It’s not quite Throwback Thursday, but we couldn’t wait another day to show you this! Longtime British equestrian competitor and fan Lisa Briggs shared earlier this week a video she captured of Nick Skelton and his Olympic Gold Medal-winning mount Big Star when he was a strapping young six-year-old still working out the kinks of a Grand Prix course.

You can see the athleticism and attitude are all in place, he’s just learning how to read the fences and distances, and communicate quietly with his legendary jockey. Even as you can see the footing deteriorating, Big Star keeps pounding it out and heading for home in this winning jump-off round.  According to Linda, the class was a six-year-old championships class at the Scope Festival in September, 2009.

Thanks so much for sharing, Linda! This is now truly a global treasure.

Go Jumping!