Nick Skelton and Big Star taken in 2012

Calgary, AB, Canada – Spruce Meadows is sorry to announce that Big Star, the top mount of Great Britain’s Nick Skelton, has been withdrawn from the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament CSIO 5* due to an injury sustained while training at home. The ‘Masters’ will be held on September 4-8, 2013.Skelton stated, “This is indeed very disappointing. Big Star is one of the great horses in our sport, and I looked forward to returning to Spruce Meadows to compete with him. I have had great success at Spruce Meadows through the years, including four ‘Masters’ grand prix wins. A fifth win would have certainly been a highlight in this first year of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.”He continued, “The welfare of the horse is always paramount. Despite our best efforts, Big Star will not be able to compete at Spruce Meadows at the ‘Masters’. He sustained an injury at home in August and has not responded to treatment as we had hoped. Our focus now is to manage his recuperation very carefully and patiently.”Skelton and Big Star were in line to win the significant bonus offered in the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping after their victory in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen in Germany. The ‘Masters’ CSIO 5* hosts the second leg of the competition, while the final leg is at the CHI Geneva in December.“We wish Nick and his owners the best as they make sure that Big Star recovers, and we hope to see him next year at the ‘Masters’,” said Spruce Meadows President Linda Southern-Heathcott. “We know that Big Star will be back in top form soon!”The Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament CSIO 5* will feature the $350,000 BMO Nations’ Cup and the $1 Million International Grand Prix among the five days of top competition. Spruce Meadows looks forward to welcoming the world’s best to the ‘Masters’ Tournament next week and invites everyone to come and see the sport of show jumping at its best. For a full schedule, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com/tournaments.Based in Calgary, Canada, Spruce Meadows is the brainchild of the Southern family who built a Show Jumping complex at the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains. It was in 1976 that the first Spruce Tournaments were held, with annual spectator attendances reaching over 50,000 by the end of the decade. Today, Spruce Meadows boasts one of the greatest outdoor equestrian venues in the world and offers an incredible experience for riders and fans alike. Spruce Meadows focuses on the organization and hosting of show jumping tournaments of unmatched quality for junior, amateur and professional athletes in a manner that reflects basic family values in a clean, green and welcoming environment that celebrates the horse and encourages the breeding and training of quality sport horses and the teaching and development of athletes. For more information on Spruce Meadows, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.