![]() ![]() The pair did its first national Grand Prix in February 2014 and first CDI Grand Prix in Saumur in May 2014. up to Prix St Georges level Stalwart of the British TeamĪs of 2014 Carl Hester was on board and he produced the horse into becoming a stalwart of the British team between 20. Between 20 Carl's assistent Katie Bailey competed him in the U.K. His stable name was "Barney".ĭescribed as a "spooky, unco-ordinated" youngster, Nip Tuck was trained by Carl Hester to Grand Prix.Īt the 2011 Global Dressage ForumThe dark bay gelding did his first national shows as a 4-year old in 2008, finishing third at the British Young Horse Championships. Nip Tuck sold to Jane de la Mare in Great Britain as a yearling and was renamed Nip Tuck after the American medical drama television series. He was bred by Jan van Breemen in The Netherlands and originally named Zandero. Nip Tuck was a KWPN gelding by Don Ruto out of Irena (by Animo x L'Espoir). He was spending his retirement with his owner, Jane de la Mare. As he said, “The land is large, gold is small and life is short.Nip Tuck, Carl Hester's Rio Olympic ride and multiple team horse, has passed away on 25 September 2023, aged 19. ![]() With a twinkle in his eye and itching for spring, Lathem is prepared for the long haul. “Twenty years ago I had a little bit of a dream, but never imagined that it would actually happen, now I'm doing pretty much what I had envisioned,” said Lathem. With pride, Lathem states, “I'm not weighing my gold in grams or ounces anymore, I'm weighing it in pounds.”Ī two-ounce nugget of gold from Nip & Tuck - Nowell Berg photo ![]() Back in the day, miners would pan a creek and if they didn't find gold, they'd move on to the next creek, and if it didn't pan out, they'd move on again. The Wild Horse River is a vast area that was barely touched in the two gold rushes (18). There's tons of gold up here,” he said.Ī handful of gold nuggets mined at Nip & Tuck - Nowell Berg photo “People told me the old timers got it all-you're wasting your time," Lathem said. He has heard it all from many people about the futility of gold mining on the Wild Horse or Boulder. “It's the biggest that's come out of the Wild Horse in the 20 years I've been digging here.” In the 1860s during the first gold rush on the Wild Horse, Mike Reynolds pulled out a 36-ounce nugget.Ī small piece of gold from one pan full of placer gravel - Nowell Berg photoĪccording to Lathem, a nugget that large would be about the size of a man's fist. In the fall of 2015, a two-ounce nugget came out of the Nip & Tuck. Lathem's real passion is working the claim and pulling out gold nuggets. As Lathem puts it, “by the time leave, it's an education, it's something they had no idea existed or that there were still people out here digging for gold.” It's worth the trip up the side of a mountain, but it won't be what you expect. For a small entrance fee, you get a whole day panning and you keep what you find, small or big. Not only is Nip & Tuck an operating gold mine, but in the summer months Lathem invites tourists to travel the 12 kilometres from the Fort Steele/Wardner Road high into the mountains and experience what it's like to pan for gold. "On that map there was a Nip & Tuck water ditch that comes off the creek in this area. “They dug a lot of ditches in this valley to get water higher on the banks and benches," said Lathem. The Nip & Tuck mine is located on the Wild Horse River near Fort Steele, B.C. The name referred to an old water ditch that was dug in the mid- to late 1800s. He found the name referenced on an old map at Fort Steele Historic Park. In the fall of 2008, Lathem started Nip & Tuck Gold Mine. Lathem went to Europe to participate in the 2008 World Goldpanning Championship in Spain and then 2009 in Italy, where he was the 12th fastest panner in the world. It would take several more years and a tour through Alaska, Dawson City, Spain and Italy before he got a mine up and running. ![]() In 2004, Lathem obtained a claim on the Wild Horse after it expired from the previous owner. It wasn't until 2002 that he staked a claim nearby on Boulder Creek. The Wild Horse River is a tributary of the Kootenay River, joining near Fort Steele, B.C. He first ventured into the Wild Horse River area in 1999. Twenty years ago Stephen Lathem had a vague dream about being a gold miner. Lathem whirls the pan in water to remove the larger stones, leaving only a sandy sludge. ![]()
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