Gem Twist wins (former) largest grand prix ever!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @ImmortalSynn
M&C Gem Twist... the "Great Grey" himself!
Even in his advancing years, the horse that vies with Milton & Big Ben for the title of "Greatest Showjumper in History" shows us one more time just why he's so deserving of that distinction, by winning Tampa's Volvo Grand Prix of Florida-- whose starting field of 80 horses made it the largest grand prix showjumping competition ever; until February 4, 2012, where the Adequan CSI** Grand Prix of Palm Beach, broke the record by one!
...just LOOK at him over the fence at 0:21 and also in the triple combination. What a horse!
You can view another video of Gem in the following link, and there he's being ridden by his rival's longtime companion-- John Whitaker!
• John Whitaker competes...
Sleep peacefully Gem (1979-2006), you've earned your rest.
As always, don't forget to check out the crazily-cute baby of the barn:
• BABY SHOWJUMPING: the ...

[@just_a_waterbottle6827]

Ten years later. Still one of the most amazing horses ever

[@GoddessofGypsies]

Wow, what a treat to see Gem! Thanks for posting this! He jumps so cleanly, with plenty of clearance. Ears pricked the whole way. What a professional!

[@AnimalLeftist]

I just miss his bucking, always so full of himself, in his younger days. Best horse, up there with Big Ben & Milton. SO cool, to see a Chapot riding him.. Thank you for posting!

[@CandiceCurtisskipaway2000]

Greatest. Showjumper. Ever. It was good to see this again. When other girls were falling in love with teenybopper boy bands, I was head over heels for this Superstar. Gem Twist was a once in a lifetime horse, the likes of whom we'll be hard presed to see again.

[@lindebornt]

I actually got to meet this horse at his personal home. What an amazing animal. Much love and he will be missed!

[@ImmortalSynn]

"Look at the reach on that triple!" Indeed, I love that! Gem was such a trier!

[@equestrianGAL112791]

this is truly an amazing horse, he saved her so many times!

[@ajumpergirl4evr1221]

this is so inspirational!!

[@ImmortalSynn]

No need for apologies... I just wanted to make sure you knew that that sentiment/issue's been addressed quite a bit here. :)

[@ImmortalSynn]

well, 'preciate all your information... certainly hope they release more info about it in the future!

[@melissafew2]

what a fantastic horse, and you can tell he loved his job.

[@michellecoutois]

@ImmortalSynn sounds good, power to her still scared the hell out of me. Great Schoolmaster....

[@tillynbella]

yeah lol thanks for putting up this vid, its great

[@hipersonhello]

that was great. he looks like such a fun ride. :)

[@DavidArchuleta4ever]

AMAZING!!

[@speedolstar]

Gorgeous horse 8D Gem has the cutest jumps I've ever seen xD

[@ImmortalSynn]

Indeed he does, particularly over the 3rd jump in the triple-combo seen here!

[@Twinkierox13]

what an amazing jumper!

[@bethanosmonddd]

what a horse, never seen anything like him!

[@ImmortalSynn]

Gem, along with Milton, Jappeloup, and Big Ben; are all there to open the gates for Hickstead. May he rest in peace.

[@TheJumperLove]

omg wow! I cant even believe it! He jumps amazingly!

[@darkduet]

God, that horse is absolutley amazing! I've always loved him. He looks so warmblood-y, but he's a TB!

[@painthorselover11]

This is one amazing horse.

[@Ziiico]

amazing !

[@EATMYS0OCK]

amazing horse!

[@LitleDusk]

Gemmy was sure a gorgeous boy. We have one of the few mares from his brother and she's got the same kick, but a teeny stride. He was actually smaller than usual horses. I go to see him while taking a visit about a year before he got himself hurt. He was such a sweet boy.

[@Unbridled396]

whoa! he's a big boy!!!

[@Hipmister3000]

that's amazing!

[@hunterjumpergirl7]

amazing... absolutley amazing!! wow i love that horse!!

[@MrGabeismyBabe]

He is a great horse! and a great rider!

[@silverbella77]

He makes it look so easy!

[@hidenseeker424]

I love how long her stirrups are, as a petite rider I can attest to needing to have way more leg around my horse to get any leg into him!

[@apachiedragon]

he works SO hard on the second jump in the triple at 1:00 - you can see him lift his feet just a tiny bit in mid air to be sure he doesn't touch. definately one of the best horses that ever lived...

[@Decembirth]

I remember watching this horse when I was little, and referring to it as Budweiser Twist lol because I had no idea what Equestrian Jump-Offs were, and that sponsors were a part of these event.

[@ImmortalSynn]

You're very welcome. I have some older ones of him too, if y'all are interested. Even have one of John Whitaker riding him as well, which is ironic as he was the one to ride Milton for most of that horse (who contends with Gem for the title of "Greatest Showjumper in History") for most of its career as well.

[@AiLQT314]

I got goosebumps

[@katbailey33]

Gem Twist was my hero as a kid!!! I had the breyer horse too!!!!

[@Virtie333]

While I love Big Ben, and Milton was great, this horse was very special to me. Thanks for posting. Gem was awesome!

[@ImmortalSynn]

...and all the riders said: "amen"

[@sandieb43]

Wow, I remember watching Gem with Greg Best riding him.

[@LilMissPixiie]

what an unreal horse

[@Fall0utAtTheDisco]

danggg, shes seems so small on him!! it's amazing how she handled him! what a team!

[@MiniMelloYellow]

This horse LOVED jumping.

[@lyrunka]

fanstastic horse!

[@ImmortalSynn]

He really was, and both of his clones display that particular beauty as well... especially as they grey out.

[@ponyJackson]

It was mentioned in Practical Horseman magazine.

[@ponygirl5611]

wow! he jumps so perfect!!! his knees are nice a squared when he jumps!

[@ImmortalSynn]

Tragic. Thanks for sharing. Also, would you happen to have any information on the name or current status of the clone?

[@ImmortalSynn]

@AlwaysTheDancer ...part One. Can't wait to see what Gemini does!

[@Bhukshine]

amazing horse! how high were those fences?

[@ImmortalSynn]

Agreed... he looks way more warmblood than he does TB. Dunno why, but I've also always wondered what Gem would look like as a Bay, as well.

[@ImmortalSynn]

Yes. They got the individual Silver in Seoul 1988

[@ImmortalSynn]

Agreed... I'd always thought Gem was warmblood as well, was surprised to find out that he's pure TB. Also, the exact opposite with Hidden Creek's Laurel-- always thought she was Thoroughbred!

[@Horses4life1001]

wow look around his flank area it HUGE and muscley wow

[@dencanew]

OH! Skilful horse!!!

[@jessamine486]

Grandest horse... my my and also the most gorgeous. He's beautiful :)

[@rkhorserider]

@ImmortalSynn I agree! I see it in the news all the time, one person losing their favorite horse and then cloning him expecting to get their horse back. I'd be interested to find out how that turns out a few years down the road. It's also why I'm against cloning because as long as we have it, there will be people gullible enough to try to get their favorite horses back when all they're doing is creating more problems for themselves.

[@ImmortalSynn]

Indeed, LOVED his power... would even place him in the same class as the likes of Loro Piana Tomboy, It's Otto, and Bolvorm's Libro H, in terms of scope. I sure hope his clone jumps the same way. I can't WAIT to see Gemini in action!

[@battousaiblade]

that has got to be the most beautiful big white horse i have ever seen hes drop dead gorgeous!!!

[@ImmortalSynn]

@michellecoutois Let's be real for a sec here: 1) this was only her second season riding at the grand prix level. 2) she's extremely petite AND he's got a large barrel-- so naturally you're gonna see longer stirrups than typical. She did not have them at that length on her other mounts at the time. 3) Gem was acting in a schoolmaster role here, not an FEI contender as he was during his time with Greg/Leslie. Context.........

[@TheEquestrian22]

Yea i remember he said that i did a clinic with him a while back

[@ImmortalSynn]

Welcome. I have a few more of him I'll probably be putting up when I get the chance, including one of John Whitaker riding him-- ironic, as he also competed Milton :)

[@speedolstar]

I'll have to go check them out 8D

[@ImmortalSynn]

@Docciee Yep. That's what made him one of, if not *THE* greatest! I can't wait to see if Gemini does the same!

[@Tbequestrianpops]

that horse is huge.

[@hunterjumper1103]

he is HUGE. & gorgeous!

[@rkhorserider]

I'm against cloning because for one thing it's playing with something that's not meant to be played with. And second there are no guarantees that the clone will be anything like the real thing. Environment, training, and luck play so much into it. He certainly is a FANTASTIC horse though. Incredible.

[@ImmortalSynn]

@jillkc99 It was an FEI qualifier, so maximum height (1.60m, 5'3")

[@ImmortalSynn]

Should see his other one "John Whitaker competes Gem Twist"... that was the venue where he was given the OFFICIAL title of "World's Best Horse", ahead of Milton, who was also there.

[@ImmortalSynn]

Sure, but one thing that you and a lot of others seem to be forgetting is that Gemini has at least one distinct advantage that Gem never had... he's been coming up from day 1 under Frank/Laura Chapot's tutelage. They knew Gem inside out: his strengths, and more importantly, his weaknesses. They can train this horse with the latter in mind, from the start. That could actually IMPROVE his chances greatness, assuming he has the mind for it. But heck, THAT'S a risk you take with ANY horse.

[@JockoJumper]

He lived in my town awhile ago. I knew his owners RIP

[@LupaBiancaDthebest]

What a horse o.o

[@Anomaly003]

Wow. He might as well be flying.

[@BreyerCavie1]

wow

[@RedHyuuga]

@ImmortalSynn I might check them out when I got more time on my hands, right now I unfortunetly doesn't have much time.. blame it all on school XD Though school won't stop me from loving and be amazed by horses :D

[@ImmortalSynn]

Well, he never had a longterm commitment to Gem, he just rode him at FEI level competition. Yeah, amazing the stamina some horses have-- Gem was 17yrs-old at this competition, beating the pants off of horses half his age. Also, Patty Stovel's famous grand prix horse (Mont Cenis) is still going strong at age 23, and has some videos here as well.

[@ImmortalSynn]

Indeed... he rather generously "saved" her several times in both rounds; but in the name of fairness, this horse probably has like a 16-18ft extended stride, so it's probably difficult as hell to pick a spot for him-- particularly since he'd had so much experience at that point that he probably preferred to pick his own distances in all but the most unavoidable situations.

[@ImmortalSynn]

@kaymm93 Indeed, he was barely 16.1, but thick. She was very petite, so it makes him seem much larger than he is.

[@apachiedragon]

sorry, yes i did mean the third - he really reaches out with his forelegs instead of tucking them up and under, you can really see his effort. He is trying so hard for himself, not just doing what the rider tells him, unlike so many of today's horses.

[@ImmortalSynn]

@equinepainter Welcome, I have another of him up ("John Whitaker Competes Gem Twist") and I'll be putting another up as well ("Send in the Clones") as soon as I can get my laptop software to start cooperating again.

[@Sameoldjo]

My trainer was on good terms with Gems Owners, shes got posters of her daughter and Gem together.

[@ImmortalSynn]

Interesting. Where'd you get the statistic on his height? What source? There doesn't seem to be any reference to it at all, online.

[@ImmortalSynn]

He looks warmblood, but he's actually 100% pure Thoroughbred.

[@lauraalovesyouu]

Wow, with Laura aboard he looks huge !

[@ImmortalSynn]

...are you speaking of his injury post-Leslie Howard? Or something that was more recent for him?

[@ImmortalSynn]

New Video of Gem posted... this time under John Whitaker! (and yes, it's Gem, not Milton).

[@ImmortalSynn]

IINM, he had a pasture injury that left him suffering and unlikely to recover. He was 27.

[@ImmortalSynn]

What's truly exciting, is that his clone is beginning to show the same such tendency!

[@ImmortalSynn]

I don't think you'll find anyone who disagrees. Of course the difference was that back when Best and Whitaker rode him, Gem was comparatively green. By the time of this video, Laura was the green one, Gem was the seasoned veteran and schoolmaster. Though, of all of his riders: I've always thought that Leslie Howard rode him best.

[@3000horsecrazy]

@ImmortalSynn HE IS BEING CLONED!

[@hunterjumper798]

looks like a stressful ride, wonder how tall Gew Twist is??

[@ImmortalSynn]

Neat. Of course, there's always the old standards of "Gem Two", or "Gem Too" ;) Also, do they plan to compete this horse (where possible), or go straight to breeding with him? Sincerely wish there were more pictures...

[@gemtwistable]

holy crap this guy totally ROX!

[@LitleDusk]

Actually, I do. We were helping to name the babe, but I'm pretty sure it's Gemini Twist. Gem Twin had been in close second I think. The babe's doing very well though from what we've received. My family isn't happy about the possible ban on clone babies being banned from competition in GB. I think the opportunity to have Gem genes is a great idea, and we know the clone will be taken care of very well.

[@suddenlywombats]

reminds me of Land of Kings. such a groovy horse.

[@ImmortalSynn]

...just LOOK at him over the fence at 0:23 and also in the triple combination. What a horse!

[@EquestrianPride16]

god's got himself one helluva grand prix horse

[@ImmortalSynn]

@KnightHawke01 In Thoroughbred racing, yes. There's nothing however, preventing a clone from entering most Open Jumper classes.

[@ImmortalSynn]

correct

[@MyJumper21]

@ImmortalSynn Wow, barely 16.1? He looks HUGE! At least 17hh+... He has a huge jump too