Legacy of Legends was never part of a grand plan. It began with a horse, and a moment that changed everything.

In his prime, Eperlan du Fouquet was a puissance star. Partnered with Olympian Ben Maher, he dazzled sell-out crowds at London Olympia, HOYS, and other prestigious venues, flying over towering red walls with grace, power, and heart. He was unforgettable. Back in the late 2000s, we ourselves with our then 10yr daughter (who's now 27 and married!) also watched edge-of-seat, as Eperalan won the Puissance at HOYS with Ben on board.

And then, like so many elite horses, he retired. But what should have been a dignified next chapter instead became a silent slide into obscurity. Passed along, renamed "Blue", and slipping further from the life he once knew, Eperlan ended up in a home where his spark had gone out.

Now meet equestrian Nick Moon and his wife Jen. They’d always had a soft spot for the forgotten ones - the horses who needed someone in their corner when the crowds had gone home. When they first met Eperlan, they didn’t realise who he was, but what they saw was a soul in shutdown: underweight, unwell, and painfully withdrawn.

"We were told he was an old Grade A, maybe a nice horse for the family. But when we arrived, 
our hearts broke. He looked so sad and vacant. He was just lost."

Jen Moon

They took him home. And then they received his passport.

That was the moment everything changed. This wasn’t just any horse. This was the Eperlan. And not only was he forgotten - he was broken and lost.

The Moons set about restoring not just his health, but his spirit. They groomed him daily. Took him for pub lunches. Then one day they played him clips of his old competition rounds, and something shifted - the moment he heard the roar of a puissance crowd through an iPad screen, his ears pricked and he walked over. It was as if he remembered who he was.

"We played a clip from 2005 at London Olympia. He heard the crowd, the commentator - he looked up, walked over to us. His whole demeanour changed. It was incredible. He just needed to remember who he was."

Jen Moon

From then on, the healing began. They set up chairs outside the stable to watch televised shows together, and took him to local events where fans gathered just to say hello. Eperlan came alive again. He remembered he was a legend. It was heartfelt, and it worked!

Eperlan flourished - and with him, so did the idea that maybe every legendary horse deserved this kind of care. This kind of retirement - not an ending, but a new chapter.

In 2016, the Moons moved their growing herd of retirees to France to build something bigger. Legacy of Legends became a formal charity in 2021, but its true beginning was always Eperlan - and the moment a couple chose to see through the surface and into the heart of a forgotten warrior. And even more wonderful, they reunited Eperlan with his former Puissance partner, Ben Maher MBE, who is now a major Legacy of Legends supporter, along with John Whittaker, David Broome, and so many more.

Today, the Moons and their four children care for a yard full of elite retirees - Olympians, Puissance champions, show jumpers, eventers - each with a story, a worldwide following, and a right to dignity. Through media, partnerships, and a devotion to end-of-life care, Legacy of Legends is rewriting how we think about retirement in sport horses.

"We accept we can't save them all. But in an industry that breeds and profits so prolifically, 
it's time we take responsibility for the lives we bring into the world. End-of-life care must be part of the conversation. It’s our responsibility as an industry to honour every life we touch, 
and give back to the horses who gave us everything.”

Jen Moon

Legacy of Legends is their tribute - and now comfortably in his 30s, Eperlan’s legacy will live on in every saved horse that follows.

Ben Maher & Eperlan du Fouquet winning the 2005 Olympia Puissance:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT1e2tQlocU

Find out more at:  https://legacyoflegends.co.uk/