Farewell to Chesterfield's former Market horse Sam 'adored by everyone'

A gentle chestnut giant with a white strap on his face, who has become a landmark in Chesterfield town centre, Sam passed away at the age of 30.

He had spent the last 13 years enjoying his retirment at a farm near Apperknole where he was in the caring hands of Vanessa and Carl Pass and their friend Janett Sparks.

Carl said: “Sam has been a lovely companion to us. My wife was riding another horse, but it threw her off and she broke her back. We were looking for an older horse, that would be calm to help her to get back into riding. That’s how we got Sam.

"He was a lovely, kind horse, with a character. He was very clever and he would sometimes let himself in and out through the gate.

"We have another horse Tommy and he misses Sam a lot now. They lived together and got along very well, they were friends. We will be looking to get a new comapnion for Tommy to help him feel less lonely.”

Vanessa and Carl were the second pair of owners for Sam as – he spent first two years of his retirment at a different farm. Carl said Sam was in generally good health, but he was struggling with chest issues – thought to be due to pollution from the town market – and he needed to take medication every day.

Over the last 13 years he enjoyed countless rides the countryside with Vanessa and Janett and annual visists to the Barlborough show, where hundreds of people would recognise and approach him.

Carl said: “People would come up to Sam and say they remembered him. He was adored in Chesterfield. Everyone from small children to elderly ladies loved him. He had a bit of a sweet tooth, because people used to give him polo mints and - he enjoyed them."

Sam was one of three horses that were an attraction at the Chesterfield market between 1980 and 2012- alongside Captain and Ben. The horses were involved with the collection of rubbish and were popular both among tourists and locals. The council decided to scrap the attraction in 2012 which was met with a wave of opposition from residents. Hundreds of people signed an on-line petition, with many more rallying together on social networking sites to try and overturn the decision.

But despite the public reaction, the council defended the decision, saying the money saved would allow it to freeze rents for market stall holders and give traders a week’s rent-free holiday each year.