRE Champion Stallion, won several UK Movement Championships, and competed successfully at International Small Tour, achieving Premier League scores of up to 70%. One of our proudest achievements was winning the Bronze Medal at the 2019 World Dressage Championships at SICAB, competing at Small Tour level. And on our always very enjoyable trips to Ireland, Des became the Irish National Advanced Champion in 2015.
Des was bred by Francisco Santiago Ruiz in Molina, Spain, and had a fabulous pure Escalera pedigree, by Selecto VI out of Deseada LXX. I bought him as an unbacked three-year-old from Francisco Santiago, along with two other horses, after looking at more than 400 horses — and I have never once looked back.
But beyond all of his achievements and titles, Des was simply one in a million. His extraordinary temperament was one of his greatest qualities and made it possible for us to keep him as a stallion. He was kind, genuine, incredibly special and, to us, so much more than a competition horse.
We will miss everything about him — especially his high-pitched whinny when he knew it was feed time, his wonderful character and his presence around the yard. It already feels so incredibly empty without him.
Thank you, Des, for the years, the memories, the adventures, the championships and for being the most wonderful horse we could ever have wished for. You gave us a lifetime of memories that we will treasure forever.
RIP Deseado ❤️
I hope you’ve met up with Resuelto and Marques and that the three of you are now galloping together, completely sound and happy, somewhere up in heaven.
You will never be forgotten, our very special Des. 🐴❤️🌈
